The Bruery and Cigar City Marron Acidifie

Another day at the parents means another opportunity for me to break out one of the beers I left in their crawl space.  Who says parents are good for nothin' (jokes! just jokes I swear!)?  I picked this one way back in college and have been looking forward to it for a while now.  At a little over 3 years old, I figured it was time to open this one up.  Oh, and it's another Bruery beer.  Shocker.

The Bruery/Cigar City Marron Acidifie Collaboration

Appearance- A dark brown ruby color, rather hazy.  Small, bubbly, tan head that disappears almost completely leaving only a small circle around the glass and small patches.

Smell- Deep, rich smell of dark fruits, mostly cherry and currants.  Some slight vinegar tart character followed by vanilla and wood.

Taste- Smoother than I thought it would be.  The rich, dark fruits come through to give the beer a solid backbone.  Cherries and currants slowly mold into leather and tobacco undertones.  A slightly sour base begins to pick up in the middle and builds through the finish.  The finish of the beer spikes that sour and finishes much like a red wine with a noticeable wood flavor imparted from the barrel.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with low carbonation.  Very dry finish with a mild sour.

Overall- Although this might not be a mouth puckering sour that some are looking for, but it makes up for that in its overall complexity.  Age seems to have melded together the flavors nicely.

2010 Three Floyds Dark Lord

Well, coming home for Thanksgiving means one thing... drinking all the beer I leave at my parents.  Over the years I gathered some things here, but unfortunately forget to get to much when I come home.  However, I figured it was time to open up the Darklord that some forgettable clown got for me.  Blah blah blah, some other bad joke of mine.

2010 Three Floyds Dark Lord


Appearance- An opaque motor oil black with very little tan carbonation.  There is a small ring around the glass with faint remnants of carbonation throughout.

Smell- Strong roasted/burnt malts.  Hints of coffee (brewed with Intelligentsia) with dark fruits of currants and plums.  A musty, maybe slightly oxidized scent that finishes with a strong alcohol.

Taste- The burnt malt isn't as strong or overpowering.  A slight chocolate malt and dark chocolate taste.  Strong acidic coffee with burnt dark currants.  Some small amounts of vanilla and bitter coffee finish.  A warming alcohol finish, but not harsh considering the high alcohol content.  A little time stowed away seems to have helped this one.

Mouthfeel- Thick and chewy body that coats the mouth from the first sip.  Minimal carbonation with a warming alcohol finish.

Overall- Although I never had a fresh beer to compare this to, I'm going to state that the age helped this one.  For such a big beer, very smooth.  Some oxidation seems to have crept in, but nonetheless, quite the graduation gift that paid off 4 years later.

Southern Tier Warlock

I have quite the gift at neglecting this blog thing.  That being said, I have a lot of notes I have taken on various beers and brew days since my last update, and hopefully I can go back in fill in those days soon.  Apparently doing law things takes up time and unfortunately, at this point, drinking beer is not an adequate excuse for me not getting things done.  So why not start this back up with a pumpkin beer that will most certainly cause me to complain and gripe like usual?  Well, tis the season!

Southern Tier Warlock

Appearance: A brownish black color with small head composed of tiny tang bubbles that disappears completely.  Almost reminds me of a Coke.

Smell: Unsurprisingly, pumpkin pie spices dominate with roasted malt playing a supporting rile.  Behind the spices I can discern a small amount of real pumpkin/squash.

Taste: A small amount of roasted malt quickly turns to pumpkin pie spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Very little of an actual pumpkin taste as the beer finishes slightly bitter and a touch of alcohol.  

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly it is medium bodied with medium-low carbonation.

Overall and Notes: Hard to actually call this an imperial stout as it is labeled.  I would have preferred the beer to have more stout characteristics rather than relying so much on pumpkin pie spices.  But, alas, I am once again drinking another pumpkin beer, so what did I expect?

Rue D'Floyd (Three Floyds and The Bruery Collaboration)

I was lucky enough to get my hands on both of the version of Rue D'Floyd.  However, I was unlucky enough to then find out from The Bruery that there were signs of infection in the beer.  Per their instructions, I decided to drink them before June 30th just in case.  Such are the prices you pay when you are making sweet beer at The Bruery.

Rue D'Floyd

This version is an imperial porter aged in bourbon barrels with cherries, coffee, and vanilla beans.

Appearance- Opaque black with a small tan head.  The head disappears almost completely with little to no lacing.

Smell- Strong scent of oak and vanilla, almost overpowering.  Dark fruits somewhat noticeable along with the dark roasty malts and kinds of coffee.

Taste- Unsurprisingly, the vanilla and oak smack you in the face (nose?) to begin.  The cherries are distinguishable towards the middle, but becomes sickly sweet.  The end slips into a lingering roasty flavor that pairs with a rich vanilla as a hot alcohol finishes off the beer.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied with low carbonation.  Finishes with noticeable alcohol warmth.

Overall- Beer is a little too overwhelming at this point.  I think it could be helped with some aging, but unfortunately that was not much of an option this time around.

Floyd D'Rue

This version is an imperial porter aged in rum barrels with spices added

Appearance- Opaque black with a fizzy dark brown head that barely appears before it is completely gone.  Absolutely no lacing.

Smell- Much like the last version, vanilla dominates with the addition of some heavy spices that almost seem in the vein of a Christmasy/nutmeg beer.

Taste- Starts similar to the smell with a heavy dose of vanilla, but the rum barrel is more prominent.  Towards the middle some light dark fruit flavors with roasted/burnt malt, but the vanilla is overpowering.  The beer finishes with strong, hot alcohol that is paired with the burnt malt.

Mouthfeel- Thick motor oil sensation with very minimal carbonation.  Hot alcohol that could use some time to cool off.

Overall- Much like the last version, this is quite an hot beer.  Once again, no time to age so I was forced to drink this one a little too early.

Hair of the Dog - Ruth

I believe I mentioned a while ago that my friend came back from Portland bearing gifts.  This included my first chance at trying Hair of the Dog.  Unfortunately, I forgot to post this after I drank it/took notes. So sue me?

Hair of the Dog - Ruth

Appearance- Clear Straw yellow color with a small fizzy head.  Little to no lacing.

Smell- Herbal smell with lemony citrus hops.  Doughy/bready malt character with some residual sweetness.

Taste- A subdued lemon with a fairly underwhelming malt sweetness.  Crackery middle is accompanied by a very mild bitterness.  Some bitterness continues into the finish with a lingering sweetness.

Mouthfeel- Surprisingly low carbonation and a medium light body.

Overall- A bit underwhelming first try from this brewery.  Tastes like there is not much beyond some yeast esters.  Further, the lack of carbonation made this one harder to drink.

Half Acre 2023M Soft Sour Ale

I have been yelling at people for sometime that Chicago is ripe for some sour beer brewing, so I got a little excited when my friend at Half Acre threw their new sour beer my way.  Not only are they the masters of Big Hugs, but when you have wonderful employees helping you out, what more can you ask for?  A lot of things is the answer, but whatever.

Half Acre 2023M Soft Sour Ale

Appearance- A surprisingly clear orange color.  A rough pour produced a small egg shell white head, but it disappears quickly.

Smell- Distinct trpical fruits, mango and pineapple shine through most prominently. Noticeable caramel malt smell in the background.  Tart, lemony, and slight hay character apparent throughout.

Taste- Tropical fruits with the mango in front.  Surprising amount of malt sweetness.  A lemony hay character with a slight basement musty taste finishes out the beer.  Just the slightest tart character.

Mouthfeel- Medium-light body with low carbonation.  No dry finish like you would expect with a sour.

Overall: "Soft" sour is right.  Where is the sour?  The beer generally lacks any umph or really distinguishing qualities.  I know that this is not meant to be an incredibly sour beer, or maybe Half Acre is fighting back against the idea that more sour is better, and maybe I am just a tad bit biased, but its efforts come up a little short here.

Brett Trois IPA

A while ago I brewed a Brett Trois IPA and was too lazy to post the recipe and such.  Being doubly lazy, I also forgot to post the tasting of it!  The Brett Trois IPA follows a general IPA recipe, but in a bought of naming creativity, uses Brett Trois as the choice of yeast.  Although brettanomyces is often associated with given funky/barnyard tastes, that does not accurately reflect its capabilities.  Luckily, there are individuals to explain its complexities for those of us who lack the ability to communicate effectively.  Long story short, Brett Trois can give off some pretty great fruity characteristics that work perfectly with the hops in an IPA.

Brett Trois IPA

Appearance- A very murky orange brown with a small bubbly white head.  Noticeable lacing on the side of the glass.

Smell- A lot of grassy hops with noticeable resin.  Some sweet pineapple behind the hops along with caramel and a rich malt.

Taste- Grassy hops hit firs but meld into a well balanced pineapple and slight mango flavor.  Ass the beer slides into the finish, there is a slight candy quality before inching back into the grassy hops and a slight alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied with moderate but prickly carbonation.  Slightly sweet finish.

Overall and Notes- Probably my best beer to date.  However, next time I will beer on dry hops for less time in order to avoid the large grassy character.

Chicago Craft Beer Week: The Bruery

Second stop for craft beer week here in Chicago was a Bruery tap takeover at the Lion Head Pub.  I was a little surprised about the location, but unsurprisingly I didn't care too much about where I had to go to find the Bruery on tap.  Even better was that they brought some great sours.  The beers on tap were: 6-Geese-A-Laying, Autumn Maple, Rueuze, Sour in the Rye, and Mischief.  Even better was that it was only $6 for a glass.

Having tried all of them before, I decided to revisit a couple that I figured you aren't as likely to see on tap again.  First, I went with the 6-Geese-A-Laying because being an idiot, I forgot to pick up a bottle of it to age (you can exhale, I ended up finding a local store with a couple left over bottles.  You were worried, I know).  Strangely enough, they pulled a pitcher out of fridge and poured me the beer instead of grabbed it from the tap.  Even more surprising was they were using a pitcher when I seemed to be one of the few partaking in the Bruery event.  Something seemed a little off about the beer, but I think i likely just convinced myself of that.  More than likely there was probably just something wrong with the tap.  And as someone told me, that just means they had more of it!

For #2 I went with Rueze.  Although I was stuck between Rueze and Sour in the Rye, I wanted something a little bit lighter but that still packed the sour punch.  Good news is I have a couple bottles of each stashed away.  The Rueze was luckily on tap so I did not have to worry about psyching myself out, and it delivered.  I would love to have written a proper review, but I figured it smart not to be that guy in Lincoln Park writing in a notebook at the bar while everyone else is watching the Blackhawks game.  I am a big enough asshole as it is.

Chicago Craft Beer Week: Jolly Pumpkin

After finishing lawyer school, I was lucky enough to have the City of Chicago celebrate Chicago Craft Beer Week.  Even better, there seems to be multiple events involving sours.  Luckily, I checked the site earlier enough in order to grab some Jolly Pumpkin.

On Monday, Jake Melnicks had a "Sour Love" event that include a tape takeover from Jolly Pumpkin and Upland Brewing.  Among the Jolly Pumpkin beers were Ale Absurd, IO, Biere de Mars, Saison Y, and Fuego.  I went with the Biere de Mars and Saison Y (I would have liked to have more, but surprise surprise, the 10 oz pours of sour beers were fairly expensive.  The Saison Y was my favorite, as it had the light peppery taste finish of a saison along with a citrus middle, but a wonderful barnyard finished.  It also helped that we had some barbecue nachos to go along with it.

Hopefully this will not be the last event and I will update throughout the rest of the week.

Three Floyds Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale

So, I have documented my love for the slowly growing trend of Belgian IPAs; however, what about Belgian Double IPAs?  Since I am American, bigger should mean better, right?  I saw Three Floyds new Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale and thought I might as well find out.  It doesn't hurt that the label has a guy with a mustache and a cigarette.  I imagine that has to make it taste better, right?

Three Floyds Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale

Appearance- A very hazy orange gold color with a small egg shell white head the becomes increasingly patchy.  Low amounts of lacing on the glass.

Smell- Grassy hops stick out, although they are nicely balanced against a pineapple and lingering clove esters.  Behind the hop character there also seems to be an almost candy-like character.

Taste- The grassy hops are more aggressive in the taste as they jump out with hop resin in the beginning of the beer and continue in the middle.  Ass the beer transitions into the middle, a slight clove taste is distinguishable with underlying Belgian phenolic flavor.  However, bitterness picks up at the same time limiting the esters and phenols' contribution.  Large bitter finish with just a touch of the candy character and a noticeable alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied with moderate carbonation.  Hops leave mouth a little raw.

Overall- Tastes almost exactly like a double IPA.  I am not sure the Belgian yeast lends itself to this style.  Nevertheless, look at that label.  In the name of being cool, I will allow it.

The Bruery Or Xata

Well, while I try to find my notes for my Brett Trois IPA that I brewed, I figured I might as well get this beer up here.  Last year I joined The Bruery's Preservation Society club for a short time (moved on to the Reserve Society now), and as a result I got this beer.  For friends who know me, I have a bad habit of frequenting the Mexican restaurant across the street from my apartment to grab 32 oz. horchatas and consequently drinking them until I am sick.  I am really going places in life.

The Bruery Or Xata 

Appearance- Golden and slightly orange in color.  Bubbly egg shell white head that becomes patchy fairly quickly.  Slight lacing on the glass.

Smell- A lot of spice comes across first with the cinnamon unsurprisingly leading the charge.  A rich vanilla emerges the cinnamon that is subsequently complimented by a slight pepper character.  Overall sweet smell.

Taste- A lot of cinnamon to begin with, although the pepper character plays a more prominent role.  Towards the middle is a milky vanilla taste.  However, the flavor becomes more medicinal than I enjoy out of a saison.  Some very slight bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel- Medium-light in body with moderate-low carbonation.  A fairly dry finish.

Overall and Notes- Interesting beer, but as someone who loves horchata, it is not there quite yet.  Not sure if there is a better way of getting a more rounded out horchata taste though, and I suspect the problem might lie in the base beers that could even be used in such a replication.

The Yule Against Perpetuities Brew Day

Well, I need to get back to this on a regular basis.  What better way to make my tenth comeback to the interwebs than with some brewing and bad puns?  My firm once again asked for a beer for their Christmas party and I obliged with another Christmas Ale.  This time I changed up the name of the beer to another bad law pun, mostly because I have no friends.  Or something like that.  For those unaware of my lame sense of humor, check here.  It is fairly similar to last year's recipe, except it turned out a little bigger.

The Yule Against Perpetuities

Batch size: 6.0 gallons
Original Gravity: 1.082
Final Gravity: 1.022
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Grain

18.5 lbs. English Maris Otter
0.75 lb. Crystal 80L
0.25 lb. Black Patent Malt

Hops

1.0 oz Horizon @ 60 minutes

Spices

1/2 broken up cinnamon stick @ 1 minute
1/3 tsp Ginger @ 1 minute
1/8 tsp Nutmeg @ 1 minute
1/8 tsp Allspice @ 1 minute
1/8 tsp Cinnamon @ 1 minute
1/8 tsp Cinnamon @ bottling

Yeast
Wyeast 1028 London Ale

This time I remembered to keep a 90 minute boil, unlike my last effort, therefore helping to boost the final gravity in the process. As a result, the beer ended up bigger than last years, but that is alright with me, and seemed to be alright with the firm. Although I am still not as cool as this guy.