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!

Stone Brewing Co. - 2013 "Imperial Russian Stout"

Just a quick snapshot today, on a very special day - this is the last of my stock of Stone Brewing Co.'s "Imperial Russian Stout." These stouts, which I've reviewed here before (like my review of this same beer in 2015) are/were around 10.60% ABV. This one was bottled seven years ago today - March 22, 2013. So seven years is long enough! I don't normally review the same beer or wine twice, but I make exceptions for vertical aging projects...I grabbed a bunch of these back in 2013, one of the last years they made it. Let's dip in.

Check out that bricking! Aroma is soft and malty, with that elusive "aged wood" quality.

So, yeah, as expected, this beer really mellowed out. It's lost a lot of the original flavor, and presents now a much softer, oaky, malty flavor. It's kinda neat - soft, leathery, tobacco flavors and barely any cocoa or coffee notes, as evidenced in the fresh original. Soft, silky, and still packs a punch, albeit different from when I bought it. Definitely left "too long" in the cellar, but I still enjoyed it. It's fun not only to see how aging works and to compare, over many years, the different taste profiles. And don't get me wrong - this beer isn't bad, just different.

And may I say, at the risk of sounding crotchety and old, I miss the old days when breweries would make cool stuff in the 22oz bottle formats. Stone, and many others, used to make a lot of fancy stuff in these formats, and was a common sight on this blog. This was one of them and a nice memory.

Founders Brewing Co. - 2018 "Curmudgeon's Better Half" English old ale

Although we're almost to spring, it still can be pretty chilly, so here's something to warm up with! I grabbed this last year, when we only had two cases of these delivered into D'Vines. I'd never heard of it before, but because Founders has such a good reputation when it comes to darker, barrel-aged beers, I bought it on spec for $18.99 for a four-pack of 12oz bottles. Of course I had one (or three) fresh, which is the basis for this review, but I also cellared one for a year and a half so I'll incorporate those notes at the end.

It's called "Curmudgeon's Better Half," and starts out as their base "Curmudgeon", an English old ale which becomes "Better Half" after aging for precisely 254 days in ex-bourbon barrels which had recently held Michigan maple syrup. The final product weighs in at a respectable 12.70% ABV.

Pours slowly, generates a whiskey nose, definitely with notes of dark maple sugar. Lighter in color than expected.

Interesting - this beer is super boozy and thick, and initially, I'm picking up some raisin sweetness, like an amped-up version of Sam Adams "Tetravis". But that soon gives way to a major wave  of maple and sticky, syrupy flavoring that bulldozes everything else. They must have added a ton of molasses because this kind of weight can't come from the cask aging alone. After swallowing, the flavor sits on the tongue for what seems like minutes.

In terms of aging, a year and a half did very little to mute the flavors I noted above. I guess that's to be expected, given the ABV and flavor profile, so it's good to know that aging in the short-term doesn't do much to change to profile of the beer. I'd be curious to see how this would hold up after three years.

First and foremost, this beer is sweet. It's heavy in the tummy, warming, and somewhat sticky on the lips. If you like maple and molasses, and are looking for a great beer for a winter's night in front of the fire, then you can't go wrong with this. In general. $18.99 is a lot for a four-pack of 12oz bottles, but in this case I think it's worth it. Fans of Founders' "Canadian Breakfast Stout" would also enjoy this for sure.

Confluence Brewing Co. - arguably the biggest taplist in Des Moines

So on my first trip to Iowa, I drove past Confluence Brewing Co. on my way downtown from the airport. I dutifully filed away this information for later in the trip, however my visits to El Bait Shop and Exile Brewing Co. meant that I wasn't able to visit. Well, I'm back in the Hawkeye State, and now that I'm staying only a few miles from Confluence, I had to check it out.

Like many breweries, it's located in an industrial park on the outskirts of town along the banks of Gray's Lake. The facility is pretty huge, and the entrance takes patrons past the fermenters and the unmistakable aroma of raw beer ingredients. The taproom itself is quite expansive, with dozens of tables and hightops, but the bar itself is somewhat small, about ten seats, and after a few minutes of waiting, I was able to grab a seat and check out the taplist.

Whoa.

They have a LOT of beer on draft, and what's more, they have some pretty rare styles and an impressive barrel-aging program. I count 33 beers on draft and one cider, which is quite wide for a brewpub. Remember - they make all of this in-house. They must have a lot of time, a lot of resources, and a lot of expertise to maintain this kind of taplist.

First thing's first - I grabbed one of their cask offerings - "Ash Tree", a 6.30% ABV Extra Special Bitter drawn from the cask.

Quite soft, very malty (as expected) and actually lighter than I was imagining, although I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. The cask aging really softened the texture, so definitely an easy-drinking beer with a more refined malt culture (as opposed to a barleywine, which can be quite aggressive.)

OK, well, I'm not going to be able to try full pours of everything I want, so I guess I'll need to do flights. First up, left to right:

• "Chewbocka", a 7.10% ABV dopplebock. I liked it a lot - super rich and bready, moderately sweet, with a heavy finish. A little heavier than I was expecting, which isn't a bad thing. 
• "Weather Beacon", a 7.50% ABV red Marzen-style ale. Quite clean at first, reminds me a lot of Peak Organic's "King Crimson" (RIP), but a burst of hops on the back end proves this to be more aggressive than it leads on. Great for people who like very lively, tangy red ales. 
• "St. Nick's Christkindlbier", a 6.10% ABV spiced ale. Now this one is very neat - made in celebration of Des Moines' second annual Christmas market, it's a throwback to German spiced ales and it almost feels as if on lactose. Unbelievably delicious aroma, like spiced cookies and Grandma's house at the holidays. Texture is super soft and creamy, with a pleasant herbal and spiced backbone with major notes of gingerbread, holly, cinnamon. Probably in my top 20 beers I've ever had. 
• "Dirty Old Kent's English-style Barleywine", a 10.60% ABV English-style barleywine (as luck would have it.) I'm always pleased to see English-style ales make an appearance on a taplist, and this one features a somewhat-bitter character, or I should say, on the more bitter end of barleywines. Lots of heavy malts, some sweetness, lots of treacle, raisin, and sponge pudding flavors. Definitely strong. I can see this sitting down for a few years and rounding out a bit more. 

Ok, second flight. Now we're getting serious.

• "Gray's Lake Nessie w/ Hazelnut" - a 5.70% ABV Scotch ale with Friedrich's coffee. Wow, this is awesome. A medium-light bodied brown ale, full hazelnut flavors (think Nutella) and a strong delivery of dark roast coffee. It's not sweet, as many coffee beers tend to be. I could drink this all day. 
• "Ferryman's Fuel Peanut Butter Cup", a 13.50% ABV chocolate peanut butter stout. Jeez, this is heavy...it's very oily and thick, almost like syrup, with a strong booziness, with some nutty flavors. There's just a touch of chocolate, but a lot of these flavors get blown away by the weight of this thing. Absolute sledgehammer. 
• "Blue Corn Lager", a surprisingly-strong 11.20% ABV lager made with guave and agave. Alright, if you love guava, this is the beer for you. Very strong and full guava flavors here, somewhat juicy and sweet, and rather interesting. The approach reminds me a bit of Cheluna's "Low Rider Extra Añejo" although I don't think this one's quite at that level. Nonetheless, still very tasty.  
• "Conifer Ginelly", a 7.40% ABV gin-barrel aged saison, made with cranberries and spruce tips. Quite an interesting take on a saison - this beer is rather cranberry forward, combining the dryness of gin (think Tanqueray) and a bunch botanicals with a very noticeable barrel character. There's a lot going on here, and I think I'll need to have more than a taste to really sort it all out. Definitely a good choice for fans of gin and tonics, that much is evident. 

OK, one more - too irresistible. It's "Ghostly Presents", a 10.20% ABV version of their "Blue Corn Lager" refermented over raw agave nectar in tequila barrels, and then blended with habaneros, ghost peppers, and chipotles. The result is a very solid beer with flavors of corn chips, salt, and some malts giving way to major waves of heat from peppers. I am very glad to see the brewers take the heat seriously here - whereas the other corn beer was sweet, this beer is an atomic bomb of pepper heat. I'm almost glad I tried this last - otherwise, I fear the peppers might wipe out my taste buds for the succeeding beers!

OK, that's it. There's so many more I want to try but time constraints - and liver constraints - require me to head back to the hotel. Unlike Exile Brewing, which I thought was more suited to the solo drinker, Confluence focuses on an expanded taplist and room for events with broad social spaces. According to Sam, the bartender, they make a different beer each week, increased their production capacity, and doubled their taplists ten months ago. With this kind of variation and investment, who knows what's next! So next time you're in Des Moines, check out Confluence, located south of the downtown area on the shores of Gray's Lake.