David's beer of the week 5/15/13

May 15th, 2013 8:05am - Posted By: David Robertson

Great Divide Brewing

19th Anniversary Ale – 10.2% ABV

Great Divide describes their 19Th Anniversary Ale as brewed with pure birch syrup and aged on birch wood. Since I’m clueless about the taste of either birch syrup or birch wood, I opened this bottle with no expectations.
What I found was a delightful Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale similar to Piraat or Delirium Tremens. This ale pours with a creamy white head, a clear gold honey color, and lots of Belgian lace. The nose is fruity esters and earthiness.  Flavor is buttery, apple, apricot, spice and pepper. There is an underlying sweetness balanced nicely with moderate hop bitterness. 19th Anniversary is full bodied with a creamy texture and lively carbonation. It’s very smooth drinking and leaves pleasant alcohol warmth.
Bring on the moules-frites, and I’m willing to spend the entire evening laughing with friends and enjoying this fine ale.

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David's beer of the week 5/8/13

May 8th, 2013 7:56am - Posted By: David Robertson

Elevation Beer Co

First Cast IPA – 6.5% IPA

First Cast was designed to be an easy-drinking everyday brew for craft beer lovers. A beer you can drink by itself or as a hoppy compliment to food.

Elevation used Zythos, a new blend of flavor/aroma hops in First Cast. Zythos was blended for IPA’s and hoppy American pale ales, so along with a smooth bitterness there is a tasty combination of citrus, tropical, pine, and spice flavors. There are nice touches of caramel and fresh bread from the malt, and an occasional sweet note on the finish. With a well-carbonated medium body, First Cast is smooth and refreshing, with well-bittered finish. Elevation has produced a fine brew that is very friendly and easy to get along with.

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David's beer of the week 5/1/13

May 1st, 2013 8:16am - Posted By: David Robertson

Dogfish Head
Burton Baton – 10% ABV

Dogfish has announced that Burton Baton, formerly a seasonal, will now be available year-round. Burton Baton is made by blending 2 batches of beer, an English-style old ale and an imperial IPA, into a large oak tank, where it is aged for 30 days. The result is a full-flavored brew that is more barley wine than IPA.

BB pours an attractive clear amber with an aroma that is restrained but inviting. There are citrus notes from dry-hopping, lots of malt, and vanilla from the oak. A combination of English and American hops provide pleasant bittering and intriguing hop flavors, but it’s the toffee tinged with vanilla and oak that drives the flavor. BB is medium bodied, smooth on the palate, with a lingering finish.

With the big malt body and high alcohol, Burton Baton is a good choice for cellaring. As it ages, the complexity from oak hops and malt should continue to improve an already satisfying brew.

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David's beer of the week 4/24/13

April 24th, 2013 11:36am - Posted By: David Robertson

Eddyline Brewing

Red Chili Porter – 7.0% ABV

Colorado brewers have become so creative that wonderful surprises are almost routine.   Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista began in 2009, and now has a good line-up of high quality craft brews. Inner Glow Red Chile Porter is one of their most interesting creations.

Inner Glow is made with dark roast malts, cherrywood-smoked malt, New Mexico red chilies, and enough hops to give it balance and nuanced flavors.  Eddyline calls Inner Glow a robust porter, but it’s more a full-bodied stout with a creamy mouth feel, a rich flavor of caramel and roast coffee, some light smoke and chili, and subtle hop flavors.  Lingering after each drink of cool refreshing stout is a bit of chili capsaicin heat that stays on the palate. The surprise is that the heat goes well with the coolness of the beer, achieving a pleasing contrast.  One of the better chili beers I have ever tasted.

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David's beer of the week 4/17/13

April 17th, 2013 8:22am - Posted By: David Robertson

The Bruery Mischief – 8.5% ABV

Bruery’s Mischief is a Belgian strong ale style, dry-hopped with American hops.  The result is a brew that will pair with food ranging from French haute cuisine to a burger & fries, or enjoyable as a session beer.

Bottle conditioning brings a hazy gold color with a fluffy meringue head. A crisp dryness is enhanced by effervescent carbonation to produce a pleasing drinkability. The aroma and taste of Mischief is made of intriguing subtleties that tease the palate and nose - a bit of hop bitterness and flavor, brett sour notes, fruitiness of melon and lemons, a touch of vanilla, a dash of clove. My compliments to the chef.

Mischief is strong American take on a classic Belgian style. There are reminders of Duvel but with interesting differences. An admirable part of The Bruery collection.

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David's beer of the week 4/10/13

April 10th, 2013 8:28am - Posted By: David Robertson

Maharaja Imperial IPA – 10.4% ABV

If you think Return of the King is a hobbit movie, think again. To the big-beer hop lovers of Colorado, it’s when Avery Brewing releases a new batch of The Maharajah. Copious quantities of malt and hops go into the brewing of Maharajah, and those ingredients are all there for the beer-drinker’s pleasure.  This is a BIG beer. It’s got a grand aroma, gigantic flavor, huge alcohol, and monumental enjoyment. I think my glass even feels heavier when I’m drinking Maharajah, 

Pours a hazy deep orange with fine white head.  Maharajah is dry hopped with Simcoe and Centennial producing an aroma of resiny pine, grapefruit, tangerine, alcohol, and a bit of biscuity malt. This beer is smooth with a creamy body that enhances its drinkability.

The taste of Maharajah is kaleidoscopic in that its flavors are always present but change proportion as the beer warms. There is a strong malt backbone with good use of Victory malt to add a nice toasted nut flavor. The sweetness from the malt provides a canvas for the hop flavors. Alcohol is present but overwhelmed by the hop flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, pine needles, orange, and peach. From beginning to end, The Maharajah delivers big flavor and big pleasure.

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David's beer of the week 4/3/13

April 3rd, 2013 8:53am - Posted By: David Robertson

AC Golden Brewing Hidden Barrel Apricot Sour - 5.4% ABV

Sour, funky, flavorful – all of them apply to a new brew from AC Golden’s Hidden Barrel collection. It’s an ale aged in oak wine barrels with apricots from Palisade added as whole fruit, finished with brettanomyces bottle-conditioning.

This is everything a wild ale should be. Pleasant apricot nose and flavor, tartly acidic, with a delightful sour tang on the palate.  Additional notes of lemon, grass, oak, and brett funk add interest to both aroma and taste. The beer has a creamy, lightly carbonated mouth-feel and substantial, moderately dry finish. A very refined sour with muscat nuances, wine-like acidity, and a bit of fruit sweetness that emerges as it warms. This is a product of truly artisan brewing.

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David's beer of the week 3/27/13

March 27th, 2013 8:21am - Posted By: David Robertson

BrewDog  - 2 humans and a canine

Hardcore Imperial  IPA  - 9.2% ABV

Put on your kilts and heat up the haggis, we bring you an Imperial  IPA from Brewdog in Scotland. According to the fanatics at BrewDog,  this ale has more hops and bitterness, IBU 150, than any other beer brewed in the UK – “Hopped to hell, then dry-hopped to hell too”.

Hardcore pours a slightly cloudy orange color with thin white head that dissipates quickly. Not dry-hopped to same extent as a lot of American beers, there is a lot of grapefruit, pine, and citrus hops in the nose but also some nice toffee malt notes.  The flavor is malt with a lot of citrusy hop flavors of lemon, orange, and grapefruit – all nicely bittered.  The body is silky smooth, with very pleasant lingering hop finish.

So pour a single malt, cue the bagpipes, and enjoy a fine Scottish session with a brilliant IPA.

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David's beer of the week 3/20/13

March 20th, 2013 8:14am - Posted By: David Robertson

Stift Engelszell Gregorius Dark Tripel – 9.7% ABV

Most beer aficionados are familiar with the famous Trappist beers brewed in monasteries in Belgium and Netherlands. There is now an 8th Trappist brewery that revived its brewing tradition in 2012 and is now producing Trappist ales distributed in Europe and the U.S. – Stift Engelszell in Austria.

Gregorius is dark ale named after a former abbot. It’s made with Austrian hops, malted barley, local Austrian honey, and Belgian yeast. Some of the malt has been roasted providing a pleasant smoky aroma and some cocoa flavor. The flavor is complex with dates, malt, honey, licorice, some spice and woody notes.  The body is full, smooth, and nicely carbonated with a lingering finish. This is a very nice brew that’s comparable to Gulden Draak. I’m looking forward to tasting the other beers from Stift Engelszell.

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Staff beer of the week 3/13/13

March 13th, 2013 9:17am - Posted By: Superior Liquor Beer Staff

Renegade Brewing E3 Elevation Triple IPA – 11.2% ABV

Renegade Brewing has released their award–winning Elevation Triple IPA in 12 oz cans. The E3 is a single-hop beer using Summit hops throughout, giving it a classic citrus/grass hop aroma and flavor. Well-bittered, with a nice long finish, the E3 disguises its high alcohol with enough malt to provide excellent balance.

Be careful with this one. It’s a very pleasant, easy drinking, thoroughly enjoyable IPA, that will allow you to finish the entire 4-pack before you realize its 11.2%. Enjoy!

David R

Renegade’s new offering, Elevation IPA3, does not disappoint hopheads!  Coming in at 11.2% ABV, this hop monster’s got bite.  It pours a rich golden-orange that almost seems to glow.  The aroma immediately begs you to take notice with an abundance of hops, fruit, and a hint of alcohol.  The taste matches the aroma quite closely with great fresh hop flavor and notes of apricot, mango and grapefruit citrus with a slight alcohol bite.  The mouthfeel is quite rich and creamy with a bit of a stickiness that tends to accompany Imperial IPA’s like this, ending with a mild dryness.  A little more on the sweeter side of PIA’s as opposed to in-your-face bitterness, this beer is definitely worth check out if you’re the hop lover like me.

Colan S.

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David's beer of the week 3/6/13

March 6th, 2013 11:57am - Posted By: David Robertson

Renegade Brewing

E3 Elevation Triple IPA – 11.2% ABV

Renegade Brewing has released their award–winning Elevation Triple IPA in 12 oz cans. The E3 is a single-hop beer using Summit hops throughout, giving it a classic citrus/grass hop aroma and flavor. Well-bittered, with a nice long finish, the E3 disguises its high alcohol with enough malt to provide excellent balance.

Be careful with this one. It’s a very pleasant, easy drinking, thoroughly enjoyable IPA, that will allow you to finish the entire 4-pack before you realize its 11.2%. Enjoy!

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David's beer of the week 2/27/13

February 27th, 2013 8:09am - Posted By: David Robertson

Odell Brewing – Amuste

Imperial Porter brewed with grape juice – 9.3% ABV

Grape meets grain. Odell made a strong porter, added western slope tempranillo must, and did a secondary fermentation in oak wine barrels. A lot of work and planning went into this beer.

Amuste has a light nose that’s a nice blend of cherry, chocolate, red wine, and oak. It’s bottle-conditioned and pours dark brown with a full light brown head. The dark roast character of classic porters and stouts is present but with an overlying, almost sweet, grape flavor. Amuste is not a fruit beer or a lambic, but a well-balanced imperial porter variation.  Odell’s hard work produced a most interesting brew with a lot of character and flavor. 

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David's beer of the week 2/20/13

February 20th, 2013 8:37am - Posted By: David Robertson

Shipyard Brewing Co
XXXX IPA – 9.25% ABV

Sitting in the pub with your mates, waiting for the football match to come on the telly, the barman slowly hand-pumps cask-conditioned ale and slides it over. That’s the scene that popped into my head while tasting Shipyard’s XXXX IPA. Even though it’s from Portland, this is very British ale.

Initial aroma and taste is of citrus & floral hops, but that fades rather quickly into a very well-balanced IPA. The XXXX has a nicely-bittered very long finish, and a soft, almost cask-conditioned, mouth feel. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of dry-hopping so a surprising amount of malt flavor comes through.

Bring on the fish & chips and give this one a go. 

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David's beer of the week 2/13/13

February 13th, 2013 8:31am - Posted By: David Robertson

Elevation Beer Co. Downpour Imperial Red Ale – 7.5% ABV

Elevation Beer Co. in Poncha Springs is one of Colorado’s newest breweries. Their new Downpour Imperial Red Ale is a tasty brew with a great hop nose and a fascinating hop flavor all blended onto a full malt body. The beer is lovely to look at with a deep, clear red color and a creamy white head, but the flavor and nose is what will require you to drink more than one.

Elevation used Simcoe and Falconer’s Flight hops which provide a complexity of hop aromas and flavors - pine, grapefruit, peach, floral, and sweet grass. Bittering is medium, but contrasts well with a solid malt backbone. This beer will go with any food but some spicy wings, or Vietnamese would set it off beautifully.

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David's beer of the week 2/6/13

February 6th, 2013 8:01am - Posted By: David Robertson

XBeeriment Copper Snow
Barleywine Style Ale – 10% ABV

Xbeeriment is a label from 2 Danish brewers who moved up from home-brewing to using existing microbrewery facilities to make their own recipes. The mission is to produce beers of high quality and distinctive personality.

Copper Snow has barley-wine nose with some faint hop notes. The beer pours a cloudy copper color with a pleasant, slightly-thick body. Copper Snow tastes of a solid, complex malt body with more hop bittering and taste than a typical barley-wine.  The caramel of the malt blends nicely with citrusy hops to present a very pleasurable tasting experience. This beer will cellar very well, producing more complexity and balance as it ages.

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