Molly Pitcher Brewing Co. - "Peanut Butter Porter" porter

Here's a beer I tried a while back and never got around to posting. It's a 5.5% ABV peanut butter porter from Molly Pitcher Brewing Co. As you can see, it comes in a 32oz can sometimes called a "crowler." I talked about the crowler canning process back in July when I was in Cleveland at Great Lakes Brewery.

I was pretty excited to see it on the tap list at Molly Pitcher, and of course couldn't help but make natural pre-comparisons to DuClaw Brewing's "Sweet Baby Jesus" and, later, "For Pete's Sake!" So far as I know, those two are the only (or at least, the most popular and readily-available) peanut butter beers out there. So let's see how Molly Pitcher handles it.

It pours root beer-colored, generating a khaki-colored head. Nice color, lots of foam and fizz.

As it sits and opens to the air, it smells delightfully of peanut butter - a very pleasant aroma. Perhaps stronger than the "Sweet Baby Jesus" but slightly different. Hard to put into words. You know how not all peanut butter smells or tastes the same? That's what I mean here.

As expected, the taste is very similar to the DuClaw beers I mentioned above, although while they were silky and sweet and heavy, today's beer is a bit lighter and more carbonated. The tasty peanut butter flavor is still there, but the added fizz and lighter profile makes it a nice alternative and reduces somewhat the lingering sweetness that I experienced with the other peanut butter beers. Some flavored stouts or porters have the tendency to be overly sweet or sugary, and fortunately the Molly Pitcher offering dodges that.

I like the fact it's 5.5% ABV, as well - that makes it more sessionable and easier to power through a 32oz! Overall I'm satisfied with this. Molly Pitcher makes good, tasty beer and this is no exception. I only make it up to Carlisle a couple times per year, but I of course always stop by the brewery to grab some tasty offerings.

Gran Fabrica Drew Estate - Liga Privada "Unico Serie A"

Here's a cigar to which I've been looking forward for quite some time. It's Drew Estate's "Liga Privada Unico Serie 'A' ", a 9.25x47 super-lancero cigar that's part of their famous and sought-after Liga series. Other entries include the "T52", "No. 9", and many "Rat" variants. Cigars of this realm sell for upwards of $15 each retail; boxes can run you hundreds of dollars if you can find them.

Today's is made from a fine list of pedigree tobaccos: it's got a tweaked Liga Privada T52-blend filler, a Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and a wrapper blend of Connecticut stalk-cut shade and cured sun-grown habano. These are probably all my favorite tobaccos, literally rolled into one, so I'm really excited to smoke this.

Just like the television commercials of old, this cigar is not sold in stores. Debuted at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Tobacco Retailer's 2011 trade show in Las Vegas, this cigar is only available as either an incentive cigar (at a Barnsmoker event, or the trade show) or as a gift from a Drew Estate rep. This was one of the incentive cigars I got in the Drew Estate Connecticut Barnsmoker gift bag back in August.

Packed up my walkin' shoes and headed down to the National Mall to smoke this one. The cigar lit up nicely, draw was a bit tough, and at once I experienced some soft, slightly sweet Liga tobacco flavors coming through. Reminded me of the Liga Undercrown, only sweeter. The smoke, however, was not voluminous and didn't have much to show for each drag.

The flavor seemed more delicate than the other Liga Privada variants. The wrapper was strong, and the flavors generally clean and soft with solid notes of tobacco and wood. The cigar smoked nicely throughout, despite the touchy draw, it presented some coffee notes in addition to the woody tobacco flavors. I was actually rather surprised at the delicate nature of these flavors; previous experience with this line led me to believe it would be stronger and a bit more full-bodied. As it smoked, it maintained a nice fidelity of flavor - even as I burnt it down to the end, it didn't turn harsh or sour.

The draw wasn't as nice as I would have liked, though, and I think that perhaps inhibited my full enjoyment of the smoke. Other than that, I was impressed and had a pleasant smoking experience. The format - a so-called "super-lancero" - is a lot of fun and the blend of flavors was spot-on. Unfortunately, this is not available for purchase but I would definitely be interested in having one again.

Beer Flash: Maine Beer Company's "Mean Old Tom" stout

Grabbed this beer recently at D'Vines in Columbia Heights and figured I'd try it out. It's "Mean Old Tom", a 6.5% ABV stout from Freeport, ME-based Maine Beer Company. I've had a lot from this brewery, namely the "Lunch" and the "Red Wheelbarrow." One of the guys at D'Vines recommended this, and since I've been in a vanilla stout kind of mood, I picked it up.

It's got a nose of aromatic vanilla bean and dark roasted malts, which is nice. As it warmed up, it took it in small sips, and it presents soft flavors of coffee, baker's chocolate, and vanilla. The flaked oats make for a grainy taste that's rather good, and the subtleness of the vanilla flavor is a nice touch. Overall, very pleasant, with a silky texture and low carbonation. Not a lot of aftertaste, either.

This is probably one of the better vanilla bean stouts I have had, mostly because the vanilla is not aggressive, doesn't taste artificial, and doesn't overpower the oat / stout flavors. Sometimes, with beers like this, you get one or the other. But not this one. So give this a shot - $7.99 for a 16.9oz.

Uinta Brewing Co. - "Anniversary" barleywine

I spotted this beer recently in a 4-pack at Irving Wines and Spirits and had to try it. As you know, I'm a big barleywine hound so I couldn't pass this up. Meet Salt Lake City's own "Anniversary" barleywine from Uinta Brewing Co., a company which makes the delicious "Baba" black lager as well as the "Biere de Mars" and "Ready Set Gose." Uinta's long been a favorite of mine and I was pleased see they made a barleywine, too.

It pours a deep brown, but appears in the glass a hazy brownish-red, capped with a clingy bone-colored head. So far so good!

It had a sharp aroma of malts and spices, which was great. The taste is actually different than I was expecting. It's less brassy and more coppery. Initially sweet, as the flavor develops it becomes darker and maltier, like a deep and strong red ale. This is in contrast to Stone's Old Guardian, which has that very brassy, tangy taste. However, in the end, there's a sweetness there, definitely reminiscent of the style.

But this is a great example of the scope and variety of barleywines on the market. I was curious as to how this might age; a call to Uinta proved helpful! They urged me to drink it fresh, as they had another barleywine which was bourbon-barrel aged and much more suitable for cellaring.

Beer Flash: Firestone Walker's 2014 "XVIII Anniversary" ale

What better way to start the new year off right than a snapshot of a very fine blend of aged ales from Paso Robles, CA-based Firestone Walker Brewing Co.  They make some good stuff, including the "Luponic Distortion" and the "Wookey Jack." Many of their six-packs are widely available here in DC. They also release a series of anniversary ales, including this one, released in 2014 to commemorate their 14th anniversary. Exactly two years ago, I tried this beer for the first time and reviewed it. And, as noted in the review, I was bought a second, intending on cellaring for a few years and seeing how it aged.

You may read that I often talk about (and review) aging beers. Not all beers are meant to age, and an even smaller minority (read: very few) are meant to age past a couple of years. I originally planned to give this beer a year and a half - since I didn't want risk the flavors entirely melting away - and was hoping to crack it open mid-2016 to celebrate a special occasion. But because 2016 saw so few causes for celebration I decided to hold off until today, and start the new year with a fine ale.

Cracks open fine, pours a deep brown. Check out that nice root beer coloring:

I can tell it definitely mellowed out a bit, but still maintained the velvety consistency I remember. It's thick and smooth, with no alcohol flavors (despite being over 13% ABV) starts off chicory woody and nutty with a very woody and whiskey-like finish. Very tasty and full-bodied with that same texture as before, although not a lot of chocolate in this one.

Since most of the ales blended in this beer are barrel-aged, it makes sense that it would hold up well to aging. I shared this brew with my colleague Keenan, who was particularly taken by the lack of heavy alcohol notes. I tend to agree. Most beers mellow out as they age, and I think this one was had at just the right moment. It didn't lose flavor, but the flavors were enhanced slightly by the softness that comes with age. Too bad I don't have another one of these! But they may have them at Churchkey in DC (for a price!) I followed this up with a Quintero cigar from Cuba (which I reviewed after having this ale for the first time, oddly enough).