Archive for November, 2009
Odell Brewing Co. IPA
Odell Brewing was one of the two breweries that we visited during our whirlwind, 3-hour stop in Fort Collins. When you consider that the stop also included New Belgium Brewing, lunch at a goodMexican restaurant, and a stop for groceries before we split town to head into the hills of Utah for a night of camping, you get a sense of how little time we had to really appreciate their offerings. But, luckily we did take the time to try a sampler of some of the beers they had on tap, and we took a handful of bottles with us to tide us over until the next brewery.
First off, the brewery itself is a really nice spot. They have a good-sized patio and a couple of comfortable rooms filled with tables, chairs, and couches where you can relax and use their wireless while sipping on a pint. When we were there they were offering two trays of samples. One was their lineup of regular, year-round beers, and the other was a collection of one-offs, seasonals, and other special beers that they were offering. We gave each a shot, and were quite glad we did since the two samplers were wildly contrasting.
Their regular lineup consists of an IPA, Levity Amber Ale, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, 90 Shilling Ale, Easy Street Wheat, and Cutthroat Porter. All were enjoyable (although they did not have the IPA on tap when we were there), with the 90 Shilling Ale and Cutthroat Porter being my favorites of the bunch. At this point (a couple of months later), I honestly can’t remember exactly which seasonals and other one-offs they had on-tap at the time. I know that we tried the St. Lupulin Ale, and a brett-fermented red ale, but that’s about it. What I do remember is really enjoying their year-round lineup. Each beer had distinct character, and all were very drinkable and solid.
We were both pretty smitten with their artwork as well. Each of their labels is very well done, with some great drawings and excellent design. I only wish they offered some more info about the beers themselves. Here’s the full text from the label:
Ready To Buck Convention?
We took the traditional IPA, originally shipped from England to India in the 1700s, and made it bolder and more flavorful – American style. We’ve added new varieties of highly aromatic American hops to create a distinctive bitterness profile and an incredible hop character. Hop on, hold tight, and enjoy the ride!
As much as I enjoy the enthusiasm of their writing, it doesn’t really do much for me. Nor does their website, which gives little (to no) more information. What we do know is that this beer rolls in at 7% with 60 IBUs, a respectable bitterness-to-gravity for a northwestern-style IPA. What I don’t really understand though, is how on their website they don’t even give out much information on their really special beers. Such as their recently-released Bourbon-Barrel Stout, whose webpage has no mention of gravity, malts, how long it was in barrels, etc. I realize they must think that most people are not interested, but I’m just not sure how true that is.
Anyhow. On to this IPA. 7%, 60 IBUs. Rant aside, let’s roll with that.
It pours a hazy, amber gold, with a frothy white head, and leaves lots of lacing on the glass. The nose has notes of cotton candy, orange, lemon, and lime peels, forest pines, resins, and a lick of spiciness. The palate has a strong dose of carbonation but manages to be rather smooth and velvety none the less. There is lots of hop bitterness with a sweet maltiness layered on top of it. The beer is really a tale of two contrasting flavor groups: malt honey, and even a bit of caramel on the one hand; grassy, citrus hop bitterness on the other. I wouldn’t say it’s balanced or not balanced. The two flavors groups are just so distinct without warring. The finish brings lemon curd alongside leafy, hop bitterness.
On the whole, while I would say that the flavors don’t run deep here, this is a very tasty beer. It would definitely fit the bill on a warm summer or spring afternoon. And while I’m disappointed by Odell’s lack of telling consumers anything about their beer, they definitely produce a solid lineup of year-round beers that, if they distributed anywhere near me, I’d happily partake in.
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Russian River Brewing Co. Blind Pig IPA
Russian River Brewing is perhaps the most interesting, split-personality brewing company in the country right now. On the one hand they brew their very successful “wild ales”, including Temptation, Sanctification, and Beatification. On the other are their just as very successful hoppy beers, namely Blind Pig and Pliny The Elder (and the seasonally produced Pliny The Younger).
The beers occupying these two poles are the ones that you most often hear about when Russian River comes up on the web or in discussions. But aside from these they also brew up some great Belgian-style beers, including the excellent Damnation, and a host of good-to-great one-offs and year-round beers. Basically, Russian River is brewing up a whole host of great beers, many of which you’ll need to go directly to the brewpub to sample, and some of which are available in limited distribution throughout the western states.
And so, sadly, I’ve only had a couple of opportunities in the past to taste Russian River’s brews. On a trip out to California several years ago we rounded up a few bottles of Temptation, Sanctification, and Damnation. And during our recent trip out west we went to their brewpub and did things right, sampling through that day’s entire lineup. It’s good there were 3 of us, since this worked out to about 20 samples!
Russian River had begun bottling Blind Pig and Pliny The Elder after our previous trips out west, and so tasting, and picking up a bottle or two, of those beers was high on my list of things to do during our recent trip. Since we’d been out west, my interest in IPAs had really blossomed, and so both of these beers stood near the top of the “must-try IPAs” list.
Shortly after our return trip home we opened up the Blind Pig IPA to give it a whirl. It seemed only right to sample this one before Pliny The Elder. Blind Pig rolls in at 6% from an original gravity of 1.060, with 72 IBUs loaded in there. A BU:GU ration of 1.2:1 – no fooling around here. This promised to be a very hoppy experience.
The beer pours golden amber, crystal clear, with a fluffy white head, that leaves a medium amount of lacing on the glass. Notes of grapefruit and citrus dominate the nose, accompanied by a a touch of sweet malt. But really, the opening salvo from Blind Pig speaks volumes about the amount of hops in the beer (and the likely amount of dry-hopping Russian River does with it). The palate is solid with plenty of body and prickly carbonation. Flavors of sweet malt kick off first, laying down a solid foundation. The hops come in waves after that, first lemon-lime citrus, followed by pine and resin. There is definitely loads of bitterness, but the effect is mellowed somewhat by the solid malt backbone. The palate is fairly dry with flavors of cotton candy malt and citrusy hops, with lots of lingering bitterness.
Blind Pig is not exactly balanced, but not too far from it either. The bitterness really comes in on the second half of the palate, but then doesn’t give up its stranglehold. Definitely a vehicle for hops. Given my expectations for Pliny The Elder really really bringing the hops, this was a good step into Russian River’s hoppy beers. I also have to admit that I’ve been enjoying maltier beers lately, and so the malt backbone in this one was very welcome. Overall, a great beer, and one to seek out the next time you head out west.
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Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 Year Rye
The Pappy Van Winkle line of whiskies is one of my favorite collections out there today. From the ground up it’s a family of great to excellent bourbons, from the Old Rip Van Winkle all the way up to the Pappy Van Winkle 23-year. But it may be the Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 Year Rye that I get the most excited about.
While I thoroughly enjoy a good bourbon, and firmly believe that bourbon deserves a place in every whisk(e)y drinker’s quiver (especially those whisk(e)y drinkers that enjoy a good cigar here and there, as I’m nearly convinced that bourbon marries beautifully with a cigar), a good rye can really knock my socks off in a way that bourbons never quite manage. I’ve been lucky enough to try some great ryes, including the Black Maple Hill 18-year and 23-year, the Sazerac Thomas Handy 6-year and 18-year, and the Rittenhouse 23-year, and in each case have been spellbound by the dimensions of flavors that they exhibited, not just creamy caramels, but resins, spices, and fruits.
The Van Winkle 13-year Rye confirms the great experiences that I’ve had with these other ryes. And given the family’s distilling pedigree, it’s no real surprise.
The “Pappy” in Pappy Van Winkle is the original Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle who began work as a traveling salesman for the WL Weller & Sons wholesaler in Louisville in 1893, at the age of 18. In 1908, along with a partner he purchased the firm and later purchased a related company, the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery in Louisville, forming the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. The Stitzel distillery had been founded in 1872. Their prominent brands were W.L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still.
A new distillery was opened in Shively, Kentucky in 1935 when Pappy was 61, and he led operations there until 1963 at the age of 89. His son, Julian Jr., sold the distillery in 1972, but maintained ownership of the Van Winkle label. Since then he, and later his son Julian III, have continued to produce whiskey, renting time on other company’s stills. They first distilled at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery itself until 1992, then at the Bernheim Distillery, and later (and currently) at the Buffalo Trace Distillery (owned by Sazerac) in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Today, the Van Winkle whiskies include Old Rip Van Winkle, Rip Van Winkle 107, and the Van Winkle 12, 15, 20, and 23 year Bourbons. And, of course, the 13-year Rye.
Not only is the whiskey top notch, but the bottle is nice too, classy in a simple way with a tan label with red trim and black font. The label has, hand written, the number I2953, which I take to be either the number of the bottle, or the cask that they bottled. It was bottled at 47.8%.
In the glass, the whiskey is a shimmering, coppery gold. The nose has notes of hazelnuts, toffee, vanilla, caramel, and a whiff of citrus. The palate has a lighter texture and body than the nose would lead you to expect, albeit not in a bad way. It’s simply more refreshing than the sweet flavors on the nose would indicate. The flavors are composed of vanilla, toffee, slightly astringent citrus, oranges, and just a bit of zip from the alcohol. Very smooth and dangerously drinkable. On the finish the citrus and vanilla are dominant, rounded off by a soothing hint of buttered rum.
This rye is less peppery and more bourbon-like than others that I’ve tried. The caramel, toffee, and vanilla flavors are dominant, very reminiscent of the older Van Winkle bourbons. Definitely not a bad thing, as those are some fabulous whiskies, as is this one. And given the fact that it is also very affordable, I simply cannot recommend this whiskey highly enough – if you can find it. That’s the trick, this is a tough whiskey to find, as are most of the very nice ryes out there. So don’t hesitate if you see it. And then raise a glass to Pappy!
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Laphroaig 15 Year
My introduction to scotch was a Caol Ila 12 year old, to this day one of my favorite whiskies for its singular smokiness. I remember being stunned by the brine and smoke, and having difficulty figuring out exactly what it was that I was drinking. Before long I’d worked my way across the spectrum of Islay whiskies, reveling in the smoky beauty of Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Ardbeg, and Bowmore.
I stayed “on the island” for quite a long time. I was so enamored with smoky whiskies that it was ages before I really began to appreciate other types of scotch. Yes, my scotch horizons were limited, but you’ve got to admit that some pretty incredible whiskies are distilled on that island.
As time passed I began to appreciate the subtle differences in the smoky whiskies produced on Islay. On the one hand you have the briny smokiness of a Caol Ila, on the other the naked, straight-out-of-the-fire smokiness of an Ardbeg. There’s the ribald smokiness of a Lagavulin, and the restrained, fiery beach-wood smoke of a Bowmore. And then there’s Laphroaig, whose smoke is wholly singular, a remarkable expression of smoldering, centuries old peat. You may at times be able to confuse the smokiness of a Lagavulin with a Bowmore, but you could never confuse the smokiness of a Laphroaig with any other whisky.
Why is that? I suppose there are any number of reasons that you could point to – the peat they use, the fact that Laphroaig is one of the few distilleries still producing some of their own malt, the way they distill their whisky. But in the end, no one really knows for sure. What it comes right down to is being willing to simply accept that there is something unique taking place when Laphroaig whisky is created that imparts this most astonishing smokiness.
A friend of mine once described Laphroaig whisky as akin to stuffing a wad of peat in your mouth. I’d have to concur with this, there is something entirely unique that takes place when you plunge into a dram of Laphroaig. The smoke slowly rises out of the glass, filling first your nostrils, then the room your in. It gets into your clothes, and I swear it leaves an imprint on your senses, leaving you with a lingering memory after you reach the bottom of the glass.
But what’s best about Laphroaig is that it isn’t all about the smoke. Yes, the smokiness is astonishing and unique, but it is coupled with layers of other flavors that can – depending on the age of the whisky you’re drinking – actually cause the smoke to play a secondary role. I’ve been lucky enough to try the Laphroaig 30-year on a handful of occasions and can say, without hesitation, that this is one of the most amazing whiskies I’ve ever drunk. The smoke is more subdued, an ethereal element layered amidst a plethora of other flavors. In many ways, this to me was the ultimate expression of Laphroaig, demonstrating just how dynamic a role the smoke can play.
So in the end, I do think Laphroaig is defined by its smoke, much as I think other of the Islay whiskies are uniquely defined by their unique smokiness (Ardbeg and Lagavulin most prominently so). But Laphroaig is much more than just its smoke, there’s something else, something intangible that it expresses.
Yikes! This post is turning into some sort of homage to Laphroaig, which is not really what I’m aiming for. Instead, it’s really an homage to how smoke is never the same from whisky to whisky, and may well be the most romantic and remarkable flavor that any whisky exhibits. Only a few whiskies in the world really embrace smoke as a principal flavor component, and in only a fraction of them does the smoke really define that whisky, smelling and tasting like no other smoke you’ll find in another whisky.
The Laphroaig 15 year has always been one of my favorite Laphroaig expressions. It’s left behind the brash, raw smoke of youth and begun to segway into the more restrained, well-balanced smokiness of middle-age. It’s bottled at 43%, and so retains some of the explosive flavor that you’ll find in cask-strength versions.
The 15-year pours gold with a lightly coppered tinge. The nose is dominated by smoke - that peculiarly specific Laphroaig smoke – , accompanied by mint, red berryish fruit, and a hint of butterscotch. The palate is a mouthfull of peat to begin with – a rich, elemental combination of smoke and earth – accompanied by an undercurrent of sweet poached pears, apple and cranberry pie, and crushed mint. Smoke is again dominant on the finish, accompanied by apples and pears and a fine layer of citrus.
A great, classic, go-to whisky, the perfect bridge between the younger 10 year and the older, 25 or 30 year bottlings. What fun it would be to taste through the range, kicking off with the Quarter Cask, making your way to the 10 year and then the 10 year cask-strength, moving on to the 15, the 18, the 25…the 30.
Problem is, that 30 year stole my heart away, and left me with a taste for older, well-aged Laphroaigs. I’m jaded, prevented from fully appreciating such a fine whisky as this 15 year by my dallies with its older siblings. Whither my smoky palate?!
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Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. Aged El Salvador Finca Cerro Las Ranas 2006
The first roaster I saw offering aged coffee was George Howell’s Terroir Coffee, who offered an aged Indonesian that sounded quite exciting. At the time I had never heard of such a thing…aged coffee? Since then I’ve seen aged coffees offered by a couple of roasters, but it’s a pretty rare offering overall, and I can only think of a couple of roasters I’ve seen them from.
This coffee is unique in that not only is it aged, but it was produced using the “pulped natural” process, where the cherry is stripped off, but the mucilage is left on the bean. During the sun drying process the mucilage ferments, endowing the bean with a unique set of flavors that typical production methods do not allow for. I’ve had one other coffee produced this way, the Panama Hartmann Honey from Gimme Coffee, and I remember being struck by how apt the inclusion of the word “honey” in the name was. The coffee was rich, succulent, smooth, and very enjoyable.
And so I was excited to try this aged coffee from Barrington, whose coffees I have been enjoying a great deal lately. It was produced in the Apaneca Mountains of El Salvador, at an elevation of 5100 feet. The coffees from Finca Cerro Las Ranas, owned by the Salaverria family, are certified by the Rainforest Alliance, and this batch is made up entirely of the Bourbon-Paca varietal.
Barrington initially received this shipment in 2007 and stored the coffee for two years in a controlled environment to allow it to mature. Once they felt it had reached its optimal development, they transferred it to hermetically bags to halt any further aging. The result?
The nose is rich with heavy flavors of walnuts and molasses underscored by a trace of subtle smoke. The palate has a luscious, sweet, creamy body, and very subdued acidity. Flavors of caramel, vanilla, toast, cherry skins, and a slight woodiness, rest atop this velvet foundation. The acidity really comes into play in the finish, with the flavor of tart citrus rind quickly giving way to sweet peaches, brown sugar, and milk chocolate.
All in all, an interesting coffee. Rich, but in a subdued way. The nose was not very forthcoming, but the palate and finish brought an interesting collection of flavors that really complemented one another quite well. I can see this being a great deeps-of-winter coffee, when you want a cup that just feels like wrapping yourself up in a blanket to warm up.
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