Stone Brewing Co. - "Imperial Russian Stout" stout (2013 vintage)

Hi all - sorry I have been a bit quiet this week. Work has really taken off and I haven't had much time to blog. I recently brought this bottle up from the cellar and wanted to do a proper review - it's a 2013-vintage beer brewed in a historical style of a  Imperial Russian Stout.

Like the Old Guardian, Stone releases two versions of the Imperial Russian Stout every year - a regular, traditional version, and an experimental release. This year's experimental release was a Chai Stout, which I had the misfortune of not trying when it was released. I did end up reviewing the 2013 experimental release, the Espresso Imperial Russian Stout, back in 2013. This beer in particular has been cellaring for 2 years, and starting at 10.6% ABV, this is probably closer to 13% now. Buckle up.

I may have mentioned this in a post a long time ago, but a Russian Imperial Stout is a generic name for a type of beer first brewed in the 1800s to impress the Russian Tsars. It's basically a high-gravity, high-alcohol beer made with roasted hops, barley or malts, sometimes called the "Russian style" of brewing. The Russian style of brewing has nothing to do with Putin, dashcam footage, or bears. 

It pours super dark - clearly a high gravity beer, very heavy and sluggish.

Since it was in the fridge for quite a long time, I let it sit out for longer than I usual. I like to let really dark, heavy beers warm up more so the flavors can open up.Wow, even right out of the fridge, it's got potent alcohol / boozy sugar aroma from a foot away.

Initially, the taste is sweet and dark with a slight sugar notes, which gives way to some dark oily flavors - like an espresso, in a way. Notes of cinnamon and anise. Moderate alcohol level with some roasted malt and date tastes on the way out. There's a strong aftertaste of heavy malts and roasted coffee beans. The total feel of the beer is heavy, strong, with nice mixture of flavors, all polished nicely by two years in the cellar. The alcohol is present, but not overly acerbic.

While session beers have their place, sometimes I enjoy a freight train of a beer every now and again. The  Imperial Russian Stout delivers, for sure, and I damn well wish I bought a case of this and had them age. I can't wait to see what it will be like in a few years; I think I have one or two more in the cellar waiting to be enjoyed. And in fact, just today I found another 2013 vintage lurking in the back shelf of Irving Wines and Spirits. Totally grabbed that!

Chateau Ste. Michelle - 2013 Gewurztraminer (Washington, USA)

Today's post is to showcase a nice white I had a few weeks back. It's Chateau Ste. Michelle's Gewurztraminer, an aromatic white wine originating in France and Germany. This wine is grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington state, USA. I'm planning on touring the winery in a few weeks.

You will notice on the label it features 100% Vinifera rootstock. Rootstock is a term used to describe the roots of any given species of vine. In the 19th century, many vintners in both the US and Europe faced a serious threat in the Phylloxera louse, a parasite which kills Vinifera grape roots. As a result, any vintners switched to other kinds of hybrid grape varieties with louse-resistant roots. Problem is - those grapes don't always make great wine. So most have have opted to use the louse-resistant roots and to essentially graft the good Vinifera grapes onto resistant roots not their own. There are a lot of louse-resistant rootstocks out there, but Vinifera isn't one of them. Having Vinifera rootstocks means that the rootstocks aren't a hybrid, signifying a purity of vintage.

It ended up being rather tasty - it was a little drier than a Reisling, still kinda sugary though, with a nice crispness and a strong flavor of green fruit. It had just the right amount of sugar on the finish, with no serious carbonation or effervescence. The aftertaste was pleasant and paired well with some cut cheese and crackers. I brought this over to a house party and it paired well with the noshes that our host Jacob laid out. But both the Gewurtztraminer and the Riesling are great wines; years ago, at my family's seaside cottage in Connecticut, I served this with medjool dates and some Papillon roquefort cheese on water crackers and it was a huge hit. You don't have to go all out, though - these wines are fine on their own and are super refreshing for the summer. 

Madtree Brewing Co. - "Blacktart" tart stout

Today's beer comes to me courtesy of fellow craft beer enthusiast Jason, who's recently moved to DC from the Midwest. It's Madtree Brewing Co.'s "Blacktart," coming from Cincinnati, OH. This beer is a collaboration between fifteen breweries as part of Cincinnati's beer week.

The "Blacktart" is an 8.00% ABV stout made with cinnamon, lactose and blackberries, as you can tell by the above picture. The nose is sweet and smooth, with some dark berries and chocolate.

Dark as the night is long. The foam is also a dark tan. Sorry, I didn't get a clear in-focus photo of the pour.

Wow, the taste is unusual. It's sweet, reminds me a lot of some of the darker beers like Southern Tier's Plum Noir and Stone's Russian Imperial Stout. Definitely picking up on the lactose - similar to Lancaster Milk Stout or the Baba Black Lager in terms of mouthfeel. Nice and full. I like the malts here - it's smooth as velvet, warm, with interesting cinnamon spice tastes. I'm not picking up in the blackberries. The aftertaste is smooth with some cinnamon notes.

This was a good beer to try - the cinnamon I think is its biggest strength. The flavors and spices are good and I always enjoy the way some darker beers can be made without any oily or burnt tastes. I bet this would be amazing on nitro. All in all, a good beer to have. Very drinkable, and would be suitable for a cool fall evening. Thanks Jason!

General Cigar Company: Punch "Rare Corojo" (Honduras)

Today I wanted to showcase a nice cigar I recently smoked. It's a 6x60 dark natural from Punch, called the "Rare Corojo." I recently received as an honorarium for moderating a panel at work. Thanks to colleagues Selena and Emily for this!

Interestingly enough, and despite the name, it's not a Corojo wrapper. It is rare, however - it's only released once per year, in the spring. Some of the specs: the size nomenclature is "El Doble." It's a 6 inch by 60 ring-gauge cigar, but seemed much larger. It featured a Sumatra wrapper and Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers and wrapper. Overall, the cigar is attractive and even-colored with a nice box-press (rectangular shape.)

And, like many cigars produced today, Punch has Cuban heritage. Like Montecristo and many other brands, there are two variations - the Cuban version, and the commercially-available version in competition with the Cuban brand. Montecristo's second version is Dominican, while Punch's commercial version (and today's cigar) is from Honduras. As you can see, this one is a monster - however, it fits nicely in my hand, and the box-press shape makes it comfortable to hold pencil-style. It's got a pleasing color, due to the dark natural wrapper.

It lights up nicely, took a minute or two because of the size. I used a punch for the cap instead of a cutter; the rectangular-shaped box press necessitated a punch.

The taste profile is mostly of leather and tobacco, with rich natural leaf flavors with some salt and spiciness blended in. The salt and spice come a bit later into the smoking experience; it starts out pretty basic, and then quickly develops into a nice leafy smoke towards the middle. It has a mottled, cement-grey ash that clings well to the end of the cigar. Holding my hand up to it, it threw off a lot of heat - not unusual, but not common in smaller cigars. As it finished up, I was amazed at how long the cigar stayed "smokable" - that is, how long it smoked before it began to taste harsh and bitter. It lasted much longer than I expected, which was a pleasant treat.

In all, I really enjoyed it. It had a nice, robust flavor with an even burn and not a lot of objectionable aftertastes. It smoked down the end, practically, which was surprising, since I expected a cigar of this size and composition to get bitter and gross around the pinkie-finger length. But no, Punch has some surprises, and I wouldn't mind smoking this again.

DC Brau - "Solar Abyss" imperial double IPA

Today's beer is another concoction from DC Brau - it's a 10% ABV imperial double IPA called the "Solar Abyss." And like a Messier object or spatial anomaly (channeling Geordi LaForge) this beer is worth studying.

This beer is made with Mosaic hops, which is a strain of Simcoe hops. Note: there are many, many varieties of hops each with its own flavor profile, bitterness, and aroma style. A lot of brewers are starting to list all the hop / malt varietals on the bottle or can, that way you can pick out your preferred flavor profile. As mentioned, this one is made with Mosaic hops, an aromatic variety which I don't recall having. On The Wings of Armageddon is made with Falconer's Flight, which is a blend of many hops. So this kind of hops is new to me - time to investigate!

It's interestingly low gravity - I was surprised at how fast it poured. Once it hit the glass and foamed up, it threw very strong hop and fruit aromas. It's a hazy orange color with a very thin, white fizzy foam that dies down quickly.

Wow! The taste is interesting - it drinks much lighter than its cousin, On The Wings of Armageddon, but has a similar textures. It's a little citrusy, with some booziness, generally hoppy and strong, but also fruity. It definitely does remind me of On The Wings, but is thinner and more sour. And uniquely, there's also a slight vegetable taste on the aftertaste, which sounds unappetizing, but it's actually not that bad. It doesn't taste like carrots or anything; it's more of an earthy, green taste, like the good part of broccoli. That taste lingers for quite a while.

Also - in terms of alcohol content - this beer seems to be lighter than it actually is. 10% ABV is serious business, but this beer doesn't seem like it! It's deceptively smooth, and the vegetable aftertaste is definitely growing on me. In the end, it's a delicious beer that has an interesting twist. D'Vines in Columbia Heights has a ton; I'm considering another six-pack in my near future.

Beer Flash: Stone's "Enjoy by 07.04.15" IPA

Happy Birthday, America! Today I'm drinking a super-fresh IPA, which is part of Stone's ongoing fresh-hop series. Last year I reviewed the previous iteration. This year's is super hoppy, pretty bitter, and rather delicious.

Tabacleria Drew Estate - "Nica Rustica" toro (Nicaragua / Mexico / USA)

I just read a really nice article in a Cigar Club catalog about the maduro leaf, and what it means for cigars. Written by David Fisher, the article goes into great detail about the different kinds and manufacture (extensive details which I will spare you.) But it's an interesting subject, one that deserves some attention here at Sip and Puff.

I wanted to touch on a little bit of cigar lingo in today's post. We're looking at the word maduro. Maduro is a term used to describe a certain kind of tobacco leaf used for making cigars. As any Spanish speaker can tell you, maduro just means ripe or mature. But for cigars, it's a good indicator of the flavors and consistency of the smoke and pertains, in fact, to a specific production process. You can (usually) tell a maduro cigar by the color - ranging from brown  to black. It's a leaf packed with natural flavors, and is usually reserved for the wrapper. But don't let the color fool you - wrapper color alone doesn't always tell you much about the strength of the cigar.

The deal here is that tobaccos are actually fermented to get this way. The tobacco is pressed in pilones, or large stacked piles, for several years. During this process, the leaf's chemistry changes and it ferments, creating a form of natural sugar that gives the cigars a sweetness. You need a thick leaf for fermentation; otherwise, it'll break apart during the process. Then, once the leaf is at optimal ripeness and flavor, it's given to a torceador(a) who then rolls up the cigar. The result is a darker leaf that is sometimes sweet, with a rich texture and mellow flavor. Today's cigar is one such maduro. 

Here we have the "Nica Rustica," a 6 inches by 52 ring gauge maduro cigar from Tabacleria Drew Estate. As you can see, it's got a dark wrapper, and a cool shaggy foot (that's the extra frilly bits at the business end of the cigar.) Leaving some extra leaf down there is a stylistic thing and purely for fun.

A few of the specs: it's a blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers (from Jalapa and Esteli in Nicaragua) held together by a San Andres Negro binder, from Mexico. Wrapping it all up is a (rather dark) Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. I always like Connecticut tobacco; I grew up in the Connecticut river valley, just outside Hartford, where some of the nicest shade and broadleaf tobacco is grown. In fact, the house I grew up in sits on land once used for tobacco production.

Enough talk - let's get lit up here.

Lit up a little slowly, and took me a few seconds to get the flame to get an even catch. But once it got lit up, and past the first few seconds of draw, it ended up being very nice. I liked how evenly this cigar burned. It produces a nice cloud of light grey smoke with a clay-colored ash.

For the flavor, I was actually very surprised. I expected this to be like some of Drew's other maduro offerings - like "MUWAT" or the Liga Privada "No. 9." But in truth, it ended up being much closer to the Kentucky Fire Cured than anything else. This cigar was robust and pepperty, with some spice flavors but a strong showing of natural tobacco flavors. Some maduro cigars have an awful mouthfeel to them, kinda like a brackish and gritty taste, but not the Nica Rustica. Smooth and deep all the way through, with some nice leather notes. I'm going to get this again, for sure, since I enjoyed it all the way down to the nub.