Occasionally I get caught up in the grasp of coffee-buying apathy. Invariably when this happens we end up running out of coffee, necessitating an urgent run to somewhere, anywhere to get coffee.

As result, two of the more recent coffees I’ve been drinking were Trader Joe’s Costa Rica Tarrazu (accessible and satisfactory, if not wholly enjoyable) and this bag of Starbucks’ Mexican Chiapas. While getting coffee at work one day, and knowing that I was buying a cup of Starbucks because we didn’t have any coffee at home for me to bring into the office, I saw this bag of one of their specialty coffees and decided to give it a roll. It was a double-bonus that it was from the same region as a Barrington coffee that I’d just finished.

This coffee is from the Chiapas region of Mexico, and was sourced from two specific farms, Santa Teresa and Guadalupe. The beans were grown at an elevation of 1000-1300 meters, and include the Catuai, Caturra, and Bourbon varietals. According to a post on their website, all of the coffee was grown under shade trees, though it doesn’t say this on the bag itself.

The most remarkable thing is the roast level of this coffee. Starbucks says that it’s their medium roast, and yet the beans are very dark and oily. To me, this looks like much more of a French roast, a level that carbonizes the bean to some extent, and releases more of the oils, creating a darker, sweeter cup of coffee. Dark roasts are, of course, typical of Starbucks approach to roasting, and is a style that really originated on the west coast with companies such as them and Peet’s. So I suppose that their’s is a subjective idea of a medium roast.

Contrast this to the approach that Barrington took with their Chiapas coffee. They used a City roast, and labeled it a “light roast” on the packaging. The beans are a light, milk-chocolate brown, with no oils coming through on any of them.

This is really a clash of two opposing coffee ideologies, the leveling approach as embodied in Starbucks’ dark roasts versus the embracing difference approach as captured in Barrington’s light roasts. But how does the difference play out in the cup?

Tasting Notes

The aromas in this coffee are very dark and roasty, with notes of molasses, toast, and vanilla bean. The palate is voluptuously smooth and soft with little acidity. There are flavors of hazelnuts, milk chocolate, vanilla wafers, toast, and a distant hint of black cherries. The finish is very dry and dark, with the flavors melding into a seamless, rather indistinct mash of molasses, nuts, and chocolate.

All in all, the flavors are okay, but lack much in the way of nuance. The overall impression was a melange of rich, dark, sweet flavors, and very smooth. It’s hard not to wonder what it would have been like at a lesser roast.

And here’s where the differences in Barrington’s approach play out relative to Starbucks. With Barrington’s lighter roast you get a much brighter cup of coffee, one that enables the nuances and layers in the coffee to shine. Starbucks’ approach leads to a more indistinctly, darkly flavored cup.

Is one better than the other? It’s really a question of preference, but if you like a coffee that is expressive of where it came from and what makes coffee from that place unique, then you should pick up the Barrington Coffee Chiapas. On the other hand, if you like heavily roasted coffees, then this one isn’t really much different than Starbucks’ other coffees, expect perhaps with less of a dark char flavor, and so I’d say give this one a roll.

Here’s the complete lineup:

• Elijah Craig 18-Year Bourbon & Weyerbacher Heresy Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
• Eagle Rare 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon & Mayflower Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine
• Springbank 10-Year Scotch & Brewdog Paradox Springbank Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
• Highland Park 12-Year Scotch & Harviestoun Old Dubh Highland Park Whisky Barrel-Aged Old Ale

Holy cow. I want this tasting to be tonight. I’m very excited. All four of these are top-notch whiskies paired with absolutely top-notch, palate-bending barrel-aged beers.This will be a great event.

I hear that seats are running low. So if you’re interested, give them a buzz soon. Don’t miss it!

Event Details

• When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010, seatings @ 5pm & 7pm
• Where: Amherst Coffee, Amherst, Mass. (map)
• Info: call Amherst Coffee @ 413-256-8987

I have a dream. This may be a cliche start to this post, but nonetheless it’s true, and it’s what got me to thinking about writing this down. I have a dream of opening my own brewery, and it’s one I’ve been thinking a lot about lately.

I don’t normally use this forum to write about anything but other people’s products. And there’s a reason for that – I really admire well-crafted beers, whiskies, coffees, and wines, and see them as an expression of truly creative people and companies. And I’m most excited when these are people who are clearly passionate about what they’re doing. Just consider Barth and Greg at Barrington Coffee Roasters, or Alan Sprints at Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company, or the creative geniuses at Founders Brewing, to name just a few. These people create amazing coffees and beers that express their own, unique visions. Each of them has followed their own path to where they are today, and I believe will continue to do so in the future. Each is inspiring.

I’ve been homebrewing for 3 or 4 years now. As I’ve gotten more brews under my belt, I’ve gained a greater understanding of the process, an appreciation of the history and culture behind brewing, become a better brewer, and turned out beers that I’m proud of. I’ve also started to figure out what my own, personal brewing “voice” is. I’ve realized just how much I enjoy brewing, and that it’s become a creative outlet that I never expected it to be.

When I started brewing, it was just a hobby, something I was interested in trying out for fun. During the past year or two in particular, I’ve come to realize that it’s something that I’m actually good at. I love the process of thinking about the beer that I want to brew, letting the idea crystallize in my head, researching the style, ingredients, and methods involved, and then crafting a recipe that embodies the ideal beer that I’ve framed in my mind. My best beers have come about through this process, beers that I would be proud to stand up next to the commercial brews that have inspired me.

So here I find myself today, dreaming for the umpteenth time about starting a brewery. I haven’t worked in a brewery, and have only ever brewed at home. But similar to the process by which my best recipes have come about, the brewery itself has begun to take shape in my imagination, and to slowly crystallize into clear, practicable ideas.

For instance, if you were starting a brewery tomorrow, what beers would you brew? How many and what would they be? I’ve meandered along thinking about this, and have settled on the idea of 4 regularly available beers, 3 year-round and 1 seasonal. The 3 year-round beers would be: a late-hopped IPA, a hoppy Rye Ale, and an Imperial Stout. I also know what 2 of the 4 seasonals would be: in fall, a malty, low-gravity Mild, and in summer, a crisp, grainy Kolsch. Gosh, I just get so excited thinking about this, the possibilities! But these 5 beers that I’ve mentioned, I have a picture-perfect idea of them. I know how they’ll taste, what they’ll look like, even what type of glass I’d server them in. The idea is so clear in my head, it’s kind of strange actually.

I also know exactly who some of the key players would be, if I could choose anyone to be part of the team that gets the brewery off the ground. One would be my friend who is a coffee-shop owner, who is one of the most creative, entrepreneurial people I know, and whose small-business sense I think is remarkable. Another would be a friend of mine who’s a graphic designer, who does remarkable design work, and whose discussion, feedback, and ideas about brewing (and other drinks-related topics) are thought-provoking and inspiring. And without a doubt, my wife, who not only is a source of endless inspiration and confidence, but who brings a creative, sharp, analytical mind, and a remarkable ability to accomplish what she sets out to do. I know that with these three people on board, my belief in this venture would soar.

Will anything ever come of this dreaming? I honestly don’t know. I’ve never thought of myself as a huge risk-taker, and this is a very big leap. But who knows. I’ve spent countless hours dreaming up ideas for the beers that I want to brew, and have seen these ideas crystallize into reality in the form of newly brewed beers. I’ve learned that patience is the key, that I need to let the beer take the shape it’s going to take. That only then will it be ready to be brewed. So I’ll keep dreaming of opening a brewery. I’ll let the ideas gradually take their own shape, and who knows, maybe one day that’ll turn into an actual brewery where I can follow in the footsteps of those remarkably creative, inspiring companies that I mentioned earlier.

The “big” news on BeerAdvocate last week was that Russian River Brewing’s Pliny The Younger had overtaken Westvleteren 12 as the site’s top-ranked beer. This was notable since Westvleteren has held the top spot for ages, certainly in the several years I’ve been visiting the site. Since then, the two have see-sawed back and forth, leading to innumerable musings on the site and elsewhere.

Is this really significant? I don’t know. It coincided with the release of Pliny The Younger (a draft-only beer, it’s never been bottled) at Russian River’s brewpub, an event where the beer itself sold out in a matter of hours, in contrast to last year’s release where the beer sold out after several days. So regardless of whatever interest you want to ascribe to this beer assuming the top spot, it is certainly a sign of the (beer) times. We’ve entered a stage in the rise of beer where the release of big name beers is a very, very big happening, and brings with it lots of crowd, lots of hype, and also lots of great beer.

That’s the real upside here. Breweries such as Russian River and Founders, whose beers are rightly very well regarded and highly sought after, have been increasing their capacity during the past few years, or at least (in some cases) devoting more capacity to those beers that are the most highly sought after. And so we’re seeing more opportunities to taste many of these rare gems, whether at festivals, greater or more plentiful distribution, or more bottles out there giving you a better chance of finding one.

And so it was both exciting and surprising to see Russian River at this year’s Extreme Beer Fest. In the three years that I’ve gone they have never been there, although one year they sent out several cases of their “wild” beers to be served at the Belgian Beer Fest’s Night Of The Funk. This year, they brought three beers to the Saturday sessions, and a few more to the Friday evening Night Of The Barrels. And not only did they come to the fest, they brought with them none other than Pliny The Younger, along with its sibling Pliny The Elder. Talk about a great opportunity for a comparative tasting!

Pliny The Younger and Pliny The Elder are both imperial IPAs, and are two of the first wave that really kick-started this style back when they was first brewed (right around 2003 for Elder, 2005 for Younger). Pliny The Elder is brewed to a gravity of 1.071, 8% ABV, and 100 IBUs. Pliny The Younger is its bigger, badder sibling, weighing in at an OG 1.098, 11% ABV, and GOBS of IBUs (as their website says).

Tasting Notes

Pliny The Elder

Pours a rich, mellow gold and slightly hazy, with a pillowy white head that leaves loads of lacing on the glass. The nose is dominated by notes of pine and citrus hop flavors that leave little room for anything else. The palate is velvety textured with medium carbonation, very mellow without being soft. The flavors are not as hoppy as the nose implied, which is good, as there’s lots of great flavors going on here. The bitterness is mild and relatively restrained, letting lots of hop flavors come through, principally citrus and pine with a touch of resin, accompanied by sugared lemons, and a touch of sweet malt. The finish is substantially more bitter than the palate, with creamy lemon flavors offset by a lingering layer of resiny hop flavors.

Pliny The Younger

Pours a shade darker than the Elder, without as much of a head on top. In fact, if you look closely you can see the bubbles flowing to the surface much more slowly than in the Elder. The nose is rich with hops, similar to the Elder, but in the case their accompanied by a notably malty element that brings notes of bread and caramel to the nose. The palate is similar, with the hop flavors challenged somewhat for supremacy by the malty flavors. The fight’s a good one, resulting in a great combination of pine and resin hop flavors, and malty notes of honey and baked bread. The hops get the upper hand ultimately, but it’s closer than with the Elder. The finish is similar to the Elder, opening up with a blend of sweet malt and hops, giving way to lingering bitterness. Overall, the Younger is sweeter and denser than the Elder, a more mature and weighty version of its smaller sibling.

Conclusions

Both of these are top-notch, very drinkable IPAs. In fact, scarily drinkable IPAs. They both cloaked the alcohol level well behind a facade of hops and malt, especially the Younger. And in both, while the flavors were very hop-oriented, they offered great contrasts to one another. If I went someplace where both were on offer, it’d be a tough choice, seeing as how they’re both just so good, as well as being prototypical examples of imperial IPAs. I guess I’d just have to get a glass of both! Perhaps at the same time, so that I could compare them (as the true beer geek that I’ve become).

Rye IPAs combine two of my favorite flavor elements in beer: rye and hops. Much as with rye whiskey, rye brings a spicy, resinous quality to beer that lends a real step up to your typical malt profile. So take a rye ale and pile hops into it, and you have the potential for a beautiful marriage of two fabulous flavors.

Today, you’re seeing rye IPAs crop up with increasing frequency, although I don’t know of too many that are part of a brewery’s regular lineup. Instead, most of the ones that I’ve had the chance to try have been either seasonals or one-offs from breweries. Perhaps this is because as opposed to your typical IPA, a rye-based IPA is an altogether different beer. The malt profile of the beer is more forward, more challenging, vying with hops for your palate, demanding attention in its own right. Whereas most IPAs are essentially vehicles for the hops, even if balanced with a notable maltiness, the bottom line is that hops reign supreme. In the case of rye IPAs, this isn’t so much the case.

This beer from Troegs Brewing Company is a great example, of both how awesome rye IPAs can be, and of rye IPAs being one-offs as opposed to regular features of a brewery’s lineup. Troegs makes a couple of very good, hoppy beers, including their Hopback Amber (which is part of their year-round lineup) and the highly rated Nugget Nectar, a seasonal that is a veritable showcase for malt and hops, and more hops. Both are great beers. But then there’s the Scratch Series of one-off beers that they’ve been brewing since 2007. The Series is up to number 27 now, and this beer, the Magical Mustache Rye, was number #25 in the series.

The Magical Mustache Rye was brewed in November 2009 in honor of both the Month of the Mustache (November, more info here) and the Troegs Mustache Growing Contest. It was brewed to an original gravity of 16 degrees Plato (1.065 original gravity), and 115 IBUs, for an astounding BU:GU ratio of 1.77 (bitterness units to gravity units). The malts included a base pilsner malt, with additions of munich and crystal. Hops used in the boil included Bravo and Cluster, along with Cluster and Liberty for dry-hopping.

The beer pours crystal clear and coppery, dark amber, with a fluffy white head that drops to a thin lacing. The nose has wonderful floral hoppy aromas of lavender, citrus, and a hint of pine, with a breath of malt lurking underneath. The palate is crisp with a great balance of malt and hops, with hops just barely taking the upper hand. Flavors arrive with a foundation of bready maltiness, then the hops come swooping in, with flavors of resin, pine, and herbal spiciness. Not overwhelmingly bitter, although there is more definitely more hop bitterness than flavor. The finish opens up with caramel maltiness that gives way to buckets of lingering hop bitterness.

What a fun, great tasting, and very drinkable beer. The hops brought plenty of bitterness, but it was pretty well-integrated into the overall flavor profile. If the BU:GU was 1.77, I’d have to guess that a substantial portion of the hops were used pretty late in the boil, otherwise – in a 1.065 beer – the bitterness may be overwhelming. Instead, this is a great rye IPA, and as much as I enjoy both Hopback Amber and Nugget Nectar, this is a beer that I’d really enjoy seeing as part of Troegs yearly or seasonal lineup. It’s just so good!