Great winter seasonal ales

I know most folks have their favorite beers. For me, favorites tend to change with the seasons. Now deeply in winter, I love the winter seasonal selections. Here is a list of a few of my most recent favorites:

Double Dog Double Pale Ale isn't a "seasonal" but it is a great beer to drink on cold dark winter days. Brewed by Flying Dog, this beer is big, coming in at 11.5% ABV and 85 IBUs. Most of the double IPAs and Pale Ales I have tried come in very sweet and leave an almost sticky aftertaste, but Double Dog doesn't. Its a pleasure to drink. Sadly, Flying Dog's winter seasonal K-9 Crusier isn't in any of my local stores, but I love all of their other beers, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will show up.

Jubelale is a winter seasonal from Deschutes, and comes in at 6.7% avb with 60 IBUs. A little sweet and nicely balanced with hops, its described as being "brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to excite your taste buds— it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season." This is one of those ales that I really look forward to each winter.

Full Moon Winter Ale is a new one for me. I just recently pick up a six pack and gotta say "It's GOOD!" Brewed by Blue Moon as their winter seasonal, its dark, a tiny bit sweet, and nicely malty without being too much of anything.

Bourbon County Stout

Goose Island made a beer for their 1000th batch in the original brewery. (read synopsis below)
it's big. huge, massive, the strange thing is the bottle says 13% ABV but the website lists it at 11. very strange there.
first thing that hits you is the lack of carbonation, I'm guessing these guys in Chicago haven't got the experience with the high alcohol beers or the bottle I got was off. none, had to shake the glass just to get foam. this actually detracts from the beer for me, if it had even 1.5 volumes it would have improved immensely.
so maybe I'll have to get a keg of it. :)
then the bourbon smell hits you like a truck. the chocolate and caramel are extremely evident, softer notes like vanilla come through on the backend. this is a sipping beer and it's very very good. I would pair it with a dessert of some kind to compliment it, preferably ice cream or chocolate cake of some kind. unfortunately the bourbon is very overwhelming, and I couldn't pick up any wood flavor even though it's aged in Oak for 100 days. buy one to try it, four might hurt. I'm sure this beer will age well, as it's high alcohol and flavor won't change since there is no carbononation.

"I really wanted to do something special for our 1000th batch at the original brewpub. Goose Island could have thrown a party. But we did something better. We brewed a beer. A really big batch of stout—so big, the malt was coming out of the top of the mash tun. After fermentation, we brought in some bourbon barrels that aged the stout. One hundred days later, Bourbon County Stout was born. A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. It overpowers anything in the room. People have even said it's a great cigar beer. But I have yet to try a cigar that can stand up." Greg Hall, Brewmaster

Here's to the beer sciencetist out there!

I love Beer Science!

Looks like a team of scientists at Harvard University have finally discovered the single gene in yeast that cause flocculation (the ability for yeast cells to clump together, making it easier for the yeast to fall out of solution and creating a brighter beer).

In other news students at Rice University, in Huston TX, are working on engineering a beer that includes resveratrol, the disease-fighting chemical that's been found in red wine. They are genetically engineering yeast that will ferment beer and produce resveratrol at the same time. Yay for healthy beer!

Lastly, have any of you seen this? It appears that a company hired Jessica Simpson to advertise a beer that is "brewed with Vitamin Water". HUH? There are already a lot of vitamins in beer...and it may just be me, but I'm not going to buy a beer "just 'cause Jessica says so."

[Press Release] Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss Returns

Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss Returns

(November 6, 2008 - Bend, OR) If you didn't learn your lesson last year, here's an insider's tip for you - Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss is coming, and it won't be on shelves for long!

Beer enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting the third release of Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss, and this year their dreams will come true on November 17th, two months earlier than last year's release date.

This exceptionally popular imperial stout, aged in French oak and bourbon barrels, has immense depth with its rich and complex flavors. True to its name, subtle notes of coffee, chocolate, molasses and licorice pull you in deeper and deeper.

The Abyss was first released in December of 2006, and last year's version was so popular it disappeared from store shelves before most people had a chance to experience the unfathomable draw of this brew, selling out in a matter of days.

"The anticipation and excitement leading up to the release of The Abyss has been phenomenal and has grown every year since its initial release," says Deschutes Brewery's Jason Randles. "Beer lovers just can't get enough of this stuff. Some stores have even been forced to set limits on the number of bottles customers can buy."

Deschutes continues to offer small batches of innovative beers in the Reserve Series, like The Dissident and Black Butte XX, with a second release of Mirror Mirror kicking off the 2009 lineup early in the year.

All Reserve Series beers, including The Abyss, are available in wax-dipped 22-ounce bottles with a suggested retail price of $10. The Abyss will also be available on draft at a few select establishments.

11.0% Alcohol by Volume (ABV)

56 International Bitterness Units (IBU)

Cellaring and Tasting Notes:

• Store at 45 degrees in a dark place, keeping a constant temperature is key to proper cellaring.
• Drink within 5 years.
• Best served at 50-55 degrees (not quite room temperature).
• Very complex with high viscosity and multiple layers of flavor.
  

About Deschutes Brewery:
Overlooking the wild and scenic Deschutes River in Central Oregon, Deschutes Brewery has brewed exceptional handcrafted ales since 1988. Starting as a small brew pub serving locals their favorite beers in downtown Bend, Deschutes now sells beer across the western U.S. and has a second pub in Portland, Oregon. Over the years, Deschutes has maintained its commitment to innovation and exceptional quality with flagship beers such as Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter, as well as new additions like The Abyss and Hop Trip. For more information about Deschutes Brewery and its award winning beers please visit www.deschutesbrewery.com.

Bear Creek Beers

Bear Creek Beers, located in downtown Medford Oregon is our area's newest specialty beer store. Even though the business is only just opened its doors I have to say that I am excited. With plenty of room to grow they already stock some very hard to find beers as well as many high quality domestic craft brews. I was very pleased to see Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder in stock as well as several Dogfish head brews. Their selection of Belgian style ales is outstanding. The folks working there are all very knowledgable about the beers offered as well as willing to take suggestions on brands they should be stocking.

The Rogue Valley Homebrewers club met there last week for a German Beer Tasting and we were not let down. I am planning on making it to all the tastings (Bear Creek Beers is going to try and host one per month) and I'll keep you updated as we go!

Not exactly Beer...Zima production ending.

Just read a press release that says MillerCoors is end production of Zima as of Oct 10th and expects availability though Dec. I know its not exactly beer, nor is it likely to be sad news to most of our readers, but Zima was one of the orignal "malterative" drinks out there. Every time I go the the store to pick up some beer I see the cooler sectioned out into Macrobrews, Mircobrews, and "malterative". If Zima production is being stopped due to declining consumer interest (as cited in the MillerCoors press release), I have to wonder how well all the others are selling.

October Tastings

After Ismail offered to let us try the Sublimation from Russian River Brewing, I stopped past Johns Marketplace for some complimentary beers. Damnation also from Russian River was a given that we must try it.
Jed, Ish, BC, Shannon, Theresa, Jessie and I began with what I figured would be the lightest body beer, the 08.08.08 Vertical Epic from Stone Brewing.
everyone agreed there were a lot of fruity esters coming out quite strong, and we were divided over what it closely resembled, most offered "Juicy Fruit" Gum as what the melange came up to be. much different then when it was first released and i tried it, at that point the hops were more evident and strong. those flavors have dissappeared and are now replaced with the fruitiness. high alcohol flavor but not astringint, more like flouride taste. I proposed that was due to the high carbonation level that is evident. I think that pouring into the glass vigorously will be required on the final tasting in 2012. overall it was a very good belgian strong, and only time will tell as to what comes out next.

Brewers Ale 2008 from Rogue Brewing
had to buy this bottle, it's got a dog on the label. :)
good hop aroma for a darker beer, I felt it was too carbonated, and the bitterness is quite strong. roasty hazelnut flavors are very strong. the recommended foods are pig and fire, and I would have to agree. it's not a beer I would drink without dinner.

Damnation by Russian River Brewery
Belgian golden strong. Brilliant. just brilliant. it's so very good. orange peel and coriander are evident in the flavor, crisp and light body made this my favorite for the evening. Vinnie C at Russian River hit it out of the park again here.

Supplication by Russian River Brewery
High Tart, Cherry scent and taste. this is strong with alcohol and cherries, just overwhelming. it's a very strong sour taste, almost vitamin C strong. I definately couldn't take one alone, and even then it's a sipping beer. after 14 months of aging at the brewery I also couldn't afford to drink many of these. :)

Double Dead Guy by Rogue Brewing
this is dead guy, the maibock from Rogue, with double the hops and alcohol. nothing else to say other than they doubled it. quite impressive too considering the double bastard from Stone brewing has a very strong malt character to it that kills the palate, this one manages to balance quite well. I would definately recommend this to anyone that likes dead guy and doesn't have time to drink them quick enough.