Samuel Smith - Organic Chocolate Stout

It's Wednesday night. Not just any Wednesday night. It's time for the February offering in my wife's Beer of the Month club! I didn't realize how close it was to month end (tomorrow is the last day as of this posting) and I almost forgot I hadn't received my February beer. So here it is in all it's glory! 

Tonight I'm drinking the Organic Chocolate Stout by Samuel Smith. Now if you're into craft beer, Samuel Smith beers shouldn't be news to you. In fact, they should be old hat. But definitely not a bad old hat that you want to simply get rid of. No, these beers are all fantastic and incredibly priced (this beer cost me $3.50). 

I've been a fan of theirs for years, namely for their Oatmeal Stout and the Imperial Stout. Both are still two of my favorite beers I've ever had. When in doubt, an SS Oatmeal or Imperial Stout is always a good fall back option. Hell, even the Nut Brown is a good option if you're not in the mood for the stouts.

But enough of the history. I've seen some feed back on the Organic Chocolate Stout and to say my interest has been peaked would be an understatement. I'm looking forward to this beer for sure so let's get it poured and let's get into it! 

The Organic Chocolate Stout pours out a very dark mahogany to black color with some ruby red shades on the bottom of the glass. It's not the thickest of stouts but for the most part, the SS beers are relatively thin. There was a nice finger to just over a finger of a off white head, bordering on khaki. The head vanished pretty quickly and left behind a relatively light lacing, not quite soapy but probably resembling that more than anything else.

The nose on this beer is pretty fantastic. Incredibly sweet, I mean, INCREDIBLY sweet. Big time Vanilla. A lot of a milk chocolate coming through. There's almost like a rum character on this beer. I'd attribute that to the vanilla I'm catching. There's a cake like sweetness on the nose as well. Maybe like a sugar cookie with an emphasis on the sugar. It's pretty nice.

I'm blown away by how this beer tastes. It follows the nose to a T! Right away there's a huge blast of vanilla sweetness. That's followed right away by that milk chocolate and even more vanilla. Middle of the mouth you get a creaminess that I was waiting for. Reminds me a lot of a milk stout. It's very smooth and cleans the palate nicely. Back end of this beer you get more sweetness. More milk chocolate than vanilla. I think the vanilla is just pretty much in the front of those beer and a little in the middle. 

This beer is pretty thin and is incredibly easy to drink. The Organic Chocolate Stout comes in at a whopping 5% so it's incredibly sessionable. It's so easy drinking I'd imagine if this comes in a 4 pack you could kill this with no problems whatsoever. 

Overall, this is a fantastic beer. It's very easy drinking and packs a lot of solid flavors into a beer that may scare some people away, with the "Organic" in the name and the overpowering 5% abv. I highly recommend this beer and all the others from Samuel Smith to anyone who reads this. They are worth the try and for the price, definitely can't be beat. 

Rating: A-

Wife didn't like it but at least found there to be some redeeming qualities. So, all in all, I'll take it as a victory! 

Coronado Brewing - Blue Bridge Coffee Stout

Hey gang. Tuesday nights... they're pretty lame. Luckily it's Hockey season so the night isn't totally wasted. Remembered I had this beer in my fridge and figured since it's the first time I've ever had it, might as well post a review and give you an idea of what I'm thinking of this beer.

Tonight I'm drinking Blue Bridge Coffee Stout by Coronado Brewing Co, which is located in, surprise  Coronado, CA! This is a 5.4% ABV Coffee Stout.... wait.

Hold on....

A 5.4% Coffee Stout? Am I reading this right? Holy shit, I am. Is this a session stout?! I don't think I've ever come across a sessionable stout. And no, I'm not lumping Guinness into the equation. Wow. I'm intrigued. I usually like my stouts to be bigger and higher ABV. Let's see how Blue Bridge (Coronado Bridge is blue btw) pans out.

Blue Bridge pours out pitch black but looks somewhat thinner. Of course, this being a 5.4% beer that's not too surprising. There's a 2 finger white bordering on off white, head that doesn't stick around for too long. Once it recedes back into the beer there isn't a whole lot of lacing. Maybe a slight soapiness being left behind on the glass but it's fairly negligible.

The nose on this beer is fairly nice. A really nice coffee roast coming through immediately followed by a vanilla-like sweetness. Smells a bit like a good cup of coffee you'd have in the morning after adding a little bit of a vanilla creamer. I'm getting a nice toffee character coming through, maybe even a bit of a roasted nut. It's not an almond character. Sort of reminds me of a honey roasted peanut. It's really the only thing I can compare it to. It's somewhat faint and definitely not the first thing I'm getting. It's a good smelling beer with nothing too over powering, nothing in particular standing out more so than anything else.

The taste on this is... it's OK. Right away you get that coffee roast. It reminds me a bit of a weaker coffee, maybe something instant? I'm not a coffee snob but this coffee is fairly sub par. Middle of the mouth there's a slight bitterness, possibly from the hops, possibly from that coffee. There's a subtle sweetness but it's nothing to write home about. Back of the mouth I get a lot of a roasted coffee character. Maybe a roasted espresso bean and some very dark chocolate. More roasted espresso than chocolate for sure. The mouth feel on this beer is very thin. Again, 5.4% that isn't a surprise at all.

Overall, the Blue Bride Coffee Stout by Coronado Brewing is underwhelming. While the nose is very pleasant the taste on the beer is just average at best. I'd have liked to see this ramped up a bit, maybe with more coffee or more of a stout character. Honestly, this beer reminds me much more of a porter than it does a stout. I tend to drink the heavier stouts so my opinion on this beer could be a bit skewed. I'd recommend it for someone looking to get into the style or someone looking to avoid the imperial stouts.

Rating: C

Wife liked the after taste but didn't think the beer was anything special. I guess it tasted like beer...

Lagunitas Brewing - Cappuccino Stout

Do you like coffee? Yes? Do you like HARD CORE COFFEE?!?!

I don't know where I was going with that, but if you also answered yes with some kind of enthusiasm, hell, ANY kind of enthusiasm, you might be interested in my beer of choice tonight. Tonight, I'm drinking the winter seasonal from Lagunitas Brewing Co, Cappuccino Stout. This is a 9.2% stout brewed with coffee. 

Big surprise, I know. Coffee in a stout? That's something completely wild and crazy! It's never been done before in history! Obviously, unless you just discovered beer you know that's a complete false statement. 

So without anymore useless filler, without anymore random ramblings, without any... ok, enough bullshit.

Cappuccino Stout pours out pretty dark. It's a stout so there's not really a shock there, I know. There might be the slightest hue of mahogany at the bottom of the glass but I think that's more attributed to my shitty lighting here at my desk. There was about a finger to just over a finger of a somewhat thin off white head. It faded away pretty quickly leaving behind a soapy lacing that's fairly sticky. 

The nose on this beer is somewhat interesting. I'm not getting a ton of coffee on this beer. It's a bit subtle. Definitely not in your face like some of the other beers I've reviewed in the last couple months. I'm getting a bit of a bitterness coming through. It's definitely reminding me of used coffee grounds. I do get a little chocolate coming through but it's more of a sweet chocolate. There's also a biscotti like smell coming out. It's very much like almonds actually.

Taste wise, right away you get bitter coffee. It has a bit of bite to it. That's immediately followed by what I'd describe as a coffee bean character. Maybe even a chocolate covered espresso bean. It's somewhat sweet but has that hidden bitterness that comes up and bites you right away. Middle of the mouth I'm getting even more bitter coffee. Slightly burned, slightly like an espresso. It's bitter and black. Back end of this beer I'm getting that hint of alcohol coming through accompanied by a chocolate sweetness. As that fades I get that biscotti character I smelled on the nose. Very nutty. If you can get past the bitterness of the HARD CORE COFFEE, you'll probably dig it too.

Overall, I think this is another solid offering from Lagunitas. For the price, I don't know if you can beat them. I think I paid $5 for this beer. I don't think I've ever paid much more for one of their bombers. Great beers and great prices are always a good thing. Cappuccino Stout reminds me a lot of my morning coffee with the occasional biscotti to go with it. In fact, I sort of wish I had one to go with this beer. 

Rating: B

Solid B from me. This is good. It's different. It's not an Imperial Stout but it's good. Try it. You should like it.

Wife doesn't understand why people would ruin coffee, or in this case, HARD CORE COFFEE, with beer. Figures....

Sierra Nevada - Ovila Quad with Plums

What's up everybody? Felt like doing a little late night review and remembered that I had the latest beer from Sierra Nevada in my fridge!

That's right, I got a bottle of their latest Ovila release which they're calling belgian style abbey quad that they've brewed with plums. 

I'm sure you've heard the story about how Sierra Nevada went about getting the Plums for this beer so I'm going to spare you from the summary. It's a cool story and if you haven't heard about it I'd suggest looking it up or simply clicking here. Honestly, most everything Sierra Nevada does is awesome both within their beers and just in how they operate. 

The best thing I can tell you before I even remove the cage and cork is that this beer was only $3.99 at my local liquor store. This is a 10.2% beer and it was $4. I like that ratio for sure. It's a fairly small bottle and is only 12.7oz but for the price and abv I think it's a steal. 

Enough intro though. Let's get this Ovila poured! 

Ovila pours out a really nice dark purple color. It's pretty clear actually when held up to the light. You get some really nice dark ruby and more purple shades even some mahogany. This actually looks a lot like a plum. Same dark color with the red shades coming through in the skin. Ovila left a good 2 finger head that stuck around for a while leaving a semi decent lacing. Nothing too sticky, almost looks a bit soapy. 

The nose on Ovila is pretty nice actually. I get a BIG hit of Plums right away. I'm getting quite a bit of alcohol on the nose too, almost a lot like a red wine. Of course there's some big Belgian yeast characters shining through. Lots of a bread characteristics. Not like white bread but almost like a sweet roll or pastry kind of sweetness. A lot of sugar shining through as well. I'm getting a bit of raisins coming through perhaps even some red grapes. This smells really nice but most noticeably, I'm really happy to get such a big hit of Plum right away.

I figured I've stuck my nose in this thing enough. Time to get to drinking! 

The first thing I taste is raisin. Now, I know raisins are big in Quads but I also know I hate raisins. This is pleasant though. It's very sweet. Nice and sugary. Middle of the mouth I'm getting those plums. It's incredibly subtle but they are there. Giving off that little bit of sour from the inside but also a slight bit of bitterness from what I could only guess would be the skin of the plum. It's very enjoyable. That's immediately followed by that belgian yeast character, the typical bread characters you'd get from a Quad. It's not bad though. Not overpowering.

As I finish this and the flavors sort of linger I get a ton of plum. Honestly, after drinking this I feel like I've eaten a plum within the last hour. It's very pleasant. It's sweet and actually a bit refreshing. 

I'll be honest, I'm really not a fan of the Belgian style. In fact, this would be the 3rd Belgian beer that I've honestly enjoyed. I think this is definitely a fantastic beer. I'd buy it again and probably will next time I stop by the liquor store. I didn't get a ton of the typical dark fruits you'd get in a Quad. I got a bit of raisin and of course, the Plums, which I'm sure Sierra Nevada was going for... since they brewed it with Plums! 

Rating: B+/A-

I could see this being a gateway Quad for someone like me who doesn't necessarily like the style. In my case, I've somewhat avoided the style because I tend to find the Belgian style a bit overpowering. This is a really solid offering from Sierra Nevada (they're incredible!) and ultimately may lead me to more beers that I've overlooked for the most part.

Anyway, wife said this tasted like someone poured red wine into my beer... so again, I don't think she hated it! It's a start! 

Port Brewing - Board Meeting Brown Ale

Hey gang. I know, Sundays are brutal. In fact, they tend to suck. You're thinking about work which is no doubt going to suck in the morning. It's another 5 days until the weekend which means 5 days of bullshit and pretending to give a damn.

I usually feel your pain. But hey, I'm off until Wednesday so I get to have a bit of fun tonight. I figure, why not drink something new and post a blog for some fun? It's a win win for all of us!

Tonight I'm drinking the latest bottle release from Port Brewing. I'm drinking Board Meeting Brown Ale.This is the newest addition to the year round lineup Port Brewing/Lost Abbey offers. The first addition to their year round lineup in 2 years.

This is an 8.5% abv Imperial Brown Ale that is brewed with coffee and cocoa nibs. The bottle says Brown Ale but their site says Imperial. I don't know either way. It sounds good and I'm ready to give this a go.

Board Meeting pours out pitch black with no light coming through whatsoever. There is a foamy 3 fingers of a khaki head that is sticking around for quite a bit. I'll be honest, this looks like a lot like a porter or even a lighter stout. As the head makes it's exit we're left with a very sticky lacing. This beer looks delicious and definitely different than most brown ales I've had in the past.

The nose on this beer is fantastic. BIG coffee notes. Coffee dominates the nose for sure. I'm getting a bit of milk chocolate coming through too. Actually smells a bit like chocolate syrup. Very sweet and rich. There's a subtle hint of alcohol coming out as well. But again, as soon as you smell that, you're smacked in the nose by coffee. It wants you to know it's there and it's definitely lingering.

I'm hoping the taste of this beer follows the nose and I'm very happy to say it does. Big coffee once again comes in and hits you instantly. It tastes dark and bitter. Definitely eye opening. Middle of the tongue you get those coca nibs coming in to clean up the mess the coffee left at the front end. It's sweet and creamy. Very enjoyable. Back of the tongue/mouth, you get more cocoa and more coffee although it's much more of a burnt coffee to a burnt espresso taste. Very earthy but not in a bad way at all. You DO taste a bit of alcohol on this one. It's not bad but it's there for sure.

Overall, I think this is a pretty solid beer from Port Brewing. I'm not the biggest fan of their lineup but I definitely am enjoying this one. That being said, I wish this was a little smoother and balanced. The coffee is so dominant that while I did find the cocoa, it was very much hidden by the coffee. I wish the alcohol had been a bit more hidden on the back end. I'd like to try this on tap to see how it compares, maybe even see how this tastes with a little bit of age on it. Nothing crazy but maybe a couple of months would balance it a bit more.

Rating: B bordering on B+

Wife didn't hate it. But it tasted like beer. In fact, she said it tastes like coffee and crappy beer. With a "WHY WOULD YOU RUIN COFFEE LIKE THAT?!?!" thrown in for good measure. I don't think she hated it....

Left Coast Brewing Co - Ale Epeteios

What's up everybody?!? It's Friday, no more work for the week and it's time to get some good drinking in. Decided to hit the local liquor store and pick up a few random beers for review purposes. Came across today's beer and figured, 'why not?'

Tonight I'm drinking Ale Epeteios from Left Coast Brewing in San Clemente, CA. This is a 9.5% Imperial Stout which also happens to be Left Coast's anniversary ale. According to the back of the bottle, Ale Epeteios means Anniversary Ale in Greek. So for the rest of this review, we're going to simply calls this Anniversary ale... or Greek Stout.

I've had a few Left Coast beers over the years and have enjoyed them all quite a bit so I'm genuinely looking forward to this beer.

Enough rambling though, it's time to pour the Greek Stout into a glass.

Greek Stout poured out a really dark black with a khaki, bordering on mocha/brown colored head. There was a 2-3 finger head that stuck around for a little bit but didn't leave much lacing. This beer is completely pitch black. No light coming through whatsoever. This is really what an Imperial Stout should look like. No light. Dark. Evil. Just perfect.

I don't know why I keep looking at it, I'm not going to see anything magically appear so let's get the nose on this beast. This beer smells very rich. A lot of dark chocolate just assaulting the nose....

(for fucks sake, I just spilled a splash of beer on my keyboard...)

Ok, crisis averted. Like I was saying, lots of dark chocolate. Definitely getting some of that alcohol coming through. It's masked well by the chocolate but it's definitely trying to sneak in through a window. The back of the bottle says this should also have coffee. Unfortunately, I'm not catching that on the nose at all. There's a nice chocolate cake kind of smell coming through as well. Reminds me a lot of a birthday cake from my childhood. Maybe the slightest, and I mean SLIGHTEST hint of coffee there but it's really hidden.

Greek Stout (as I've dubbed it), doesn't taste Greek at all. BIG Chocolate right away like the nose warned us about. I mean, really big dark chocolate. If I didn't know any better I'd think they melted a couple of Hershey's Special Dark and put them in each bottle. Really nice stuff. Middle of the mouth I'm getting a nice coffee/espresso bitterness. It's quality stuff. Not any bullshit instant shit either. We're talking premium roast. There's a bit of alcohol noticeable in the middle of the mouth as well. Back end there's a ton of espresso/coffee bitterness. Very earthy. I'm also getting a tobacco flavor that I haven't really experienced since my smoking days. I really enjoy it.

This beer is smooth, creamy and really solid. Honestly, you can't go wrong with much from Left Coast. Their beers are very affordable. I think I paid $5-$6 for this one and I'd happily pay $8 maybe even $9 for it.

Rating: A

Wife picked up some solid chocolate notes but a bit of alcohol as well. It tasted like beer for sure.

Green Flash - West Coast IPA

Hey everyone, thought I forgot about you? No way! I couldn't quit you... like every other blog I've started. Nope, not you. Having a little night cap and figured why not post up a review? A brilliant idea, I know!

Tonight I'm drinking Green Flash West Coast IPA. In other words, I'm drinking the flagship beer of one of the best San Diego breweries. This also happens to be the IPA that got me into the world of IPA. Yeah, I didn't start with some half-assed IPA, no sir, I jumped head first into IPA.

West Coast IPA comes in at 7.3% abv and according to the bottle is "extravagantly hopped". I think that means it's about 90-95 IBU. It's not just super hoppy, it's EXTRAVAGANTLY hoppy!!

Ok, enough bullshit.

West Coast pours out a beautiful golden color, bordering on a copper/rust orange. There was about a finger and a half to two fingers of white fluffy head that vanished fairly quickly, leaving behind a sticky webbed lacing. It's pretty much see through albeit slightly hazy. It's not preventing me from seeing my hand through the glass or the various things on my desk.

The nose on this beer is incredible. Tons of grapefruit and citrus fruits. Lots of that resinous pine and hoppy earth notes that you'd hope to find in an IPA. If an IPA lacks these qualities it's probably just a pale ale trying to puff it's chest out and hang with the big boys. I'm also getting a bit of an orange peel quality as well. Citrus tends to blend together a bit but the usual suspects of grapefruit and orange are here for sure. 

The taste on this beer is what an IPA should taste like. Right away you get that typical west coast hopped goodness. The IBU's sort of show up on your door step and just punch you square in the face, take your wallet, and walk away. Middle of the mouth you get a ton of grapefruit followed by a lot of orange zest/peel. It's like they're holding hands and skipping across the tongue. Have no fear though, they're being chased by the hop monster and it's leaving behind all sorts of good hoppy bitterness. West Coast finishes nice and dry and leaves behind a little more bitterness for your taste buds. Who doesn't like a little bit of cab fair after a nice evening out? I mean.... shit. Getting carried away here.

Overall, West Coast IPA is just a classic version of an IPA. It's not re-writing the book on IPA because it IS the book of IPA. I'll be completely honest for a moment. All bullshitting aside, if you've never had Pliny the Elder but you can easily get West Coast IPA and have made the right decision to buy and drink it, you're not missing anything. West Coast IPA should be the definition of a what an IPA is. If you can get this, do it. Don't ask questions. Don't second guess yourself. Just buy the beer. It's so worth it.

Rating: A+

And yes the wife simply says that West Coast IPA, tastes like beer.