Brookeville Beer Farm - "Patterson Footage" sweet potato ale

Well, it's a bit late for a Thanksgiving-themed beer post, but whatever. I'll be quick. Here's an interesting libation from Brookeville Beer Farm, located about twenty miles north of DC in Brookeville, MD. What a fun name for a brewery! I'm imagining that, come harvest time, farmers pulling six packs out of the dirt and holding them up to the light. "Good crop this year, yep," the farmer says as he tosses dirty six packs into his basket for sale at the village market.

I jest. BBF is a farm, though, and they grow much of the ingredients used in their beers. Today's beer is called "Patterson Footage", named after the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, purported to be the most authentic sighting of Bigfoot until it was proven a hoax. Which most of us could probably have told you from the beginning.

This 5.40% ale is made with 200 pounds of sweet potatoes, 100 pounds of toasted pecans, 50 pounds of marshmallows, and 3 gallons of molasses. Wow! It's quite malty, with a moderate sweet potato character. Also, it's somewhat sweet for a beer, reminds me of original Pumking a bit. Might be the marshmallows, there's not much molasses from what I can pick up. Overall a soft, sweet, malty beer and kinda fun. I've had a few sweet potato beers before (one from Ardent and another from Asheville Brewers Alliance as part of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp series) but this one I think is the most flavorful. Cost-wise, it's $16.99 for four pints. I ended up chatting with a Beer Farm rep one Saturday at the store, and he indicated that this beer was tough for the brewers to make, but they hope to bring it back. I hope they do, too!

Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co. - "Nordic Brume" IPA

For another entry in the "striking can art" list, enter Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co., located just outside the Beltway in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I'd never heard of Elder Pine, but we suddenly got a whole stack of their stuff into the store, so gotta try it out.

This beer is called "Nordic Brume" and is a 7.00% ABV IPA made with kveik yeast. Kveik yeast is nothing new to the world - it's just a Norwegian word for "yeast" and in modern contexts refers to a relative-unchanged style of farmhouse yeast untouched by modern cultivation methods. Zach Fowle at Draftmag.com covered it, calling it "the hottest new centuries-old beer yeast you've never heard of." Although a full phylogenetic analysis has yet to be performed, we do know a few notable characteristics of this yeast - it ferments at a super-high temperature, almost 104 degrees F; it ferments in a matter of minutes; the yeast can be reused and dried; and it very quickly drops out of suspension. Because of the high tolerances for heat, some brewers are pushing the limit with this yeast - head beermaker Weedy Wiedenthal, of Tombstone Brewing Co. in Arizona, is quoted in Draftmag saying “I think this yeast is a good candidate for something that will ferment up to 15 or 16 percent ABV."

That's something I'd like to see. Let's crack this open - projects a bright and fresh aroma, lots of zesty citrus.

OK, interesting. From the beer I'm detecting flavors of lime rind, a bunch of fresh citrus zest, passionfruit, and kiwi. Similar to IPAs like Treehouse, but not sugary, though - a critical distinction. I think the biggest thing here is the unusual texture - it's soft, somewhat salty, but at the same time lush. Finish is a bit soft and aftertaste is of passionfruit, thin but present.

I like how it straddles the line between a crisp, West Coast IPA and a full, delicious, hazy New England-style brew. The off-dry texture coupled with the citrus flavors is a nice marriage, and might be nice for someone looking to try a new kind of IPA. Keep an eye out for other breweries that are using this yeast - Väsen Brewing Company out of Richmond has been using Kviek, too.

Southern Tier Brewing Co. - "Pumking Nitro" and "Rum Barrel Aged Pumking"

Well, you almost escaped 2019 without a single pumpkin beer review. I tend to avoid reviewing them because these days, the market is insanely oversaturated and it's almost a cliche. At D'vines, we must have carried almost 20 different pumpkin beers this season. Everyone seems to make one these days, and most are pretty straightforward and without anything to seriously set them apart from the others. However, I'm always on the lookout for new things - or variations on old favorites - so I was excited to see these two from Southern Tier - special riffs on their vaunted "Pumking", the OG of pumpkin beers and the best one on the market in my humble opinion.

First up is their "Pumking Nitro", a 8.60% ABV nitrogenated version of the base beer. For those who may be unaware, "nitro" describes the type of gas used in the carbonation process. Nitrogen can be used in lieu of carbon dioxide to create a creamy, soft texture to the beer. According to John Hall at Craftbeer.com, nitro is most associated with "a certain brewery of Irish heritage hailing from Dublin," aka Guinness, but is being used across the beer world now. It's the same stuff that's in your nitro cold brew coffee.

13.6 fl oz can cracks open with a dramatic hiss, as if under immense pressure. As expected pours super creamy and generates a thick, impenetrable cap of foam.

In terms of flavor - not much different from the base beer. Same moderate pumpkin taste, good backbone of malts and a slightly sweet finish, BUT - the nitro creates a super thick, massively-creamy mouthfeel closer to a pumpkin milkshake than a beer. Nitro doesn't work for all beers, but I think this hit the mark for sure. However, for those uninitiated to nitro beers, this is going to be a surprise.

Now let's take a slightly different take - rum barrel aged! This sixtel keg was sitting in the back for a while, and we finally tapped it on Thanksgiving Day.

Oh wow, this beer has a BIG rum character. It's not super sweet, and in fact, a touch bracing - reminds me of a white rum. The pumpkin is there, a touch of spice, but some of the more nuanced spice notes present in the original have given way to a woody bite and a big white sugar punch. And interestingly, it's not super boozy either. There's a high amount of alcohol, but it's not as heavy and sweet as many other beers in class. I'm always impressed by these super-heavy beers that manage to hide the alcohol, and this is no exception.

Bonus - they even did a cold press version, which I had as well. Much lighter but definitely picking up on the coffee. I hope they do more versions of this next year!

Clos Chapon - 2016 Vouvray chenin blanc

You may have seen today's wine on a menu somewhere and wondered, what the heck is "Vouvray"? Well, Vouvray isn't a grape - it's a village in France, located in the Touraine district near the city of Tours, in the famed Loire Valley. Vourvray enjoys its own AOP, or Appellation d’Origine Protégée. According to WineFolly.com, Appellation d’Origine Protégée  is a system of classification of French wines, first developed in 1936 by Baron Pierre Le Roy who also founded the regulatory board for wine in France (called INAO). AOP is essentially a hierarchical system of rules and regulations that determine where the wines are produced, what they are made of and their level of quality. Apparently, the more specific the region is, the higher the rank.

Vouvray is, however, also a general term used to describe wines made in the vicinity, and like all wines that bear the name, today's wine is of 100% chenin blanc. Chenin blanc is a white grape and rather nice - I've had it many times. It's common in France, but the colonial Dutch were so enamored with it that now it's actually one of the most prolific grapes in South Africa (Indaba makes a tasty bottle, which we sell at D'Vines - 2 for $20.)

So on to the main attraction - today's Vouvray is produced in the Clos Chapon vineyard, a small hilltop plot in Vouvray. Note - this bottle says "sec" - dry, in French - and is the driest of the Vouvrays (Vouvray follows a similar sweetness scale as Champagne, as explained in my August 2018 post.) I grabbed this at Total Wine in Manchester, CT, for $17.99.

Pours a pale gold color, quite pretty. On the nose, I'm getting intense fruit - pear, peaches, nectarines.

Ah, very nice. So what's most striking about this is the full floral flavors - probably the floweriest wine I have had. There's not much minerality at all, and instead presents flavors of white flowers, peach, pear, and a touch of fresh dates (think the kind that come drenched in honey.) There's no oak, no tang, just soft, sweet flavor. The finish is refreshing and lush and the aftertaste is of pulpy peach.

In general, I love wines from the Loire Valley - it's a huge region with lots of different types of wine, including some awesome sauvignon blanc - however, quite the contrast from this Vouvray. We paired this with hot Indian curry, and I felt the sweetness and floral nature of the wine contrasted nicely with the masala. Additionally, this wine would be great for someone who may want to stray away from the oaked Chardonnays and would like a fruitier, more floral wine that won't break the bank.

Carpineto - 2009 Vigneto St. Ercolano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

Today's wine is a special red blend from famed Italian producer Carpineto. Founded in 1967 and based in the medieval town of Montepulciano in the Siena province of Tuscany, Carpineto has a really nice spectrum of wines: everything from the tasty-yet-cheap Dogajolo at $10, to some middle-of-the-road Riserva Chiantis, to today's wine, a ten-year-old blend for $50. Over 95% of Carpineto production is of red wines, the majority of which are wines which age three years or more before reaching the market for sale, with over 250,000 cases of wine being sold annually. Additionally, you'll note that this wine has a DOCG statement on the neck - under Italian wine laws, DOCG is the highest designation of quality of wines. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, DOCG).

Today's wine is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot. It's estate-produced entirely in the St. Ercolano vineyard, and underwent extensive oak aging in new French and American barrels for a year, followed by four years in bottle. Only 12,000 bottles of this vintage were produced. Sounds great, right! Let's dive in.

Popped the cork and something immediately felt off. The cork had purple streaks on it and the flat part of the cork was somewhat darker than the rest, and projected a somewhat stale odor.

By the way - it's a myth that smelling the cork tells you anything about the quality of the wine. It does, however, help you identify any "off" flavors or detect cork taint. If the cork is bad, the wine is likely to be compromised and smelling (and inspecting) the cork will help you figure that out sooner rather than later.

So the cork smells weird - like musty carpet and peppermint candies. I poured the wine into the glass via my Vintorio aerator, and it pours a dark, deep, blackish-ruby. The bouquet, or aroma, is sort of peppery and nutty, with an alcohol tinge to it. Well, I think this is skunked. Only one way to find out.

OK, so this is not matching up with what I observed in the cork and in the glass. Instead of a nasty, skunked wine, the liquid in the glass is super refined and quite dry. Leather is the major flavor, backed by a dash of oily licorice, graphite (yes that's a thing), and black pepper. There are some shadows of black fruit like blackberry, and the finish is dusty and dry with solid plum notes - the first real showing of fruit in the entire thing. Lots of intricacies here!

With tons of sediment in the bottom, this is a wine that is definitely on the older end of the spectrum yet still shows a solid "structure" - i.e. a heavy wine that was built to last and to stand up to aging. Served with a truffle salt steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and spinach, this wine provided a deep, refined base, and didn't overpower the meal. A nice find! At the time of this post, we have one more for sale at D'Vines for $49.99.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co. - "Black Rice" brown ale

Anderson Valley Brewing Co., located in Boonville, CA, is one of the older microbreweries in the US - founded in late 1987, not long after yours truly was born. Credited with reviving the gose style for US markets, and thus starting the gose craze of 2014 - 2015, Anderson Valley is quietly churning out good ales. I've tried a couple of their offerings over the years, including the "Fall Hornin'" autumn seasonal and their "Thribble Currant", a fruited ale. Some of their stuff makes it out this way, but there's a whole bunch else that's native to the brewery and to Northern CA in general that we just don't see. Interesting fact: Boonville has its own language, "Boontling." First started around 1900 as farm shorthand, this quirky lingo features prominently in AVBC's beer.

So today's ale - this is their "Black Rice", an anemic 3.80% ABV brown ale made with black rice - apparently a real thing and something legend says was only reserved for Chinese royalty. I've never heard of black rice, but that's cool that it's a thing:

The beverage is made with American two-row pale malt, black rice of course, chocolate malts, and Liberty hops - but not super bitter, only 18 IBUs. Pours swiftly from the can and generates a soft but noticeable nose of malt.

Oh, that is good. It's actually quite peculiar - there's a dry malty taste, somewhat starchy. Lots of nuances here - I'm picking up some of the traditional brown ale flavors like nuts and caramel, but a lot of it is washed over by the dry earthiness of the rice and complemented by a soft minerality, like salt. It presents a thin, refreshing finish that's slightly sweet.

I really liked this. I think the starch and the minerality turned it from a light, ho-hum brown ale into a real winner. Another bonus is that it's extremely light, so much so that you can even get this in the supermarket in Utah (home of the most restrictive alcohol laws in the country.) At $12.99, it's at an acceptable price point for a six pack of cans, so pick one up! Definitely worth a try. And as they say in Boontville, "Bahl Hornin'!"

DC Brau - "Churros for Breakfast" stout

Well, it's about that time again - heavy beers for those cold winter nights. Today's beer is onesuch "winter warmer" produced by District of Columbia brewers DC Brau. This is called "Churros for Breakfast" and is a pastry stout aged in rum and cinnamon whiskey barrels, weighing in at an absurd 15.00% ABV. Wow! beer is aged in whiskey barrels from DC's own Republic Restoratives, one of the only all female-owned distilleries in the US. Cheers to Pia and Rachel for making great whiskey! The barrels in which this beer was aged previously held rum.

Now let's rewind - what is a pastry stout? According to Kate Bernot of "Ask Kate About Beer", this term-of-art was coined by a writer at the blog "Don't Drink Beer" to describe those fancy beers meant to imitate baked goods...we've all seen them - "wedding cake stouts" and "chocolate eclair porters" and The Bruery's tiramisu stout and Evil Twin's barrage of biscotti-themed beers. I've had a few examples of the style; they're typically too sweet, too expensive, and have too many competing flavors.

So let's hope today's beer doesn't fall into the same trap. Can cracks open with a hiss, pours lazily into the tasting glass. I let this sit for about 5 minutes before trying, to let it come up to temp.

Whew, OK, ridiculously boozy. First flavors are massive waves of sweetness of wood and sugar, with those rum barrels really making an impact on the beer. There's a dark chocolate base, not bitter, which coats the mouth (like a dark molasses rum) and gives way to cinnamon, the most striking note here. It's like those hot cinnamon candies (or, dare I say, Fireball whiskey.) This features strongly in the long lingering aftertaste.

A big meal, for sure, and great if you like lots of cinnamon, and sweeter, heavier, silkier beers. And so for $17 for four 12oz cans, it's not cheap but well worth it if you like super heavy, belly-warming beers - and one with a zing NOT from peppers, as is the most common source of heat in beer.

Ommegang Brewing Co. - "Joemeggang" Belgian dark ale

I haven't done a coffee beer in a while, so I'd like to highlight this one. It's called "Joemeggang," undoubtedly a portmanteau of "Ommegang" and "joe" (as in coffee), coming to me from Cooperstown, NY-based Ommegang Brewing Co. It's a 7.5% ABV Belgian dark ale made with a special coffee blend, developed by Cooperstown coffee gurus Stagecoach Coffee. It's made with a dedicated blend of French roast, Sumatra, and Papua New Guinea coffees developed especially for this beer. On the brewing side of things. there's caramel malts, cocoa nibs, and Belgian yeasts. Sounds delicious.

Medium brown in the glass, this beer is much thinner and lighter than I was expecting. There's a strong showing of bready malts, some alcohol sweetness, a dash of oats, a touch of Belgian yeast, and a refreshing caramel and honey sweetness. The cocoa nibs they add come through towards the end, and impart a pleasant aftertaste that dissipates quickly. Big thing though - it's not very coffee-y, and I'm on the fence whether that is a good thing or not.

As a standalone Belgian-inspired ale, it's pretty good. Nothing unique, but something I'd drink again, especially with a hearty soup or shepherd's pie. But as a coffee ale, I don't believe it was a success. That's, okay, though: if those heavy, roasted stouts with tons of espresso aren't your thing, you may want to give this a try!

Omnipollo - "Agamemnon" stout

We got in flat of these at the store a while back, and since I am a sucker for cool packaging, I had to grab one. Made by Omnipollo, this beer is called "Agamemnon" and is a 12.50% ABV imperial stout brewed with maple syrup. Perfect for the season! And check out that striking can art.

I've discussed maple syrup numerous times on this blog, including references to The Bruery' exemplary "Autumn Maple" as well as a sampling of Lawson Finest Liquids' "Fayston Maple Imperial Stout" at SAVOR in 2018 - so it's not unusual. Heck, one of my first posts ever back in 2012 was about Peak Organic's maple beer. Maple syrup is finding its way into other alcohols, too - they're even making whiskey now in barrels that once held maple syrup. It's an interesting ingredient with the potential to sweeten up whatever it comes in contact with.

After cracking the can, I let this sit out longer than usual - about ten minutes - and agitated it occasionally. Beers like these simply need to warm up for their flavors to fully open up...swishing the glass is preferred (much like volatizing wine esters) but I sometimes agitate with a toothpick to mix the beer up. I have also heard of people actually microwaving the beer for 3 or 4 seconds to warm it up; I have never heard of this and believe these individuals should be investigated for crimes against humanity.

OK, beer's been sitting out for a bit, pouring now into a glass. It generates a khaki-colored head an emits deep roast coffee aroma notes. Not much maple syrup though, at least from what I can tell.  

Woof, OK, this is a doozy. Dark as the night is long, this beer is super heavy and oily. The dominant flavor here the alcohol here...lots of boozy sweetness with a touch of oil. There's vanilla, too, more evident as the beer warms up. Finally the maple shows up, towards the end, and delivers a loooong lingering maple sweetness on the aftertaste, like maple sugar, with another dose of alcohol.

While this isn't the heaviest beer I've ever had it definitely ranks up there. It's as oily and full as pretty much any in-class; in the industry, we call this a "palate wrecker" - big, overwhelming, and boozy. It's a big meal, but very tasty and worth a try. Although I would have preferred the maple to be throughout the beer, I felt this did a good job of delivering that flavor at the end.

Cesari - Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOG

So I wasn't paying attention, and my last post (about a fancy California Cabernet) was my 400th post! It was a nice bottle to review but nothing super rare or extravagant, so for my 401st post, I will belatedly celebrate with this super fancy Italian red wine: the famous Amarone della Valpolicella from the shores of Lake Garda in the Veneto region of northern Italy. This wine is 100% estate grown by Cesari Vineyards, a longstanding producer of Amarone. This "Classico", the first of five levels of rarity, is comprised of three grapes - 75% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, and 5% Molinara, all three being varietals native to Italy.

Oh, yeah, and the bottle is 5 liters, or 6.5 times the size of a normal wine bottle. That's a little under one-and-a-half gallons! This is not the largest size, either. There's probably 20 or so wine bottle sizes, ranging from a tiny piccolo bottle (187mL, barely a glass) to insanely large bottles that stand four feet tall and contain over 40 regular bottles' worth. Fun fact: large-format bottles have special names, typically Biblical - this format is called a "Bordeaux Jeroboam". Other sizes are Rehoboams at 4.5 liters, Methuselahs are 8 liters, the 20-liter Nebuchadnezzar, and much more. The largest bottle is the Melchizedek, at 30 liters, although these are seldom made.

OK, the wine has been breathing for a while, so let's give this a go. Care must be taken to pour, as it's such a large bottle.

This wine is remarkably velvety and smooth, with the main flavor notes being fig, dried apricot, red grapes, and a touch of wood. Not much in terms of spice or leather, and the wine is somewhat tannic but without a major bite. Interestingly, the finish of the wine reminds me of candied fruit, with a slight tinge of sherry. Not oxidized, mind you, but that peculiar sherry flavors. Very warming and soft, long finish. I really enjoyed it - the dried apricot notes really balanced the red grape skins and gave it a somewhat sweeter profile.

This is my first time having Amarone, so I wanted to learn a little bit more about it so I asked Eddie Janik, rep for Opici Wines and a former D'Vines capo, to tell me more. According to Eddie, Amarones are sometimes "tight" and require a few years of cellaring to open up, sometimes up to a decade. He's a big fan of the 2011s as, in his opinion, they're at a good point of drinkability and don't require a great deal of time in the cellar before softening up. I got all wrapped up in the conversation that I didn't grab an adequate picture of the wine itself. But if you're interested in trying this for yourself, we carry a 750mL bottle at D'Vines for $49.99. It's a fine Thanks to D'Vines owner George Aguilar for picking up this bottle for our shindig!

J. Lohr - 2014 "Hilltop" red blend

A product of famed vintner Jerry Lohr, this 14.90% ABV red blend was made in high-elevation, warm vineyards in Paso Robles, California. Located in San Obispo County south of the Bay Area, Paso Robles is also the home of Firestone Walker Brewing Co., a favorite of mine, so I've spoken of this area numerous times over the years. Aside from a star producer of beer, Paso Robles is an officially-recognized AVA (American Viticultural Area) with eleven subregions. It's a prolific producer of wines, typically reds, and is a major element of California's wine production, right up there with Napa, Sonoma, and the Central Coast.

Now, you may look at the title of my post and then look at the wine's label and notice a bit of a discrepancy. That's because, although this wine is labelled as a Cabernet Sauvignon, it's actually a red blend - 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. So then why to the call it "Cabernet Sauvignon"?

That's because of a quirk in the laws. According to the Tax and Trade Bureau of the US Department of the Treasury, under 27 Code of Federal Regulations, § 4.23(b), a wine doesn't have to be 100% "pure" (here, a pure varietal) in order to be declared as such. This doesn't mean deceit - it's just a peculiarity of the labeling law. I've read conflicting information regarding the threshold, but TTB says that a wine must be at least 75% of one varietal to be labelled as such. Makes sense I guess, but might be misleading to customers looking for one particular grape and instead getting 25% of a different grape (or grapes.) Although this wine is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, I'd prefer to call it a red blend for the purposes of a review.

Let's dive in - I'm detecting a nose of ripe red fruit.

Very full bodied - but - remarkably smooth. Dominant flavors here are black cherry, baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, and plum skins; heavily fruit-forward with a dense, rather velvety feel, and rich tannic heaviness throughout. As the wine develops, I'm picking up ripe red cherries and strawberry juice on the aftertaste, accompanied by that heavy weight of tannins.

There's good acidity, too, and definitely on the heavy end of the spectrum of wines. In terms of style and heritage, this is a superlative Cabernet and a great example of a massive California red. Cabs from this part of California are known to be "big" wines, and this doesn't disappoint. I paired this with Ethiopian food, and I'll tell you, it was a bit too much. This wine may be best enjoyed on its own to fully appreciate the strength, or perhaps aged for a five or six years to mellow out. At $29.99, this wasn't cheap but well within my budget for a high-quality California Cab.

Contrary Brewing Co. - "Pollinator" honey ale

While grabbing a plate of wings and some beers at El Bait Shop in downtown Des Moines a few days back, I spotted this brew on their (extremely extensive) menu. Looking for something softer to go with my dry-rub wings, I opted for this beer, called "Pollinator". It's a 5.50% ABV ale from Muscatine, IA-based Contrary Brewing Co., located right on the banks of the Mississippi on the Iowa / Illinois border.

The neatest part of this is that it's made with local Iowa honey. Sounds good, right? I've had a few ales made with honey over the years, all have been pretty good. This one doesn't disappoint - I think what I like most about this is the texture. The honey softens up and thickens the beer and gives it a slightly sweet aftertaste. The wheat here is somewhat mild, and really just forms the base to show off the particular soft sweetness of the honey. Quite refreshing and tasty, and at 13 IBUs it's great for beer drinkers who may not like overly fizzy or hoppy beers. I ended up getting a crowler of this to go, and was a nice beer to relax with after a long day of work!

Exile Brewing Co. - Beer in America's Heartland

Well, here I am - the land of corn, rolling plains, political town halls, and state fairs. I'm in Iowa this week for work, and of course no trip anywhere is complete without a tour of the local beer culture. I'm staying in Des Moines, and there are quite a few breweries here. Most are not necessarily within walking distance of my hotel, and fewer still have a full menu for dinner (which is what I needed at this point!) so enter Exile Brewing Co., located in a renovated historic factory not far from Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines. Exile was a little over a mile from my hotel, so I just walked.

Lots of space inside - tables, booths, a large beer hall and event space, and a twenty-seat bar. Their draft list was respectable - about 12 beers on draft, many in the lighter German styles. But - like any good brewpub - there's something for everyone and I feel they had a good survey of light to dark. I was immediately drawn to their "G.G.", a 5.00% ABV dunkel: this style is essentially a dark German lager. Pours deep brown...look at that thick foamy cap!

Wow, great. This is a great example of this style - very malty, a little bit of caramel sweetness, and a soft texture with little carbonation. The caramel notes come through most noticeably on the finish, and the sweetness lingers for quite some time. Super tasty and great for fans of more traditional German styles.

It being Oktoberfest season (already), I of course opted to try their "Oktoberfest", a 5.90% ABV Marzen-style ale.

Made with Perle and Hallertau traditional hops, this ale combines lots of caramel malts and German malts for an ale in the old world style. However, it's honestly lighter in body than many of the Oktoberfest beers I've had over the years, and that's kinda nice. Some are just far too heavy and sweet and syrupy, and I think this expression gives some welcome softness and drinkability to a seasonal style. Another home run for Exile! They're 2 for 2 so far. 

Now was time for dinner, and I wanted something a bit lighter, so I opted for their "Lemon Trail", a 4.50% ABV lemon ale made with Lemon Drop hops and Pilsner malts. 

Very, very good. Unlike some other "lemon" beers on the market, this one really packs a lemony punch. Lots of lemon juice, lemon rind, and lemon pulp notes, and surprisingly not sour or tart. That's the biggest thing for me - lemon appears often as an ingredient in sour beers, and although sours have their place and time, I wasn't in the mood at the moment. So I'm glad it wasn't sour!

So yeah, definitely visit Exile if you're in Des Moines. Beer was super good, food was also excellent (had the bacon salsa burger!) and the service was great. I was impressed by the community feel, as well - lots of families eating dinner, some events going on in the adjacent beer hall, and people getting beer to go. A very enjoyable evening! Big shout out to Chris who told me more about the beers and answered all my random questions in preparation for this post. 

Great South Bay Brewery - Omnipollo / Tupinquim "Poli Mango" IPA

D'Vines got in a small shipment of these imperial IPAs from Omnipollo, which is one of those beer production companies that produces on contract under a variety of labels, including Great South Bay Brewing Co., located in Bay Shore, NY. Also listed on the can is Cervejaria Tupinquim, a brewery based in Porto Alegre, a city in the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil...not to mention a reference to Twelve Percent, LLC, the distributor. So it's anyone's guess who made this or where it came from.

This beer is billed as a 9.50% ABV "Brazilian-style" Imperial IPA brewed with polenta, and it looked intriguing, so I picked up a can.

OK, two things - first, what is "Brazilian style"? All I can find online are references to other beers called "Brazilian"; unfortunately there is no actual definition of the style. There is an Untappd review of a different beer claiming that the mango is what makes it Brazilian, but I mean, mango is a common ingredient in beer these days, and we don't see everything referred to a "Brazilian", do we? I suppose the fact there's a Brazilian brewery listed on the can is the major qualifier here.

Secondly - it's made with polenta. Polenta! The corn stuff? Interesting choice, but I prefer it pan-fried with eggs, not in my beer. I suppose a brewer could add polenta right to the mash as a substitute for corn or flaked wheat to give body to the beer...not sure how it would come out, but I guess I'll see soon enough.

Pours a deep golden amber color, generates a nondescript aroma of some kind of fruit. Can't place it.

This is really tasty! It's just a touch sweet, sort of milky, with a surprisingly-strong flavor of mango pulp. Hop profile is pretty mild with some booziness from the alcohol, mostly at the end. As the beer develops on the tongue, I'm detecting a slight dried fruit note, like dates. Maybe that's what I was smelling earlier. There's a thick, somewhat chewy texture to this beer, which one can only assume to be the polenta - tastes a bit like the "skin" of a corndog. Fresh finish with the mango really hanging on after swallowing.

I liked this. Mango is a great, refreshing fruit to use in any beer, and I'm glad to see it make an appearance in a somewhat heavier beer - often you see mango in lighter ales or goses, not "bigger" IPAs. Don't let the polenta scare you - there isn't a strong corn flavor, but it's definitely there, and the texture is somewhat like grits - chewy and mealy but not overly thick. I grabbed this for $5.99, which is a fair price for one; $24 is a bit much for a four-pack though.