Black Tooth Brewing Co. - "Saddle Bronc" brown ale

Courtesy of former D'Vines colleague Austin, I came across a can or two of this libation, a 4.80% ABV English-style brown ale from Sheridan, WY-based Black Tooth Brewing. Austin grabbed a few cans on a recent work trip, and was kind enough to pass them along. Thanks, Austin!

The brainchild of founders Tim Barnes, Tim Barnes, Sr., Mike Strahan, and top brewer Travis Zeilstra, Black Tooth was founded in 2010. This offering, and several others, have received medals in various beer competitions, so I'm excited to try. My only other experience with Wyoming beer has been at SAVOR in 2018, where I tried MISHAP! Brewing Co.'s lovely "Fire Hole" chili porter. Outside of events like this, or from cans smuggled back from trips, beers from microbreweries from out West seldom truly make it to DC. Black Tooth's stuff, for example, is available in cans and on draught from Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, and to some parts of South Dakota, but no further.

Fun fact - "saddle bronc", the name of the beer, is a rodeo event also known as "bronc riding" where a rider mounts a horse using a special saddle and attempts to stay on as long as possible - 8 seconds is goal. I'd last .08 seconds, probably.

OK, let's take a look - remarkably root-beer clear, aromas of earth and a slight note of sugar.

Light, fresh, and a touch sweet, this brown ale has an exceptionally clean texture - surprisingly so. There's a touch of sweet caramel that I really dig, followed by a nice malt backbone, but the real excitement here is how soft and easy-drinking this is. Some brown ales are heavy on certain elements of the beer, or often mixed with coffee and other stuff, but "Saddle Bronc" is straightforward, well-done, and very enjoyable as a sessionable brown ale. I'd actually compare this, favorably, to another Rocky Mountain staple - Big Sky Brewing's "Moose Drool." I think the "Saddle Bronc" is a better version of "Moose Drool", packing a bit more flavor while still retaining that light, malty, easy-drinking quality.  This lovely session brown would be a great pairing with some meatloaf or burgers on the grill while watching the sun set over the Bighorn National Forest.

Stillwater Artisanal / Tired Hands - "Smoking Buddies" smoked DIPA

I'm a big fan of savory, smoky beers, so naturally I had to pick up this four-pack of IPAs from the shop. It's called "Smoking Buddies" and is an 8.00% ABV double IPA made with malted barley aged on Spanish cedar. This beer is a collaboration between Stillwater Artisanal, a gypsy brewery founded by electronica DJ Brian "Stillwater" Strumke, and Tired Hands Brewing Company based in Ardmore, Delaware County, PA. I actually can't find much about this beer beyond the description and some reviews online - normally, were this the case, I'd call the brewer to hear the story behind it, but that's hard to do now so failing any additional anecdotes I'll have to see for myself.

Medium amber color in the glass, quite pretty. Thick cap of white, fizzy foam. I was most interested to see the aroma, as it could be super smoky or not at all. It's somewhere in the middle - a hint of smoke but majorly hop-forward. Hmmm.

There's a big burst of pineapple at first, with a nice showing of juicy West Coast hops and a strong dash of grapefruit. Not super bitter, but definitely has a bite, which slowly develops into a very noticeable and welcome flavor of soft, aromatic wood and oranges. Not smoke, mind you, but a very pronounced cedar savoriness. The finish is quite fresh, and the flavor doesn't last too long in the mouth after swallowing.

There's an interesting juxtaposition here - I like the full, juicy flavors that traditionally come with a double IPA, somewhat similar to Alchemist Brewing's famed "Heady Topper", but it's also nice to see that tang mitigated by the "base" quality of the wood aging. It lacks the heavy, wet maltiness of a rauchbier like Aecht Schenkerla, so it's easier to show off the more delicate flavors. By its name, one can be forgiven for expecting this beer to be similar to a rauchbier, but here, the "smoking" doesn't refer to smoke itself, but the aged cedar that make up cigar boxes and contribute to the wood aging of the beer. Presumably the guys at Stillwater and Tired Hands came up with this idea while sharing a fine cigar one day!

The beer costs $19.99 for four pints, so on the medium-higher end of the spectrum, but I think it's worth it. I'd buy it again.

Mora Estate - 2014 "Valpo" red blend

Today's wine has come to me all the way from California, shipped special as part of my membership in the Sonoma Wine Club. During my trip to California in August 2018, one afternoon we drove from Inverness to Sebastapol and had a delicious three-course meal at La Bodega, located at 2295 Gravenstein Highway, South in Sebastapol, CA. Aside from three wonderful courses prepared by Ric the chef - I had the minestrone 'au pistou', veal in wine mushroom cream (life changing) and finished with some Alfajadores - Peruvian wedding cookies with dulce de leche.

But that wasn't the true highlight of the visit - it was a professional wine tasting / palate calibration by Meekk Shelef, general manager of this little slice of heaven. Unlike some wine tastings, which focus on larger pours of a handful of wines, this was a marathon. Meekk served over 20 wines, about 1oz each, and after each dram, we discussed what I liked, what I didn't, and she took notes. I joined the wine club and, for each quarterly shipment, Meekk uses the notes she took during our tasting to specially choose the wines I receive. Each shipment is curated to my particular palate.

So here's one from the last shipment - it's a red blend from Mora Estate, a Windsor, CA-based winery founded by Fabiano Ramaci in 2009. Mora Estate is the only California winery dedicated to making-Amarone style wine.

This wine is a blend of Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, Molinara, Negrara and Cabernet Franc - so grapes that resemble a traditional grape bill of Amarone della Valpolicella. According to the label - "our Valpo is a combination of passito (semi-dried) and ripasso (re-ferment) method that resembles a baby Amarone style wine." You'll recall I reviewed a gargantuan bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella back in October, so I am familiar with the style somewhat. But, of course, any wine made in a particular "style" - especially if it's made in the New World to replicate an Old World style - is going to be interesting. The name of the wine, "Valpo", is a direct reference to Valipolicella.

Pours a blood red color in the glass; projects quite the aroma...chocolate, dark berries, and a touch of alcohol esters.

Like a true Amarone, this wine delivers a butter-smooth texture and somewhat-sweet flavors of candied dates, figs, and dark grapes. There's a dose syrupy sweetness, like Chambord liqueur almost, paired with a soft oak that's present but not front-and-center. I didn't detect any sherried notes, as I did with the Cesari. The Mora variant seems savorier than its Italian counterpart, which is nice, and the finish is quite long and really coats the mouth. I was tasting this wine long after swallowing.

Wow, OK, we have a winner here. I loved this - the texture was perfect and the savoriness is definitely up my alley. It's not that I don't like fruit-forward wines, but there's something about a full, savory, well-balanced red that really hits the spot. At $54.99, this was a one of the more expensive bottles I've ever had, but well worth it and something I'll get again. Authentic Amarones are at similar price point, so this isn't overpriced. If you're looking to pair this with food, try something heavy - a steak or some lamb and barley stew.

And if you ever find yourself in Sonoma, definitely pay La Bodega a visit - it's absolutely worth it and is the best mail-order wine subscription you can get. You'll be supporting a small business, too.

3 Stars Brewing Co. - "Starsky and Brunch" stout

I love coffee, and bacon, and maple, so naturally when we got this at D'Vines I had to give it a shot. As you may recall, during my 2016 trip to Miami, I tried Funky Buddha's "Wide Awake, It's Morning!" imperial stout, which is essentially almost identical to today's beer - coffee, bacon, maple. And while I'd rather not blog about something similar to a previous post, I think it might be interesting to compare the two different approaches. Today's example is called "Starsky and Brunch", an 8.30% ABV stout made by 3 Stars Brewing Company right here in the District of Columbia.

According to the can, this Breakfast of Champs was made on February 6th, 2020. So not super fresh, but that's less important for this style of beer. Let's crack it open.

Pours surprisingly quickly, and generates practically no head. Nose of cocoa powder.

OK, definitely maple-forward, with a nice touch of sweet sap flavors, which I like. Presents a thin consistency, with hints of coffee and not a lot of bacon. Finish is somewhat sweet, with a resurgence of that sap flavoring.

These things can go either way, I find - either super heavy and oily, or light and thinner on flavor. This one is closer to an ale than a stout and is quite different from the Funky Buddha entry noted above; unlike its Florida cousin, Starsky and Brunch is quite light and a bit thin. This consistency is not necessarily bad, though: it's nice to encounter these flavors is a lighter format. I wonder about the bacon, though - what is that supposed to add here? I would presume salt and savory, but no such qualities can be detected, at least not by me during this tasting. Although the light consistency toned down the power of the flavors, it's still a good beer and a decent value for $13.99 for four pints.

Rutherford Ranch Winery / Four Virtues Wines - 2016 Lodi Zinfandel, bourbon barrel aged

Here's something I grabbed at Trader Joe's a few years back, and it's about time to discuss it. TJ's was doing a wine tasting, as they often do, and this was on offer so I took a dram. Never having had a bourbon barrel-aged wine before, I  ended up enjoying it so naturally I picked up a bottle to sock away. It's a 2016 Zinfandel from Four Virtues Wines, based in the Lodi area of California. Four Virtues is apparently an imprint of Rutherford Ranch, which I visited in August of 2018.

Bourbon barrel-aged wines are somewhat of a new concept; obviously oak aging has been a part of winemaking for centuries, and while beer has been aged in bourbon barrels for many years, aging wine in ex-bourbon or ex-whiskey vessels is a somewhat new to mainstream consumers.

And what's in a name? It's called "Four Virtues" as, according to Rutherford's website, an unnamed wine writer once suggested that to be successful, "a wine must have four virtues - a distinctive style unlike other, an intense yet not overpowering flavor, a unique expression of origin, and an intense flavor satisfying intellect and palate." Well, seems pretty lofty, so let's crack it open and see which of these virtues this wine embodies.

I should say this wine is HOT - 16.80% ABV, so quite high. Pours thickly into the glass, and generates an unmistakable bourbon aroma which is detectable from a few feet away. Notice the hips on the neck of the bottle - very reminiscent of a Scotch bottle.

It seems much thicker than "normal" wine, and there's definitely some strong bourbon notes here, with a brown sugar sweetness on the end. Additionally, I'm sensing a decent amount of barrel char and some dark juice flavors, like black cherry and even prunes. Very rich, and definitely quite sweeter than I was expecting, and the bourbon woodiness takes center stage as the wine finishes up. The wine coats the mouth and lasts a long time after swallowing.

This reminds me in some ways of a tawny port...not my choice for a dinner pairing, in unfortunate retrospect. I'm on the fence as to if this wine is "intense" or "overpowering", the fine line that determines the second "virtue" stated above. Bourbon drinkers would rejoice at this wine and it's a cool concept to explore, but I think I was wrong in assuming that this wine would be a dinner wine as opposed to a dessert wine. I go back to my tawny port comparison - not something you'd drink with dinner (or maybe you would?)

A neat concept overall, and definitely something on the heavier, boozier end that could make a nice dessert wine. This was $19.99 at Trader Joe's, so if you like your wines on the super-heavy end, give this a go.

Andalou Efes Brewery - "Efes" lager

In many places outside of the US, the craft beer movement either does not exist or is in its infancy. That doesn't mean there isn't solid, decent beer to be had, however. Today's beer is one such example, a Euro-style pilsner from Andalou Efes Brewery in Turkey, billed as "the no. 1 Mediterranean beer", a claim which is of course difficult to validate. However, apparently Andalou Efes sponsors a Turkish basketball team, Andalou Efes S.K., which according to their website has won the Turkish Super League championship 14 times. I wonder if they consume their products before every match.

Before the world went to hell, I ordered this beer at the Queen Amannisa restaurant in Crystal City, VA. Our waiter said that he is from the same province that Efes is made in, so that's pretty neat. He pours the beer into a water glass, not that it really matters.

So, while it has many of the characteristics of a European lager - that is, light with pronounced wheat flavors, there are a few notable differences. "Efes" is noticeably sweeter and has less carbonation. The second part is what I appreciate the most...I always feel like I'm drinking soda when I have a lager, but this beer's texture is a bit thicker and more "still", which in my opinion allows for a clearer presentation of the flavors here. Lots of bready, yeasty flavors which come through nicely. Overall a nice beer and one that's easy drinking yet flavorful. And fun to try an Anatolian beer!

Astro Lab Brewing - "Fresh As" IPA

Friend and fellow beer aficionado Keenan C. was kind enough to drop off a pint of this beer to me today. Garnered from his most recent trip to Astro Lab Brewing (a whopping four miles north in Silver Spring, MD) this beer is a 7.10% ABV IPA made with Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, and Citra hops. It's called "Fresh As", and was canned on Tuesday night. Truly "fresh as..."

Pours thickly into a snifter; leaves a thick white foam reminiscent of soap bubbles. Mild aroma but getting some pineapple juice straightaway. Lovely beer - not dank, no stickiness like you get with other tropical-style IPAs like Oskar Blues' "Can-O-Bliss", for example. The beer is super clean, with some hints of tropical juices like pineapple and guava. The bitterness is minor, actually, and hints at a softer hop bill. I like that it's in "the middle" for an IPA - not West Coast, not East Coast, but something in between. A very pleasant, refreshing, and approachable beer, and perfect for someone who may claim they "don't like IPAs."

I WAS planning a trip to Astro Lab a few months ago, but looks like that's off the table now. When we're allowed to come out of our caves, it's going to be my first stop. Big shout out to Emma, Matt, and the rest of the team at Astro Lab!