The Sounds Inside My Mind

Today is my 32nd Birthday!  To celebrate, I’ve pulled a 2 year old bottle of Atlantic Brewing‘s Anniversary Old Ale, Foonf Zane Auld Ale.  No one on BA has reviewed this since it was released back in 2009…until tonight.

Atlantic Brewing Foonf Zane Auld Ale

B+ / 3.93
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I’ve had this bottle in my cellar since July 2009. I’ve poured it into a Delirium Noël snifter.

The beer has a dark ruby color. The head was a small layer of an and pinkish bubbles and foam. It settled quickly to a skim. Swirling the glass leaves an oily slick behind on the walls of the glass. Patchy foam slides down the walls and back into the beer.

Still a strong sweet aroma to this beer. Crystal sugar, toffee and plum scents are all present. A little bit of residual alcohol is mixed in as well.

This old ale has a typical dry, peaty flavor. Toffee flavors are present, but not as strong as in the nose. Malt syrup flavors are present in the back end. There is only a touch of alcohol in the finish.

This beer isn’t very sticky, but it does leave a decent coating on the inside of my mouth. Carbonation is low.

This is an enjoyable old ale. It seems to have aged well, although it has been a long time since I had it fresh—before I started reviewing beers. If you find yourself up in Maine and see a bottle, it would be a good one to bring home and drink later, once you’ve started missing Maine.

In some related news, Nissa got me three books on homebrewing as birthday gifts.  An introductory reference book published by the Brewers Association, a book of advanced homebrewing techniques, and a book about growing your own hops and malt grains!

Mercury Brewing Ipswich India Pale Ale

B+ / 4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
In honor of IPA Day, I’m reviewing a new to me beer. A chilled bottle is poured into a pint glass. A big foam tan head rests atop of a clear light brown liquid. The serving temperature has caused my glass to fog up, but wiping away the condensation reveals some spare rising carbonation. The settling head leaves behind some good lacing.

The beer has a good hop aroma. It’s not too strong, but it is unmistakeably bitter. The hops are crisp and forest-like.

The beer has a tasty, solid flavor that is both true to style and very enjoyable. Floral hops mask a slight crystal sugar sweetness. The malts evolve into more of a brown sugar flavor, as the hops become more bitter, slightly oily, and piney. A bitter resin and a touch of alcohol linger on after swallowing.

Medium body and medium carbonation give the body a standard feel. The lack of stickiness and a coat that retains the bitterness well pushes the mouthfeel into the above average category.

I like this IPA a lot. I’ve had limited experience with Mercury and the Ipswich line, but this beer impressed me. I would certainly drink more of it—I’ll go as far to say that I will purchase a 6 pack next time I’m in Massachusetts. If you are able to, you should give this beer a try.

Breckenridge Brewery Agave Wheat

B+ / 3.88
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A chilled bottle is split between two mini pint glasses. I’ll admit that I bought this beer simply because of the label. Skeleton in a sombrero! If you are familiar with the album art for Ry Cooder’s Chicken Skin Music, you’ll know why I like this label so much.

Hazy straw colored liquid has a thin white foam head. It settles to a skim with a few large bubbles mixed in. Swirling the beer causes the head to foam back up. It also leaves a few spots of foam on the walls of the glass.

The beer has a decent wheat aroma. I’m not sure if I am smelling any agave nectar, as I don’t know what it smells like. There certainly isn’t any odor of death rot, despite what the label lead me to believe.

This beer has a very interesting taste. There is certainly plenty of wheat, with some banana and crystal sugars. There is a spiciness that is unlike other beers I’ve had. It has a real kick at the finish that reminds me slightly of tequila. It’s probably just because I know there is agave in there that I make this connection. Either way, I like it.

Medium body and carbonation. The tongue is tickled a lot by the beer—once again, probably the agave nectar at work. Not much coat or stickiness to mention.

I really enjoy this beer. It’s nice and refreshing. If it were readily available here in Maine, I think I’d drink a lot of this during the summer. If you have a chance to try this one, I recommend it!

21rst Amendment Hop Crisis Imperial IPA

A- / 4.13
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I picked up a can of this beer a couple of weeks ago while in Massachusetts. It has been sitting in my cellar, but I popped it into the fridge to chill it slightly before pouring. It’s poured into my Lion’s Pride snifter.

The beer is very clear and colored dark orange. The occasional carbonation bubble can be seen rising form the bottom of the glass. The head is slightly darker than pure white, and foamy. Great lacing as the head recedes. Swirling the glass leaves a foamy film coating the sides. It’s very pretty.

Warm alcohol and warmer hops make up the aroma. Sweet citrus hops are predominant. It certainly smells bigger than a regular IPA, but I would believe you if you told me it belonged to a hoppy barleywine.

While this beer tastes hoppy, it isn’t as powerful as the nose lead me to believe…there’s also a lot of maltiness here. Some sweet grains make themselves known, but the bitter hops fight for dominance, and end up winning, completely taking over by the time I swallow. Warm alcohol is there after I swallow. I guess there is a little bit of oak mixed in as well, but I don’t find it to be very strong. Still, a tasty beverage.

This beer, while not heavy, does have a heavier than normal body. Carbonation is high, but it does foam up a lot in my mouth (maybe I should have let it chill a bit longer). There is some stickiness, but it is easily ignored. Plenty of warmth is provided by the alcohol, and it also provides a sharp bite, along with the hops.

This is a pretty enjoyable DIPA. It’s a bit strong, so I wouldn’t end up having too many of these. Also, it has to make the long journey across the country for me to enjoy it. I find there are comparable beers more local to me. I’ll probably choose them in the future, but if I do find myself back in 21rst Amendment’s distribution area, I wouldn’t skip over this beer.

Wachusett Larry

A- / 4.22
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A cellar temperature bottle is poured into tulip glass. The beer is a fine copper color with a few streams of carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass. The head is large, foam and varies in color from white at the top to egg shell tan at the bottom. A good amount of lace is left behind as I swirl the glass about.

Big pine hop aroma, with a touch of alcohol and crystaline sugar sweetness. Very appealing.

There is a big hop flavor to Larry, but not as big as many DIPAs. Bitterness is everywhere, but it isn’t sharp or very oily. There’s plenty of pink grapefruit without being acidic. Alcohol isn’t apparent, nor is there a lot of sugar.

The body of this beer is on the heavier side of medium, and carbonation is just slightly above average. All the tiny bubbles work well with the hops. A long lasting coat is barely felt; it’s more like lingering flavor. No stickiness on the lips makes this drinker happy.

This is a very good DIPA. Its too bad I had to drive to MA to get a bottle. If you find yourself within Wachusett’s distribution range, I suggest you get yourself a bottle.

And a couple other bonus reviews…

Pretty Things Jack D’or

A- / 4.05
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A recent purchase, I picked this up at Julio’s on July 3rd. It was bottled in May 2011 (batch 26). It is served at cellar temperature in my Smuttynose Big Beer Series tulip.

A nearly clear golden yellow liquid fills the glass. Atop it rests a small head of pure white foam. A good amount of tiny carbonation bubbles can be viewed within. Swirling the beer brings the head back and coats the walls with a god amount of film and foam.

The aroma on this beer reminds me a lot of a wit. There’s banana and clove, as well plenty of funky farmhouse yeast. It may not be the standard scent for this style, but I like it a lot.

There are a lot of complex flavors going on here. It starts out with Belgian candi sugar, but this is quickly eclipsed by some banana and grassy hops. The banana is even more prominent as I swallow. Crisp sweetness lingers on for a long time after the beer is gone.

The beer is a bit ticker and offers more coat than I expected; I think I’m a little disappointed actually. I prefer a crisper saison.

I like this beer. It is a bit heavy on the banana, but I don’t mind that. I would definitely drink this one again.

New England Brewing Co. Sea Hag IPA

B+ / 3.98
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A slightly chilled can is poured into a pint glass.

The beer is colored orange. It initially poured clear, but some yeast settlement came out at the very end, giving a hazy quality to the beer. Rising carbonation can still be seen rising within. The head is colored off-white and made up of medium to large bubbles.

Sea Hag has a nice hoppy aroma. It is warm and citrusy.

The beer has a fresh, sharp hop flavor with plenty of bitter oils. There is certainly plenty of grapefruit flavors, but also some pine. A bit of pale malt sweetness stands behind the hop bitterenss and eventually blends in by the time I swallow. More subtle bitter flavors linger.

Medium bodied with average carbonation. A bit of an oily coat remains after I swallow. All of the hops feel sharp on my tongue.

This is an enjoyable IPA. Since cans can get into places where bottles can’t, Sea Hag could be the right choice based on your planned activities. I don’t think I’d trade for this beer, but when I’m in MA again, I’d certainly pick up a few cans.

I picked up a bunch of beers this past weekend when I made my first stop to Julio’s.  One item I took home was a single can of a beer Luke is able to enjoy on a regular basis out in San Francisco.

21rst Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

C- / 2.55
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
A cellar temperature can is poured into a pint glass.

The beer is slightly hazy and has the color of tarnished gold. A few fingers worth of off-white foam rises out of the liquid, but it doesn’t stay for long. Already the bubbles that make it up are popping. Eventually, all that is left is a skim of foam. No lacing is left behind. Lots of carbonation bubbles are rising within the glass.

The beer has a sweet wheat aroma. I can smell watermelon, but I’m not sure I would have been able to identify the scent if I didn’t know this beer had the fruit in it.

This is a sweet, fruity beer. Some aspects of its wheat base are apparent, especially as I swallow. Mostly I taste sweet watermelon flavors, like a piece of candy. There may be a hint of bitterness as soon as I taste the beer, but if it is there, it is gone quickly.

For a summer beer, this one sits heavy in my mouth. A lot of foamy carbonation is present, and the coating is thick and sticky.

Overall, this isn’t a beer I’d go back to. I prefer a lighter wheat beer for a summer seasonal, and I’m not a fan of watermelon the fruit, so watermelon the beer probably isn’t for me either. Still, its an interesting and commendable experiment.

Anheuser-Busch Budweiser

D+ / 2.3
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
A leftover can purchased for my father to consumer during our Father’s Day cookout has been chilling in my fridge. I’m taking it out to review tonight. Born on date is 19 April 2011; it is poured into a pint glass.

Clear straw liquid contains many stream of carbonation, as well as patches of bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass. The head is small, white, and made up of smaller sized bubbles. It disappears quickly and leaves a skim of foam. Swirling the glass leaves a slight film, but it returns to the body quickly, as if it was never there.

The aroma is of corn, which is normally an unpleasant scent, but as far as corn aromas go, this one isn’t awful.

When it is served cold, this beer doesn’t taste half-bad, considering the generally unappealing nature of the style. There is some corn sweetness and a bit of bitterness, but really, most of the flavor is masked by the low temperature…as it should be. It’s hard to give a 1 to something you can’t really taste.

Watery with lots of carbonation—that’s standard for the style, right?

This beer isn’t too bad; I’m not sure it deserves the across the board 1 scores that it often gets. Sure, it is somewhat offensive smelling, and if served at any temperature above ice cold, it doesn’t taste much better than it smells. But you could do a lot worse for a macro beer. Still, I probably won’t have another one for a long time.

North Coast Old Stock Ale (2011 Edition)

A / 4.38
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is a bottle of the 2011 edition. I’m drinking it out of my Smuttynose Big Beer series snifter. It is served at cellar temperature. Unlike the BA listing, the label on this bottle says this beer is 22.9% ABV.

The liquid is colored brown, with ruby highlights. It is clear, but difficult to see through, due to the liquid being colored so dark. A small head of off white foam is present after I pour, but it quickly settled to a skim. Lots of tiny carbonation bubbles are rising from the bottom of the glass. Swirling the glass about revives the foamy head and leaves a good coating on the sides of the glass.

The nose has some interesting plum notes. I can also smell some crystal sugar, but it doesn’t come across as overly sweet. Some pine hops and alcohol also make up the aroma.

The beer has a rich, malty flavor. Lots of mildly sweet plum, some toffee, a bit of alcohol and heat in the finish and as I swallow. It is very tasty and deceptively balanced. You wouldn’t think this beer is almost 12% alcohol.

Easy drinking with very little coating or stickiness gives this beer an impressive mouthfeel. I can feel the carbonation dancing on my tongue as I sip. A little bit of warmth as I swallow is welcome.

This is a very good old ale. It’s also widely available and well suited to aging, making it a great beer to hold on to to make a vertical (my current collection goes back to 2008). The high ABV will affect you quickly, making this a beer that you enjoy slowly, but that also allows you to savor it. It comes highly recommended.

Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout, 2010 Edition)

A+
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
A bottle of the 2010 edition of KBS is poured into the center of a tulip glass. It is an opaque dark brown liquid, with a perfect brown foam head. It’s not too thick, but has enough heft to give you pause when you look at it and remark “now that’s what a stout should look like!” Swirling the beer gives the head some strength and coats the walls of the glass with a foamy film that is trying its hardest not to recede.

The aroma is a great mix of coffee and bourbon. Roasty bitterness is quite apparent, but there is also smokiness in the background to remind you of the year this beer spent in close proximity to bourbon-soaked oak.

Tremendous flavor that refuses to admit it’s an 11.2% imperial stout. Coffee and vanilla flavors dominate, but neither overpowers. It’s not too bitter nor too sweet; both tastes are balanced perfectly. Bourbon notes come into play as I swallow and leave my mouth feeling warm without burning. Even as the bourbon flavor fades, an oakiness remains long after I’ve swallowed. I don’t recall how hot KBS is when fresh, but a year in the cellar has mellowed things out to make it an exceptional beer.

It is certainly a heavy beer and has low carbonation. It is a touch sticky on my lips and does leave a coat behind, but has a viscous feel, like it wants to be swallowed and not cling to your mouth.

KBS is a benchmark in the world of bourbon aged stouts. There is justification to how sought-after this beer is. Do yourself a favor and seek a bottle out. Even better, spring for the entire 4 pack. Drink one fresh and age the remaining three. It will be worth it.

Maine Beer Company Lunch IPA

A+
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Unlike some other reviewers, I was unable to try this beer at Sebago’s “End of an Era” party…but the time I went to try it, the keg was empty. Luckily, bottles were released the next day. My bottle has been in the fridge all afternoon. It was filled two days ago, on 5.18.11. I’m pouring it into my Maine Beer Company glass.

A very large off white foam head fills my glass, but it is quickly settling into liquid from the bottom up; the top of the head is remaining at the top of the glass. The liquid is a hazy translucent orange. A few streams of carbonation can be seen rising within. As the head is settling, good lacing is left behind. Swirling leaves a lot of film.

Lunch has an exceptional fresh hop aroma. It’s bitter and has some warm alcohol notes as well. An underlying sweetness is present; it adds an essence of maple syrup to the aroma.

The taste of this beer is a good mix of sweet and bitter. A malty base is tasted first (tastes like pale or crystal malts to me). Grass hops quickly come in. A stronger bitter flavor makes its way to the front as I swallow. Bitterness lingers on.

The beer is medium bodied and has average carbonation. It is slightly sticky and only leaves a little coat. It isn’t nearly as thick as I thought it would be. What is left behind isn’t overly flavorful; just enough to make you want another sip.

Lunch is another impressive beer from MBC. I’m sure that drinking this beer when it is just two days old helps, but I imagine it will hold its own for a number of weeks. I definitely see myself drinking a lot of this; I don’t think I’ll start packing a bottle as much lunch, but it will certainly pair well with many future meals.

In other news: who else is all jazzed up for tomorrow’s 3rd Anniversary party at Novare Res?