Archive for January, 2009

• Finishing the evening with Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter. Still not digging it. Ok nothing special. Off to find a movie on the DVR. #
• @beervikingrules Good lord the Breweig Paradix looks amazing. Will certainly be looking for this. Hoping it has hit the US. #
• Richard Lobb (Nat’l Chicken Council) calls for the release of the strategic chicken wing reserve to meet the current shortage. #
• Hanging at Keegan Ales Kingston NY. Having 4 Philosophers – their kicked up version of Ommegang 3 Philosophers. So delish. #
• Making the plunge today. Getting a home brew setup. #
• @beer47 thinking a stout and a couple ales. Any suggestions? Going to put my faith in the folks at the home brew shop. They have good rep. #

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Brewery: Red Stripe
Location: Kingston, Jamaica
Style: Stout

Dragon Stout is a bit of a mystery. It comes in 10 oz. (284ml) bottle. According to the label, it is bottled by Red Stripe in Kingston, Jamaica. The Red Stripe website is a complete waste of time providing absolutely no information on this stout. I originally picked it up for two reasons:

1. Jamaican stout sounded interesting
2. The bottle size and label were kind of cool. (OK – I know I should NOT buy based on labels, but sometimes it just happens.)

Thankfully, there is one fine stout inside this bottle. It pours nicely starting with a nice caramel head that collapses quickly. Strangely, re-pouring it into another glass brought the head back a bit. The photo on the left is just after the second pouring.

The head is not very creamy, but the stout itself is. Thick and chocolate with vanilla tones. There is no coffe notes nor bitterness. It borders on being a syrupy candy beer but never actually crosses into the “too sweet” category. Somewhat like drinking a fine artisanal chocolate. At 7.5% (and 10oz.), you’re not in any real danger of having your butt kicked. It is – however – a uniquely delicious stout unlike any you’ll ever have.

• Thank god this week is done. Good day of coding. Making pasta+improv sauce. Brooklyn Black Choc Stout+Bulleit kicking things off. #

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• Thank god this week is done. Good day of coding. Making pasta+improv sauce. Brooklyn Black Choc Stout+Bulleit kicking things off. #

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Brewery: Goose Island
Location: Chicago, IL
Style: Stout

On a December trip to Half Time, I asked what was new and interesting in the winter seasonals. I was directed to a display with a series of limited editions including the $16 Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock [650ml] (review coming sometime) and a $7 12oz bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.

$7 for 12 0z.!?!?!?!
60 cents per ounce!?!?!
REALLY!?!?! Is it THAT good?!?!?

Yes. Yes it is.

I decided to buy purely off the intrigue of a bourbon barrel aged stout. I am a big bourbon drinker often having two fingers of Bulleit or Knob Creek or a shot of Tuthilltown along with my beer. This stout seemed like a perfect fit for my bourbon love.

The pour is black as a moonless Catskill Night. (Trust me – that’s pretty black.) This may well be the darkest stout I have ever had. Huge thick head that is deep brown. BROWN! Not caramel or cream, but a dark brown. The aroma was incredible. A heady combination of vanilla, coffee, chocolate and even a bit of a wine-like edge.

The aroma is the exact preview of the taste. It starts with a sweet wine like vanilla than segues into a slightly bitter coffee finishing with a subtle sweetness of chocolate. All of this is wrapped in a warm smokiness (not actual smoke flavor – just the feeling of smokiness) and deep creaminess unlike anything I’ve ever tasted in a stout. It’s also a bit of a monster at 11% ABV – so one will be all you’ll need.

I have cellared one of these to try later this year. I have seen many discussing the 2007 Bourbon County and its improvement with cellaring. I’m finding it hard to not open my second one now – and as it only shipped in December find more will be unlikely – but I really want to see how this ages.

I must remember to buy much more of this when it comes around again this year.

• @TheBeerWench Know that. Mrs. Ohabeer is @moviewewatch and often we do the same during happy hour. #
• @3drx Anywhere in NY. A decent distro in northeast. Check http://brooklynbrewery.com for details. Well worth seeking out or ordering. #
• @beerbabe oh yes. Try coding while buzzed. Even more tricky. Tho quite rewarding at times. #
• Just watched Flakes. Zooey Deschanel makes me happy. Indie cereal shop victory make me forget dumping by callous client. Beer helps too. #
• @beerbabe love that comic. And frighteningly accurate (says the coder who has tried too much bourbon+AS2) #

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Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
Location: Middlebury, VT
Style: Oatmeal stout

This is another favorite Ohabeer HQ stout. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Ohabeer was disappointed to find I had drank the last one to make notes for this review. Such is the way the oatmeal stout crumbles…

I’ve been intrigued by certified organic beer since first running into Wolaver’s a couple of years back. Living in the Catskills, I know my fair share of organic farmers and prefer to buy and cook organic when possible. I know it makes a difference in cooking, but does it really make a difference in a beer?

In the case of Wolaver’s, organic definitely makes a difference. Wolaver’s Certified Organic Oatmeal Stout is perhaps the best oatmeal stout I have ever had. While the head collapses quickly – a problem I’m seeing more and more with US stouts – the taste is still thick and creamy. A deep brown stout, it actually has a toasted oats aroma mixed with a distinctive coffee tone.

The taste is amazing. Oat-y coffee font end with a little sweetness immediately followed by a balanced bitterness. This is highly drinkable and a perfect year round stout. While working through the glass, Mrs. Ohabeer made double chocolate cookies. A bite of cookie and a sip of Wolaver’s was heavenly. The absence of chocolate notes in this stout makes it a perfect compliment for chocolate. Highly recommended.

As I was finishing this, Mrs. Ohabeer wondered if – due to the organic oats – having a bottle a day of this stout would lower our cholesterol like the Quaker Oats we have for brekkie.

If so, I know what my new breakfast will be…

• client of five years ends contract out of the blue. looks like it’s a drinking night. people suck sometimes. anyone need a web designer? #
• Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve, Rogue Dead Guy, Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale, Goose Island Nut Brown Ale, Bulleit Bourbon=killing client betrayal #

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Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Style: Imperial stout

How much is this stout loved at the Ohabeer HQ? It’s one of the few we buy multiple cases at a time. We’re currently down to about 15 bottles. That’s a sad thing as this is quite seasonal, disappears quickly and tastes like heaven. Not to mention a key ingredient in the Oh…a beer Beer-b-que Sauce. Thankfully I have a supply of the sauce jarred and ready for the start of the BBQ season.

But we’re here to talk about Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout, not BBQ…

This is a rich stout even though it pours a bit thin. The head starts out a dark brown color but quickly disappears. Your left with little to no head for almost all of the glass. The color is a deep deep black. Excellent chocolately aroma that is also faintly bitter.

As this is not actually brewed with chocolate, it is saved from the cloy sweetness of most seasonal chocolate brews. Instead you get the deep rich stout flavor with a chocolate aftertaste created from the malt combo. It’s a little thinner in tasting that many stouts, but that thinness does not result in watered down flavor. It’s a bold brew with a creaminess not expected given the lack of “stout head”. Add to this the 10.1% ABV and you’ve got the perfect recipe for knocking out the winter chill and blues.

On a side note, Mrs. Ohabeer and I had the opportunity to taste this on draught at The Standard in Albany, NY during the holiday season. We had been out checking the post-holiday chaos when we decided to take a break, get a beer and maybe lunch. We were happy to find more than a few crafts at The Standard, but really surprised by Black Chocolate Stout on tap. We had never run into that before and we used to live in Brooklyn.

What really surprised us was the Black Chocolate on draught tasted stronger. The flavor was more pronounced and it appears to have a stronger alcoholic kick. Perhaps the fact they were nitrogen tapping it helped bump it up. Perhaps it was the weather. Perhaps we were just lightweights at that moment. For whatever reason, we ended up having a couple of burgers and a second round. Quite a buzzy rest of the day wandering stores. If you have the chance to try the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout on tap – especially if it is a nitrogen tap – do yourself a favor and make time for one or two. You’ll be glad you did.

• Went with a Dragon Stout and Steelhead Scotch Style porter for Ohabeer happy hour. Now making steak+turkey leftover sammiches. #
• @timweber “too much bourbon flav”. These words do not make sense to me. #

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