Two Roads / Evil Twin - "Saigon Scooter Selfie" coffee stout

One beer trend I've observed is the increase in the number of pricey four-packs of pints. Yes, beer is still sold in six-packs or in singles or in larger packs, but I've noticed a lot of breweries releasing their creations in packs of four 16oz pint cans. These packs are not your typical lagers or ales - they're often "fancy" beer, made with unusual ingredients or in a particular style, and often come with a price tag to match - I've seen some four-packs go for over $25! Frankly, that's a LOT to pay for beer and I'm somewhat hesitant to recommend these.

But here's one that I think IS worth it - a collaboration stout between Stratford, CT-based Two Roads Brewing Co. and gypsy brewery Evil Twin. It's called "Saigon Scooter Selfie" and is billed as a Vietnamese-style coffee stout. Cool, right?

At 9.50%, this stout is made with brown sugar and cream extract. According to the bottle, the top brewers at each brewery came together, fueled by their love for the Vietnamese coffee drink "Ca Phe Sua Da", and traveled to Saigon to create this beer in partnership with Hanoi-based Heart of Darkness Craft Brewery.

Beers that emulate other beverages can be hit-or-miss; sometimes they fall flat and other times they knock it out of the park. Likewise, coffee stouts can be far too bitter or over-roasted, so we'll see how this turns out.

Aroma is pleasant, kinda smells like a cup of iced coffee. I let it warm up for five or so minutes, and swished it a bit, as one should do with a darker beer. Upon trying, I can say there are three things remarkable about this beer:

One, the texture. It's strikingly creamy, soft, and thick, almost like someone added a tablespoon or two of heavy cream to the beer. It's somewhat light for a stout, and in terms of weight, closer to a porter or even a thick black lager, actually. But not oily or heavy at all, and quite enjoyable.

Second, the flavors. There are two major flavors here, which appear simultaneously - one, a mild coffee flavor with some roasted malts, and two, a prominent sweetness very reminiscent of Vietnamese coffee or Thai iced tea...that sort of sugary milk they use. The brown sugar is somewhat noticeable, mostly moderating the cream but also adding to the sweetness. Definitely a sugar bomb.

Third, the drinkability. This beer hides the alcohol well and does not taste like 9.50% ABV. Likewise, the relative lightness of the beer doesn't overwhelm nor does it coat your throat after drinking.

So, yeah, I'm really digging this - it's super drinkable, nice and sweet, and with a very creamy, soft texture. The cream extract provides a "thick milk" consistency to the beer which is most welcome. It was nice to have a coffee stout that's on the lighter, sweeter end! About the cost - here's another "is-it-worth-$17-for-four-pints" question...and the answer is yes. Initially, I split this four-pack with my colleagues at D'Vines (to see if we liked it) but I subsequently went back to purchase a four-pack myself. If you like soft, creamy stouts with a delicious sweetness, seek this out - it's well worth it.

Atlas Brew Works - "Batch 500" barleywine

Wow, check this out - a super-rare beer from DC-based Atlas Brew Works. I got this gratis courtesy of my man Frankie, who is a rep for Atlas. He came by D'Vines to do a tasting, we got to chatting about the blog, and I mentioned that I hadn't tried any of Atlas's more rare stuff. He came back the next day and gave this to me. Quite generous of him, and much appreciated!

This beer is called "Batch 500" and is a 10.00% ABV oak-aged barleywine made with Brettanomyces yeast, brewed in commemoration of Atlas' 5th anniversary in 2018. As you may know, I'm a big barleywine fan so this is exciting as I haven't had a barleywine by Atlas before. The Brettanomyces is a bold choice, and I'm not sure how it will work here - this yeast is typically used in lighter beers and imparts a funky, somewhat vegetal flavor that I feel might get lost in the syrupy, heaviness of barleywines. But only one way to find out.

Wax top is not overly thick (here's looking at you, "Brett de Vinum") and is easily removed with a knife. Cap seems loose, though, after peeling off the wax. Upon opening, there's no hiss, pours somewhat flatly. Hmm, I hope this didn't leak.

Generates a bone-white head after agitating. Not much aroma.

Immediately this strikes me as much more medium-bodied than some barleywines I've had...barleywines, as a style, are known to be typically rather syrupy and heavy, but this one is quite smooth and soft. That's pretty cool, actually. As I enjoy the beer, there's a good measure of alcohol notes which develop, and if you like heavy wood flavors, then "Batch 500" will definitely butter your biscuit. There's solid notes of oak, brown sugar, and a touch of maple in there. Lots of  At 45 IBUs, it's not particularly hoppy, although nor can I detect any of that Brett funk. This beer does not have the kinda of boozy sweetness aftertaste that many barleywines have, but does have some of the attendant wood flavors.

I was perhaps expecting something a bit more thick and overpowering, but I can definitely respect the way this is drinkable. It's not often we come across a barleywine-style ale that is both 10.00% ABV and also NOT a boozy bomb. I like the idea of trying to incorporate Brettanomyces, although to be frank I really don't detect its influence whatsoever. This doesn't make it a bad beer, though, and although this beer is unfortunately no longer produced, but if it was, I'd suggest it as a good place to start if you're thinking of getting into barleywines. However, I do encourage you to check out other Atlas offerings like their "Rowdy Rye" and "NSFW", both excellent. Thanks again to Frankie, and Atlas, for the generous contribution to the blog.

Vinemio - 2010 "Imagine" syrah / grenache

Today's wine is from the depths of my cellar - I bought this 2010 vintage for $60 back in late 2010 or early 2011, along with the Black Slate priorat, as "investment" bottles...bottles intended for sitting in the back of the cabinet, aging, ready to fully develop. It was about time to try this, so here we go.

This 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah blend is from the Ventoux AOC, located in the southeastern part of the famous Rhone wine-growing region of southern France. This region is generally divided into two parts - Northern Rhone (Rhone septentrional in French), which produces Syrah and a smattering of other grapes, and southern Rhone (Rhone meridional) produces a whole host of white and red grapes, including blends such as the Avignon treasure, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

I don't always check online reviews of wine, since I'd rather just taste the wine myself, but for really old bottles, I like to check to see what they were like new. Reviews have it that's full of tannins, heavy, with sweet berry notes. Obviously all this aging will have tempered that, but let's find out for ourselves.

Pours out dark reddish brown into the glass, with really no bricking. Nice color though. Note the spilled drops - really nice reddish-purple.

It's also pretty cool that the cork has the vintage right on it.

There's a bit of an alcohol tinge on the nose, some dark fruit, but generally very soft. I didn't have an aerator, but when I poured it out I let sit (and swish) for about 15 minutes before tasting.

Wow, this is really light. Not a ton of flavor here. It's thin and a touch watery, but has a nice dryness here that's a function of the aging. I'm detecting some softer blackberry notes as the wine develops, no doubt a remnant of its former self, and a I'm sensing pulpy, macerated grape skin flavors on the finish. There's a touch of tartness on the aftertaste, accompanied by alcohol esters and more dryness.

Maybe I was expecting to be disappointed, since most of my wine aging ventures have resulted in overaged wines, but I think this is OK. The wine is soft but not tragically thin; there's not much berry flavors and the mouthfeel is soft, but the aftertaste has some berry and grape skin flavors which are nice. A delicate wine that's not refreshing, per se, but in the context of the other flavors, the dryness does add a pleasing texture. We had steak for dinner, and I'm glad we had this first - I think this is too light for a heavy meal. While this didn't have the fullness of the flavor that it would have while young, I really liked the dryness (as did my father, who tasted this with me) and it was neat to see how a really nice wine ages and maintains its drinkability over almost a decade. We paired this with some Cheddar cheese and water crackers, which I feel was appropriate.