Nicaragua Craft Beer Co. - "Panga Drops" keller pils

 I saw this fun-looking beer at the store, and figured I'd give it a go. It's a 6.20% ABV keller pilsner from Nicaragua's Nicaragua Craft Beer Co. A keller pilsner, also known as a keller pils, is a style of beer originating in Germany. "Keller" means "cellar" or "basement", and it refers to an unfiltered style of beer that was often stored in the cellar. I expect it to be a fuller, less attenuated version of a German pilsner. Plus it's from Nicaragua! Cool. And check out the shorty can - 8oz. Perfect camouflage for a "roadie."

Ok - pours out swiftly into my Fremont snifter. Projects honey notes, soft, yet somehow fuller. I like it! In terms of taste, it echoes the fullness of the nose, with a touch of citrus (like lemon), and a refreshing and quite satisfying flavor. It's definitely heavier than most pilsners, which I consider a good thing, but still has the effervescence I'd want in a lighter beer. Slightly bready notes round out the beer, and the finish leaves a crispness that's very pilsner-like. Pilsnerian, if you will. 

I do like this, and I'd certainly recommend it for anyone seeking to try a craft beer from Nicaragua. According to their website, the brewery is located in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, and was started by two Americans trained at Cisco Brewers in Nantucket (Cisco's "Grey Lady" is good!). So definitely an American craft brew angle here, but nothing wrong with that. The only sticking point is the cost - $9.99 for six stubby 8oz cans. While it's not the end of the world, it's a tad pricy for such a small format. The format is cool, for sure, but affects the cost / benefit ratio. Otherwise, a good representative of the style and nice to see something from Central America. 

Kizakura Brewery - Matcha IPA

I came across today's beer at Irving Wine & Spirits, and it's not something I've ever seen before - a "Japanese-style" IPA with matcha (finely ground green tea leaves.) It's made by Kizakura Brewery, a beer / sake brewery in Kyoto City, located on Japan's big island of Honshu. Kyoto is the capital of Kyoto Prefecture and served for 1100 years as the capital of Japan. Now, it's a major metropolitan center and considered the most important cultural city in Japan. 

In terms of Japanese beer, most people are familiar with the big guys: Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, and Asahi. Smaller breweries do exist, such as Kiuchi Brewery (see my 2015 review of their "Hitachino Nest" beer), but don't account for the lion's share of beer production in Japan. Kizakura isn't new, and has been making sake for a long time, but it became Kyoto's first craft brewer in 1995. And I should also note that today's beer is 8.50% ABV, a marked divergence from the typical, commercially-available attenuated lagers of Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

So, let's give this a go. The 11.15oz bottle opens via a pull-tab, which is fun, and I poured it into my Craft Brewer's Conference commemorative glass (such good memories of that conference). Whoa!!! Check out that color!!

Sadly, the color is artificial. But it is very cool and striking, and one of the more unique elements of this beer. But how does it taste? I really have had little experience with matcha, and never in a beer, so this is somewhat new territory. Let's dive in: the nose is super herbal, very potent aroma. Looks like swamp water.

Oof, OK, this is weird. This is so strange. It's probably the most bitter beer I've ever had - not just bitter from hops, as there's definitely some of that in there, but the matcha is just so overwhelming. It's chock full of heavy herbal flavors that really uppercut the taste buds. Some IPA characteristics come through, mostly initially (first half second), but then the matcha takes over and really serves as the main tasting note and deliver a sharp, heavy bitterness throughout. The finish is very dry - not creamy like a matcha latte, which serves to balance out bitterness and makes the beverage somewhat palatable. This beer has none of that, and really is somewhat tough to get through. The dryness and herbaceous quality likens to to a cup of overly-strong green tea, and the bitterness of the tea leaves compared with the relative high-proof of the beer make it a potent concoction. 

I think for the most part this is in the territory of unapproachable to most people, frankly. Cool concept, but what's under the hood makes it unique. Although this beer isn't something I'd seek out again based on my personal tastes, I'd recommend it to anyone seeking an out-of-the-box beer experience. Hopheads will love the bitterness, which exceeds most hop-forward beers on the market today. I wonder what the IBUs are?

Oddly, it's quite expensive online - one retailer in Oregon sells it for $47 for four bottles! I don't know about that, but it was certainly cool to try. 

Upland Brewing Co. - 2018 "Latitude Adjustment" pale ale

Today I'd like to comment on perhaps one my favorite refreshing beers, a winter seasonal called "Latitude Adjustment" from Bloomington, IN-based Upland Brewing Co. And yes, this pineapple coconut pale ale is a winter seasonal beer! Formerly released in December, it's the perfect counter to the heavy, sweet stouts that seem to permeate this season. Similar to Caldera's "CocoNutty Blonde", it's light, bright, and full of flavor. This is supremely refreshing and definitely in my top 20 beers of all time. I could drink this all day!

But I won't have the chance. Not to bring this party down, but when I had pre-pandemic drinks with Sam, the DC rep for Upland, he broke the bad news to me over a pint of Upland "Dragonfly" at Zeppelin bar - 2018 was the last year for Latitude. They've discontinued it! Hugely disappointed and a major bummer. Winter 2018 was their final batch, I'm told. I'll never see it again. 

But wait.

I was at [redacted liquor store] recently, and as I was perusing the IPA section, saw a very lonely six-pack behind some Bell's stuff that I thought I recognized. I took a closer look, and yes! I couldn't believe my eyes. The blue six-pack box. The dude sunning himself. The familiar words. Could it be?

It was perhaps the last Latitude Adjustment six-pack this side of the Virgo Supercluster.

I immediately extracted it and brought it up to the counter. This was it! A wonderful afternoon of drinking one of my favorite beers was ahead of me...or so I thought. Then I remembered the beer was last brewed almost two years ago. Which meant that this beer, in my hands, was also brewed two years ago. My heart sank, and upon further investigation, the beer was in rough shape. The bottles had a small film of beer mold on them from some other leaky bottle somewhere (not harmful, but best to wash off) and each bottle was labelled "Best by July 2019." Not good. But the store owner gave it to me for free, due to the condition, so nothing lost really. I'm mostly going to have them as an experiment, as light and fruity ales don't age well. 

Good hiss opening the bottle, so that's fine. Poured it into a tasting glass; no discernible off flavors here and in fact a touch of coconut.  

Yeah, it's pretty stale. Not revolting, but definitely a mere specter of its former self. The flavors here are definitely muted with a heavier malt flavor and a thick taste of stale hops. It's pretty dry and dusty, and while it's got a touch of that coconut and pineapple, it's not a presentation of what the beer should be. The back end has a fleeting grasp of pineapple and a dusty finish. 

Well, this sucks. But I'm actually kind of surprised how much of the original flavor is actually there. Obviously let this be another cautionary tale to not age your beers!

Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co. - "Kankitsu" lager

This pint caught my eye at the Whole Foods in Tenleytown, and for $3.50 I bought it on spec without looking too much into it. It's from Gaithersburg, MD-based Elder Pine Brewing & Blending, a superlative brewery that sells a lot of product through D'Vines. I love Elder Pine, so I'm confident whatever is in the can is going to be good. 

Reading the ingredients - it's a "Japanese-inspired lager brewed with rice, green tea, lemon grass, and lime" and clocking in at 5.50% ABV. OK, very cool! That sounds very pleasant and seasonally-appropriate.

Pours swiftly into my tulip glass. Generates a light and zesty aroma, not unlike lemon peels. 

Whoa, OK. this is good. First there's this burst of lime, melding into a more herbal and rounded green tea that's silky-smooth, finishing with a notable grassiness and then a definite rice character as the beer wraps up. There's a touch of salt on the finish, which is quite welcome, and provides a savory character that lingers on the tongue after swallowing. 

What's most striking is the flavor development here - like some other beers I've reviewed, the flavors are "layered" and each ingredient makes a noticeable appearance throughout the drinking process. The opposite would be a beer that's "monolithic" or presents an even taste throughout. I usually find these "layered" beers quite fun, as they usually involve a simple style like a lager which forms a canvas on which to experiment with light, summery flavors. The use of lime, which is significant here, as well as tea and salt really transform this a base beer into something unique, and I hope they continue to produce it. 

Keller Estate Winery - 2016 Pinot Gris

Today's wine comes to me from Keller Estate, located in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, only twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean. Keller Estate was founded in 1989 by Arturo Keller, an automotive engineer from Mexico City. Since the initial purchase of 650 acres, Keller has been has been "estate" for the past-quarter century (estate meaning their wines are made from grapes on premises). Like many wineries, they are environmentally-focused and have on-site bee and bat boxes, and a herd of sheep to help keep the vineyards trimmed and clean. Today's wine is a Pinot Gris from the La Cruz Vineyards section of Keller.

You might say that "pinot gris" sounds a lot like "pinot grigio". Indeed! That's because pinot gris is the same grape as pinot grigio. It's a mutation of the pinot family, and is grown all over the world with most notable examples in France, Italy, and Australia. It's called pinot gris because of the color - a plume can develop, or "fuzz", on the grapes to give them a greyish coloring. But make no mistake, the two names are not interchangeable - they're two distinct styles of wine. According to former sommelier John French, WSET-3 and Level 2 Somme, mass-produced pinot grigio from Italy has a bright demeanor, while  high Alsatian expressions (as pinot gris) are more complex can be age worthy, up to 2 or 3 years even. 

Let's get tasting. Poured this out using my Vintorio aerator, as usual. Since it's chilled, I gave it a little longer than usual to open up. I let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes and used my hands to warm it up a bit. In the glass, it's projecting notes of bright citrus fruit - like tangerine. Deep gold, viscous.

So John was spot-on: fans of pinot grigio may be somewhat surprised to find this is significantly cleaner and more complex that what they're used to. I'm picking up some lemongrass, a touch of fresh pear, strong peach notes, and some low-key minerality with moderately low acid, actually. Some spice on the finish followed by a nice tingle on the tongue after swallowing. Most noticeably, the wine lacks the bright acidity of Italian variants and seems also to lack the touch of honey that comes with French variants. 

I got this as part of Sonoma Wine Club shipment, for $29.99, so a good price point for a nice bottle of white. John French says that serious pinot gris should be had with food, so I paired this with some chorizo and asiago pizza from Timber Pizza. 

Crooked Run Brewing Co.'s Socially-Distanced Seventh Anniversary Bash

For my first foray to an actual in-person bar since the pandemic began, I decamped to Sterling, VA to attend Crooked Run Brewing Co.'s 7th anniversary event. You may recall I reviewed Crooked Run's superlative "Machu Pisco", a beer made in collaboration with Inca Kitchen. They tend to make a lot of lighter beers, like Berliner Weisses and such, with some funky ingredients. Last time I was out here was over a year ago, so this event was a great excuse to have some fancy beer! Today I'm tasting alongside my friend Andrew.

Big shout out to my main man Cody, former Churchkey tapmaster and current Crooked Run brewer. He's one of the fine folks manning the taps today and gave me a heads-up about the event, which was held in the parking lots and on the lawn, with tables at appropriate distances. A mobile beer trailer provided the suds. Scanning the taplist, there are some really interesting beers here, and we only have three hours, so we found some chairs under a shady tree, and got to drinkin'. 

First up is the "Toastmaster" - a 9.00% ABV fruit sour made with blueberries, strawberries, maple syrup, and vanilla. 

First, this smells insane. It smells like a breakfast pastry! It's uncanny, but I guess that's what they're going for. This portends well. And look at that color!

Wow, starting off right. Big flavors of blueberries and overripe strawberries, with a heavy dose of sweetness and Graham cracker breadiness. It's almost like the inside of those microwaveable Toaster Strudels - sweet, fruity, and thick. This beer has a good dose of maple, too, which is mostly present on the finish.

OK, well, that was great and would be amazing to have on nitro or with lactose. 

Next up is "Lupa" - a dry-hopped golden sour blend with Julius hops. Cody brought me over a tiny sample, gratis.

It's quite refreshing - this 5.50% has a good tang of hops, quite crisp with some orange rind notes, and a brassy character at the end. A slight wheaty chewiness develops at the end, but not substantial. Great for fans of dry-hopped Berliner Weisses, and dry-hopped beers in general. 

Next up is the "Melt", a 10.00% ABV milk stout which smells like ice cream sundae with Hershey squirt-from-the-bottle chocolate syrup. 

This milk stout, made with peanut butter, cacao nibs, and marshmallows, also frankly tastes like a melted ice cream sundae (Andrew notes - "with alcohol"). Full, silky peanut butter, milk chocolate, and sugar flavors carry throughout, with a surprisingly lighter in body than I expected. Quite delicious, but dangerous - at 10.00%, it's easy to down a couple of these and not feel it. Very nice.

Well, since we're riding the Dark Beer Express right now, here's another: "Day-o", another 10.00% ABV imperial milk stout, this time made with bananas, hazelnuts, vanilla, and cacao nibs. I can definitely get the hazelnut on the nose.

Another great choice! "Day-O" has waves of banana, with minor hazelnut notes, and a very sticky consistency. I can taste the banana but not the smell, and smell the hazelnut but not taste it. Interesting. The beer has a long, lingering sweetness and oiliness, definitely sweeter and thicker than the "Melt." Also, doesn't taste like 10.00%.

Well, as luck would have it, they have a barleywine here! It's called "Brave," and is an astonishing 16.00% ABV with coconuts, vanilla, and hazelnuts added, all of which spent 15 months aging in ASW Distillery whiskey barrels. Not a common set of ingredients in barleywine, nor is this Crooked Run's M.O, so very eager to try it.

Nose is pretty much spot-on. Yep, barleywine. 

Initially, flavors are of dried hops, crushed Saltines, chewy granola, and caramel. In terms of texture and weight, it's more like a dark red ale. I do sense the coconut here - like dried, shredded coconut - mostly on the finish. According to Cody, they used 30 lbs of coconut flakes, so that makes sense! This is probably the most complex barleywine I've had, and is WAY light for its weight - I guessed it was 12.00% ABV before finding out if was 16.00%. Jeez.

As the session wrapped up, and things got a bit slower, I was able to catch up with McKinnen Leonard, CRBC's head brewer. Whenever I attend these events, I always try to speak with the brewmasters to learn about what's next for the brewery, any upcoming beers, or neat stories behind the brews. McKinnen and I spoke for about 25 minutes, and I tried samples of all the other beers while we discussed technical elements of some of the beers. I begged them to make "Machu Pisco" again (no change) and I inquired about growth of the brewery. So what's next? McKinnen would like to see Crooked Run grow in several ways"

• Maintaining their sour programs, as this is what customers are looking for now (shock sours being somewhat of a fad, just like brut IPAs and goses were over the last few years.) Nonetheless, good sours sell well, so CRBC is looking to expand in this way. Plus, they have a koelschip (a large vessel for cooling beer) and they're in the process of making gueze-style beers. They've got a few in the back and will release them in the future. 
• Craft lagers. In the next few years, McKinnen wants to continue to make beers that they want to see and are proud of. And with the emerging market for craft lagers (ex Colimita), he'd like to start making more craft lagers. 
• Mixed fermentation. McKinnen and his colleagues are working on building up their native yeast culture game and work on experimental strains. He's been working on some of this already - for example, about a year ago, McKinnen, Cody, and a few others went to Churchkey and drank 8 bottles of Belgian beers from Brasserie Fantome, then chose which bottle they liked the most. Then, McKinnen took the yeast dregs from the bottle, harvested it, grew it up, and then made a gin-inspired saison aged in Caledonia Spirits "Barr Hill". It's unnamed, unreleased, and hidden away at Crooked Run. I must get my hands on this. 

Very cool event - it was nice to see their awesome beers, as Crooked Run has the uncanny ability to make "emulation" beers - beers that combine ingredients to emulate another drink or a food. Today's was no exception. And big thanks to Cody and McKinnen for taking the time to chat with me! I look forward to swinging by Crooked Run once this whole thing is over. 

Drew Estate - Herrera Esteli "Miami"

It's been a while since my last cigar post, so time to pick out and review a fancy smoke. Today's cigar is an offshoot of La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate's Herrera Esteli line, founded by master blender Willy Herrera (who I got to meet at the 2016 Connecticut Barn Smoker event at the Foster Family Farm in Windsor, CT, pictured below. Willy is in the foreground in blue.)

Called "Herrera Esteli Miami", this cigar first debuted in 2016 and was fully unveiled at 2018 IPCPR in four sizes. The really cool thing about the "Miami" is that it's made in El Titan de Bronce cigar factory, which I visited back in spring of 2016. Sandy Cobas, my tour guide and the master blender, is Willy's aunt.

El Titan de Bronce on Calle Ocho, Little Havana

So about the cigar - this 6x44 Lonsdale lancero consists of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers that are bunched-up entubar style, an old Cuban technique of manufacture that is very labor-intensive but provides an improved draw. A Sumatra-seed leaf from Ecuador is used for the binder while a dark Habano Oscuro wrapper, also from Ecuador, wraps the rest of the leaves together secured by a triple-seam cap. Apparently these cigars are rolled by only Level 9 rollers, a designation used to describe the most experienced torceadoras. Cigar rollers, called torceador(a)s in Spanish, are ranked from levels 5 - 9; although nowadays the 9 designation is not commonly used. These designations refer to the types of cigars that these rollers can make - for example, a level 5 is only able to make marevas, or 5.125x48 size petite Cuban coronas, while levels 7 and 8 are skilled at larger, more complex cigars and a level 9 is a master of all vitolas. So in this case, it seems Willy Herrera only wanted the top craftsmen and -women to make this blend. I purchased this one at a unit cost of $7.20, so pretty decent for such craftsmanship.

I used my Colibri V-Cut to make a shallow v-cut, and due to its size, decided not to run the Drawpoker through it. It's been in the humidor since May, and is moderately springy. Lights up fine, partially a function of it's size as well as humidity.

First Third: Heavy chocolate notes, like baker's chocolate. Definitely has that leathery, slightly salty, heavy maduro character - full but very approachable. Medium-full at first, quite dry and bracing, with notes of nuts and untreated leather.

Second Third: definitely somewhat heavier, earthier, and more of what I was expecting. It's consistently nutty, like dry almond shells, with some salt and a touch more baking chocolate. 

Final Third: The oils are breaking down, so it's a little sweeter, presenting an espresso-like quality, with the earthiness giving way to more cinder / ash flavors. The leather present is still present, and as I smoked it down to 2" left, it started to turn acrid, with an overwhelming nicotine sweetness. 

Final take - a nice cigar, full-bodied and pretty aggressive, which I may get again in a different size, though. Heavier cigars, I find, are best enjoyed in smaller formats to mitigate "overdoing it" - that is, smoking a large, heavy cigar and feeling sick afterward. My philosophy is that it's better to put out a cigar too soon and risk wasting a bit than to put it out too late and feel like hell for a few hours. This cigar cost $7.20, so a decent price for something of quality and craftsmanship.

Cervecería de Colima - "Colimita" lager

Hot, humid weather calls for light, refreshing beverages, and recently the market has trended towards two types of such libations - hard seltzer, and Mexican-style lagers. I'm not touching the former, and for the latter, most international audiences think Pacifico, Modelo, and Corona, all made by Grupo Modelo - owned by the multinational conglomerate (and enemy of craft brewers), Anheuser-Busch InBev. Domestically, breweries like Flying Dog and Vasen make their own takes on the Mexican lager, but you don't hear much (yet) about true craft beer from south of the border as the export market is typically dominated by the aforementioned big guys. But like so many countries these days, smaller breweries are competing more and more for market share, so it makes sense that we're starting to see some small-batch craft stuff making its way north of the Rio Grande.

I'll admit that I was initially attracted to today's beer due to the can design - a very slim 12oz can reminiscent of cold-brew or basic-white-girl seltzer. The clean, elegant appearance was certainly enough to get my attention.

This one, made by Cervecería de Colima in Colima state, southwest Mexico, is a 4.20% lager. Not much else to say about what's in the can - pretty straightforward with no special malts, or funky ingredients, or bizarre strains of hops.

Pours a light golden color, and generates a puffy white head. Makes sense, not much surprising.

With a super clean and soft presentation, this lager is delicious. It's slightly sweet, with a touch of breadiness and honey on the finish, but overall a very soft lager, almost bordering on bland. But that's kind of the point, right? Here, there's no hops, and not nearly as much malty sweetness as you get with other Mexican beers (including Pacifico, which I happen to like). The clean presentation makes this a perfect hot-day beer and something that you can totally drink all day at a (socially-distant) barbeque or on the rooftop. And at $11 for 6, a great value. It's a limited release, as I'm told, so definitely grab a sixer if you see it. It's worth it for sure! They also make an American pale ale, which just hit our store so I'll have to check that out as well.

A (Virtual) Belgian Beer Tasting with Gert Christiaens

A while back, I had the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A and beer tasting with Gert Christiaens, head brewer of Oud Beersel in Belgium. Sponsored by Craft Beer Cellar on H St in DC, this originally was supposed to be an in-person "Tour de Gueuze" tasting, but due to the pandemic was now held over Zoom. The tasting featured a virtual tasting of four Oud Beersel beers, direct from Belgium, and was moderated by Dean Myers, whom you may recall I interviewed a few years back. Dean has moved on from Brasserie Beck to Wetten Importers, Inc, which is Oud Beersel's US distributor.

Oud Beersel was founded in the late 19th century and continued operations up through 2002, when money was tight and the head brewer retired. Gert Christiaens, a longtime fan of the brewery with no brewing experience, heard of the closure from his favorite pub while ordering a Bersalis trippel (which we'll drink later!) He immediately put a plan into action to save it, and along with business partner Roland de Bus, he secured financing and developed the experience to revitalize the brewery. Almost fifteen years later, Gert has become one of the most high-profile figures in both Belgian brewing at large, and the spontaneous fermentation movement specifically. Since then, Gert has been elected the President of HORAL (the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers) and collaborated with New Belgium for their "Transatlantic Kriek" as well as megablends through HORAL.

So today's tasting will focus on four of Oud Beersel's beer - a lambic, a Belgian ale, a sour blend, and a trippel, after which Gert will answer questions from the group. There were about 25 participants on the call. HUGE thanks to Avi C. for treating me to a ticket to this event! Much appreciated. On with the show!

That's Gert, on screen. He was discussing the format of our first beer, the "Oude Vieux Lambiek", packaged mysteriously in this 100mL flask. According to Gert, after years of experimentation and and a protracted customs battle, Oud Beersel was able to ship their local lambic culture across the Atlantic in a bag-in-a-box. Aiming to capture the taste and feel of the young lambic beers the village of Beersel drinks themselves, the brewery has releaseed unblended and unflavored young lambic to present a view into the lambic-making process not available on US shelves before.

Dean and the H Street Cellars team disgorged this lambic into the flask from the boxed bladder about 24 hours before tasting - super fresh! The box, which is pressure-resistant to 3.5 bars, is good unopened for 2 years, and when opened and kept in fridge, good for two months. Like boxed wine, it retains freshness due to the packaging, which is how this kind of beer can be transported to the US.

Pours somewhat flat, with a "base" and slightly sour flavor, with major barnyard notes like hay, musk, and a tinge of earth. The brewers oxidized the hops before making beer - hops are older than one year, which is longer than most IPAs, so in this case the bitterness falls off. 4 hours of boil - that's a lot! Compare to the potent Dogfish Head "120 Minute", at two hours of boil - but here, the bitterness is completely boiled out. Also, notice the prefix "Oude." Meaning "old" in Flemish, in this context anything "oude" means it's made in the "old way of making that beer," i.e. the original, natural method from 1300s. So this type of beer is what you might expect to be drinking were you transported seven hundreds years in the past in Belgium (which was then the Burgundian Netherlands in the Holy Roman Empire.)

OK, on to the next - Bersalis Tripel.

It's a 9.50% ABV Belgian ale, and the original beer which Gert was drinking when he committed to saving the brewery. This traditional Belgian Tripel is brewed with a touch of lambic influence and the result is a full-bodied blonde beer that evolves over time. There's a pungent banana nose - very pleasant and malty with a sweet backbone. Softer than other tripels I've had, and less aggressive that US-made versions. But then again, this is 100% authentic Belgian.Compare to Weinhenstephaner "Vitus" in terms of mouthfeel and banana/clove aroma.

On to the next - the Bersalis Sourblend Grand Cru:

Much of the brewery's mission over the past 15 years has become to preserve lambic culture and to introduce it to new audiences. First released to the US in 2018, Sourblend Grand Cru sees the Bersalis Tripel blended with a batch of aged lambic for increased complexity. It's the product of blending an overacidic lambec with Tripel, so mixed fermentation in this 8.00% sour.

One of the more sour beers of the night - definitely has that vinegary punch of a lambic, but does have the fig / clove / spice notes of a tripel. In a way, it's close to the "Duchesse du Bourgogne" in terms of body. I really like it and would definitely have this on draft at a bar.

Last one...finishing with a bang with the 2017-vintage Bersalis Tripel Oak Aged:

This is the most special of Oud Beersel's Bersalis line of traditional ale/lambic hybrids, and only 120 cases came to America of the Tripel Oak Aged. Here, the original malted wheat Bersalis Tripel ages in new oak lambic foeders for 18 months and undergoes further fermentation, resulting in a 10.5% ABV brew...essentially an imperial lambic, if such a thing existed.

It's somewhat warm as it's been out for well over an hour, but quite delicious - lots of orange blossoms, yeast, and barnyard flavors. A touch vinegary, like many of the others, but I like that. The oak is prevalent, with a solid tang and a fizz at the end. This was probably my favorite of the night - a "big" beer that packs a ton of flavor and a definite yeasty spice character that I come to love from Belgian dubbels and trippels.

That concluded the tasting portion, and before Gert had to go to sleep (it was late, Belgium time) we did a short question-and-answer session, during which I asked Gert if he's tried any American lambic-style beers (for example, like those from Jester King) that he's liked. He said yes, although not a fan of the quick sours - kettle sours, for example. His focus and intention is to make complex sours, nuanced sours, not the "shock" beers you see in the American markets, which he feels is about money as opposed to a particular craft. Makes sense, as worldwide, there's a smaller market for lambics, gueuze and krieks outside of Belgium...overall production of these styles combined is 24000 hectoliters, which is 20452 bbls -  for example, US-based Sierra Nevada manufactures 61 times this amount in a year. So in the scheme of things - not a lot at all.

But Gert's trying to change that - lambics made now show an increase in quality, according to Gert, and by using new technology brewers are more precise in measuring and consistency. There's much less a risk of defects, and with the global supply chain, Gert is able to source flavors from other cultures and making lambics out of them, resuscitating the style. I suggested a rhubarb lambic, which was enthusiastically supported by the group.

But what does this mean for those trying to make the style outside Belgium? "Sure, everyone wants to make a goeuze or lambic, but not everyone [is equipped to do so] - almost like Ford decided to make a Ferrari," Gert said, as "lambic beer is a dedication, not something easily done." Lambics are blended according to a variety of criteria, cannot achieve complexity if you half-ass things and focus on 50 beers at the same time. Only dedicated wooden barrel aged sour beers can truly achieve the style."

Gert signed off discussing his commitment to the style - considered by many the most-progressive mind in lambic brewing, he grew up in the countryside where lambics have been enjoyed for centuries, and feels that so many people are used to drinking mass-produced beers that he'd like to make his favorite styles accessible to the drinking public. Although lambics will never be mass market, Gert feels that if we lose the knowledge of the lambic style, we lose part of the Belgian culture as well. So seek out lambics when you can, and when this pandemic thing is all over and you visit Belgium, check out the brewery - Laarheidstraat 230, 1650 Beersel, Belgium. Big thanks to Gert, Dean, and Avi for a great experience!

Source: TripAdvisor

Evil Twin Brewing - Cinnamon Baked Pear Sour IPA

I believe we have reached the peak of absurdity - today's beer is a sour IPA that is, unbelievably, $34.99 for four pints. This is excessive by any standard and really leads me to question what, in fact, is in this can. Is it gold? What could have possibly made this cost so much?

Made by Evil Twin Brewing, it's billed as 7.00% ABV sour IPA made with brown sugar, pear and cinnamon. These are flavors not found too often in conjunction with one another, and in a sour IPA (not a common style, either) it's somewhat a rare bird. I actually did not pay full price...I broke up the four-pack into single pint cans sold for $8.99. Much more reasonable.

Cracks open and poured myself a nice 6oz pour into my Craft Brewers Conference tasting stemware.

Nose is minorly sour, nothing aggressive or forward. A little bit of fruit sour nose, and there's very little head which settles almost immediately.

Actually, this kinda works. It's not particularly sour - it's there, just not hit-you-over-the-head sour - and I'm definitely getting a nice, full flavor of crisp, ripe pears. That's the bulk of the flavors for sure. The cinnamon is there, too, albeit pretty soft, and contributes to a definite sweetness due to the brown sugar that the sourness balances nicely. Finish is moderately long, with fresh sour notes and lots of pear hanging on the tongue after swallowing.

Most interesting to me is the synthesis of flavors here - the sour / sweet balance is good, as are the mellow and tame flavors of pear and cinnamon. The beer has a decent body, thanks to being an IPA, and the subtle ingredients not fund in sours make it quite interesting. Contrast this to some of the lighter kettle sours out there, which are "pucker sours" and delivery hard and fast sourness and salt. Here, it's much more rounded and silkier with no gose culture or barnyard aromas found in Belgian sours. In fact, this beer's body reminds me in some way of a Flanders red ale.

So is it worth the money? The merchant in me says no, no four-pack is worth $34.99, as you can get two decent four-packs of craft beer for that price. But is it worth 8.99 for one? Yes, definitely. I'd also love to try this on draft! A tasty beer that's good for people looking to start out with sours, perhaps.

Einstök Ölgerð - Icelandic wee heavy

Here's something neat - an Icelandic beer, and perhaps my first review from the Nordic island nation. It's a 9.00% ABV Scottish-style ale (aka "wee heavy") from Einstök Ölgerð, a brewery located 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Akuyeyri, Iceland.

The style is a Scotch ale, also called a wee heavy, which I've reviewed a few times here: one from DC, one from California, and one in Cleveland. Today's variant is made made with Angelica root and smoked Icelandic barley. The smoked barley I get, but Angelica root? Not even sure what this is, although subsequent research (Wikipedia) indicates it's a root used in traditional medicine. Not sure what it's going to add to the beer, but I guess I'll find out.

Not much aroma here, and there's not a lot of foam produced.

On par with most Scotch ales in terms of being malty, sweet, lightly bready, with a noticeable caramel tinge, BUT - remarkably light. Which is interesting. Most of the Scotch ales I've had over the years have been on the heavy, boozy end of the spectrum, but this is refreshingly light and definitely suited for those looking for a malty, Scotch-style ale that's not high in alcohol. I'd equate it more closely to an English-style bitters in body, like an ESB. See Molly Pitcher's "Redcoat ESB", which most closely equates in terms of body.

I grabbed a six-pack of 11.2oz - 330-ml- cans at the Wegman's in Sterling, VA, for $9.99, so not a high investment. According to my friend Amanda, who has been to Iceland, everything is crazy expensive there, so how is this so reasonable? Not sure, but it's a tasty beverage and a solid price, so can't really go wrong. There were a few other offerings by this brewery at Wegman's, but this looked most intriguing. I'm curious to try others!

Dogfish Head - "Double Dog" DIPA

Another short take - here's a 12.00% ABV double IPA from Frederick, MD-based Flying Dog Brewery. Flying Dog makes solid beer, several of which offerings I count as some of my favorites. Their "Dead Rise", a beer made with Old Bay, is a perfect hot day beer, and aside from their typical offerings ("Raging Bitch", "The Truth", etc.) they also do experimental releases, called Brewhouse Rarities. My absolute favorite from this series was their "Carolina Reaper" brown ale - stunningly spicy and awesome, so much so that I called the brewery to request they bring it back. Apparently others have done so, too, but the brewery has no plans to make it again. Bummer.

I was in the mood for something strong, and saw this on the shelf here at the Argyle Market in Mt. Pleasant. I was a little surprised, as I don't recall seeing such high ABV beers from Flying Dog in six-pack 12oz formats, so figured I'd give this a try.

Sheesh, OK, there's a lot of punch to this beer. Somewhat thick, with a full cap of what foam. Texture-wise, it's very full-bodied, and in terms of flavor is quite punchy with strong, heavy bitterness and massive grapefruit flavors, complimented by raw oak and wheaty, grainy hops. Long and lingering finish with more of that grapefruit and blood orange tossed in. In a good way, this reminds me of Great Divide's "Hercules" double IPA or DC Brau's "On The Wings of Armageddon." In the era of soft, hazy, sessionable IPAs, it's really nice to see a bulldozer of a beer. I've grown a bit tired of the New England style, and the pendulum is now shifting back to more of a West Coast-inspired beer. This was $14.99, so pretty decent for what it is. I'd get this again.

Stillwater Artisanal - "Duck Sauce" DIPA

At the risk of doing *another* Stillwater Artisanal beer only a couple posts after the last one, this beer is too intriguing to pass up. It's called "Duck Sauce", and is a 9.00% ABV double IPA made with apricots, plums, pineapples, ginger, and Candi syrup. 

Just like hops and malts, brewers can use different types of sugars to make their beers and to impact the taste. Today's beer is made with Candi sugar (which is reduced to a syrup in this example). Candi sugar is often used in Belgian beers, like trippels or dubbels, and is in the same general family as molasses. Beers like Fordham & Dominion's "Candi" trippel is one of the more famous domestic examples, and I think it's a nice addition to heavier beers.  

OK, time to try this. Wow, pours lighter than expected. Given all the ingredients, including Candi sugar, I'd expect it to be darker. Instead, it's light gold.

Generates an aroma of fresh, juicy hops, with fruit. But almost like an artificial fruit smell, like you'd get from those old Airheads candy. 

Hmm, there's a lot going on here. It's full of fruit, with pineapple dominant, accompanied by oranges, apricots, lemons, and some heavy, sweet plum flavors, like you'd get from those fancy jams they sell at Whole Foods. Not getting much ginger, though. In terms of hops, there's really almost no bitterness, but some herbal flavors, which is kind of nice for a double IPA. The Candi sugar is most evident after swallowing, and along with more pineapple, there's a caramel sugariness kind of like crème brûlée crust. Aftertaste is sticky and I'm getting more of that pineapple flavor. 

You know what - it actually kind of tastes like duck sauce, in a way. It isn't nearly as viscous, but it's got some of the same types of fruit flavors and thick, jammy texture. I admit that I actually quite enjoy beers that are made to emulate other beverages or foods - it's fun to see something recreated in beer format. For example - Crooked Run's "Macchu Pisco". 

This was $19.99 for a four-pack of pint cans, so somewhat pricey. For me, this falls under the "neat thing to try" category and although it's not cheap, I did end up getting a second four-pack. It's 9.00% ABV, so pretty hefty, but worth a try I think.