Russian River Consecration Batch 001x2 As many of you may have surmised, I love a good sour beer, and I’ve made it pretty clear that I REALLY love the sour beers coming out of Russian River so I thought it would be fun to open an older bottle to get an idea of where it all started. While Consecration wasn’t the first sour beer they made, it’s quickly become one of the most popular, and widely available sours that Russian River makes. This bottle is from the original batch and was part of the second bottling date, December 26, 2008, which was 2 days after the first bottling date and uses the same primary and conditioning yeasts which are now quite different from the Consecration we get today. For more information about the variations between batches of Consecration and all the Belgian style ales from Russian River, Click Here. On to the beer, the pour is a nice dark, opaque, burgundy color, hints of brown and garnet when held to the light. There is a bit of tan colored head, very bubbly and light that comes to the top of the beer as it’s poured, but it dissipates very quickly leaving behind a few speckles of film and a nice off white ring around the glass with no additional lacing. The aroma is great, loads of currants jump out of the glass, moderate vinegar and acetic acid with a hint of funk, some vinous wine aromas with some nice sweet oak aromas from the barrel. The fruit is really dominant in the nose, which is great news considering the age of the beer and fruits tendency to fade out of the both the nose and the flavor profile of an older beer. The flavors are a bit harsher, still a strong amount of bitter, tart currants, dark plums and bing cherries are all noticeable fruit flavors. There is more vinegar than the nose suggests, the nice layer of grape-like wine flavors comes out as well but while this beer is certainly sour, it’s definitely more tart than an off putting, mouth puckering sour. The finish is a bit more astringent, sweet yet oak plays with the dirtier red wine-esque flavors, a bit of alcohol warms the throat as it goes down, and the bitter currants make a final appearance. The body is nice and carbonated, very prickly, which doesn’t help the astringent finish to the beer, but at the same time, isn’t overly sharp and abrasive, still retains a nice level of smoothness. Verdict: Fantastic, this beer is aging gracefully, although I would be weary of aging it too much further as the currant flavors could easily drop off leaving behind a bit of a vinegary mess. The fruit flavors are nice and tart and impressively potent which is all one can hope for in an aged beer. If you have the opportunity to try a vintage sour from Russian River, make no mistake, you will be well rewarded. (4.58/5)

Fantôme Saison D’Erezée - Hiver  A nice treat from the Brasserie Fantôme, Hiver, is a winter saison and is brewed with spices, this bottle is from the recent batch in 2011. A mildly aggressive pour yields a very large and billowing stark white head, about 2 and a half fingers high that takes about 4-5 minutes to recede into a nice layer of frothy foam and leaves behind some pretty nice webbed lacing. The color is a nice hazy amber, a bit clearer than I would have anticipated, but still spot on for the style, lots of bubbles rising to the top but no signs of any floating sediment. The aroma is very pleasant, ample barnyard funkiness, lemon zest, coriander, allspice come to mind. Some lighter floral elements appear, a bit of grassiness and perhaps some tart green apples all play together with the spicing making this a pretty complex nose, I definitely had to stick my face in the glass a few times to really get everything that was going on and it seemed with each whiff of the beer, something new popped out. The flavors are a bit more muted, nice yeast character, and the spices are definitely there, certainly coriander, allspice with a fair amount of grain that isn’t really in the nose, a bit of the funkiness comes through in the flavors, but almost all of the floral and tart fruit elements are gone. A nice dry finish highlights the spicing and yeast. The body, nice and full with moderate to higher carbonation for a saison is really nice and coats the mouth and tongue well. Verdict: Delicious saison from Fantôme. The flavors were a bit more muted than the nose led on, but this is a great saison for any Belgian lover, it gets a bit more interesting and spice heavy as it warms up making for one fine beer. (4.18/5)

New Belgium Lips of Faith: Tart Lychee One of the newest installments of the Lips of Faith series, Tart Lychee is 56% ale aged in oak and 44% ale brewed with Lychee and cinnamon. I’ve been a big fan of the Lips of Faith series and their sour selections have been quite good thus far, so my hopes are fairly high for this, not to mention I love the lychee fruit. The pour is a nice hazy golden straw color with hints of orange and lighter yellows when held to the light. A nice stark white head sits atop the beer, about 2 fingers or so with a moderately aggressive pour, lovely webs of lacing are left behind despite the lack of head retention. The aroma is somewhat tame, a lot of funky brett in the nose, some straw and pale malts with some nice sweetness from the fruit, some what sugary, missing the cinnamon unfortunately, but the nose is still nice and light, very inviting. The flavors follow the nose nicely, the brett and funk character is quick to greet the tongue followed by an impressive amount of the lychee fruit, especially as it warms. Still missing the cinnamon but the sweetness from the fruit is plenty for me that I fear the cinnamon flavors would be a bit too much, but the level of total sweetness the beer has is perfect for me. It’s not sour, but it has a nice tartness to it with just enough carbonation to keep it prickly but still retains a nice smoothness. Verdict: Pleasant sour from New Belgium, it might not be in same category as La Folie or Le Terroir, but it works really well. I didn’t pick up any cinnamon which is a bit of a bummer as it was a highlighted ingredient but this is certainly one to check out, especially on a nice warm summer night. (4.03/5)

Trappistes Rochefort 10 Back at last after my travels with a classic brew I’m sure many of you have tried at least once and if you haven’t, what the hell are you waiting for?! The beer pours a wonderful thick burgundy color, hues of dark browns but also ruby red when placed near the light. The head on this beer is insane, sits about a finger high but sticks around indefinitely and leaves behind some amazing lacing as well. The aromas are amazing, lots of the famed Belgian yeast, cloves, toffee, a bit of caramel, brown sugar, and finished with a big kick of dark fruits, fig, dates, plums and even a bit of cherry. The alcohol is definitely prevalent in the nose, but it doesn’t detract from the beer, even with the heavily sweet aromas. The flavors follow suit very well and are just as complex, the yeast again kicks off the flavors, mild clove, some banana, candied sugar, lots of spice, perhaps cinnamon or allspice, some nutmeg flavors are notable as well. Dark fruits again take over the finish on this beer, plum and prune are big elements, hints of dates play with the spices and yeast so well and are balanced with some rich toffee, caramel and nougat flavors with faint alcohol at the end. The body is so rich and full, coats the mouth so well, goes down so smoothly, about as perfect as it gets. Verdict: One of the classic quads, I like the Westvleteren 12 a bit better, but for a beer I can walk to the store any day of the week and grab for a great price, this can’t be beaten. The flavors are wonderfully complex, each sip yields something new and the smoothness is just delightful, if you haven’t had it yet, you are missing out! (4.50/5)

Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Wookey Jack represents the newest addition of the Proprieter’s Reserve Series for Firestone Walker and their first ever black IPA which includes malted rye and caraway rye. The pour is a lovely jet black color, hints of brown and burgundy when held to the light. A nice big caramel colored head rest atop the beer, very soapy and sticky that yields some fantastic lacing and has pretty decent retention but leaves a nice amount of soapy film behind. The aroma is spot on, dank earthy hops, slight pine, lots of grassiness, almost like pot, just super dank and weedy, bright cuts cuts it well, and is finished with some spice and bitter coffee from the malts and rye. Big hit of bitter hops on the tongue straight away, lots of grassiness and dirtiness, juicy citrus and some sappy pine, nice rye flavors, a bit of unpleasant cola flavors but what really impressed me was a wonderful lingering coffee flavor that sits perfectly on the tongue. The body is spot on, medium carbonation, wonderful smoothness, coats the mouth very well, amply dry but not overpowering.  Verdict: Fantastic Black IPA, especially for being their first widely available beer of this style. The flavors are dank, bitter and balanced well, with a great body which makes for a great drinking experience, this is definitely one of the better black IPAs out there. (4.33/5)

The Alchemist Heady Topper One of the most revered IPAs on the planet, Heady Topper is often compared with the likes of Pliny the Elder and Kern River Citra, so it begs the question, can an east coast IPA stand up with the hop bombs from the west? Rumor has it the brewers are a bit embarrassed about how cloudy and sediment rich the beer is so they suggest drinking it straight from the can, which has sparked the debate of whether it’s better from a glass or from a can, I like to get a good look at what I’m drinking, and the best does get served on tap, so I’ll drink it from a glass, maybe next time I’ll do it from the can. Heady Topper pours a very cloudy honey color, hints of orange and soft brown, lots of sediment floating around the glass, much of it sinks to the bottom, a faint head pops up but doesn’t stick around too long, not much of a residual film and some mild soapy lacing sticks to the glass. The aroma is fantastic, big notes of citrus, heavy on the grapefruit, but with a nice amount of tropical fruits, mango, papayas and pineapple come to mind. A healthy amount of grassy and dirtier pine-like hops come through as well, very bitter that cuts the brightness and sweetness very well, almost no malt presence to speak of, some faint biscuit hides in the shadows of huge hoppy aromas. The flavors are wonderful, huge bright notes of citrusy hops, grapefruit, lemon zest, the tropical sweeter flavors are there, some pineapple and mango, but again, a wonderful bitterness from some dry pine and weedy flavors, just a super dank hop profile. Like the aroma, only the faintest biscuity malt can be detected underneath a potent hop forward palate. Nice full body, coats the mouth really well, goes down super easily, remains wonderfully dry and bitter, keeps you coming back without leaving an unpleasant cotton mouth experience.  Verdict: Sublime IPA, I still like Pliny a bit more, but this is just an incredible beer. I like everything that’s happening here, great hop profile, the flavors are balanced exceptionally well, certainly one of those beers where you suddenly look down and the glass is empty, it’s that good. Cheers to The Alchemist, I will definitely have to get a lot more of this. (4.70/5)

Nørrebros Julebryg This Norwegian winter warmer came to me in a trade and while it’s certainly out of season, I figured it could be a fun change of pace and who doesn’t like trying a new beer? It pours a rich burgundy color, hues of dark amber and maroon, very opaque. A thin bone colored head sits atop the beer, which has fair retention and leaves behind no lacing. Nice aromas, rich malts, lots of dark fruits and spicing, cherries, plums and nutmeg, blended well, certainly smells like a nice holiday dinner. The flavors are welcome with nice spicing, ginger, clove, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg all come to mind. with a very luscious breadiness, almost like a dark rich pound cake, some dark tart fruit, but it really does taste like a spiced bread or cake, very sweet, with some nice savory elements to counter the sweetness. The alcohol is completely hidden in the flavors but does add a nice warming as it goes down. The body is fantastic for the style and compliments the flavors well, big and very full bodied, but also very smooth. Verdict: Very nice winter warmer, the flavors are spot on for the holidays and it has a nice, albiet weak aroma. I wil definitely keep my eyes out for this one come next holiday season. (3.88/5)

Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse You may have noticed I enjoy a good sour beer from time to time and one of the more underrepresented styles of sour beer, is the Berliner Weisse. Many times these are subject to limited releases or seasonal rotations but this is one that is year round, from Germany, and really darn good. This beer was created by Dr. Fritz Briem of the Doemen’s Institute and is brewed in collaboration with Weihenstephaner. It pours a soft hazy golden straw color, a small amount of sediment sits in the glass with a nice amount of bubbles rising to the top. A bubbly white head appears with an aggressive pour, almost a finger, but vanishes almost instantaneously leaving behind no trace of its existence and no lacing. The aroma is nice, the grains are very apparent, tart apples, some funky yeast and a nice amount of lemon and clove come through, but all in all it’s a simple aroma, but spot on for this style. The flavors follow very well, acidic lemon jumps out, but is cut well by some grains and funky yeast flavors, some mild banana pops out as well. The flavors are simple, tart, mildly acidic, but just the way I want them, not too heavy, not too light and not too sharp. The body is nice, very effervescent, quite dry and leaves a bit of a cottonmouth. Verdict: Light, simple, sour, excellent Berliner Wiesse, and one I can find almost anywhere. At nearly 5% ABV, it could actually be called an Imperial Berliner Weisse as most beers in this style hang around the 2 to 3% mark. (4.00/5)

New Glarus Cran-Bic Ale This is a really fun beer, made using the traditional Lambic techniques refined in Belgium, it is exposed to natural and wild yeasts and is stored in oak barrels outdoors for 5 months absorbing all of the goodies in the air, making this beer uniquely Wisconsin, and in that unique to New Glarus, Wisconsin. Added to the mix is a high volume of Wisconsin cranberries to add in a nice sweet, yet tart layer of complexity. The beer has a nice clear honey color, hints of orange and in a weird way, neon pink, with lots of bubbles rising to the glass, very effervescent. A thin wispy white head sits atop the beer for mere moments before receding, leaving behind a thin trace of film. Tart cranberries leap out of the glass, very tart, possibly with some spicing, the funk is somewhat mild but still a nice addition, the aroma reminds me of a nice cranberry sauce during the holidays. The flavors a bit sweeter, much more sugary, but the cranberry flavor is in full force and the tartness cuts down on the sugary aspects. Some faint oak, a little yeast, but the is almost like cranberry soda. The body is nice, very light and bubbly, not uncommon for a beer of this style though it compliments the flavors very well, doesn’t get too heavy. Verdict: Really tasty fruit lambic, it’s a bit one dimensional and almost like a fruit soda, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. If you can find this limited release, stock up! (4.08/5)

Russian River Beatification (Batch 005) I was fortunate enough to score a couple of these from the recent release so a big thanks to my cousin Dan for sending these down from NorCal! It’s hard to classify this beer, many consider it an American Wild Ale, many consider it a Gueuze as it is a blend of various young sour beers, however it doesn’t follow the tradition of a 1, 2 and 3 year lambics. Beatification pours a wonderful hazy golden straw color, subtle hues of honey and orange, a thin bubbly white head surfaces, about a finger or so, but dissipates within seconds leaving a vapid layer of film atop the beer. The aroma is fantastic, pungent barnyard funk, wild yeast, sour fruits, acidic citrus, very tropical. It does smell very reminiscent of a gueuze, but so juicy and fruity, not dry at all, I was expecting to have some champagne like dry apples and butter in the nose, but was greeted with some wonderful wet, juicy sour fruit, I could keep my nose in the glass all night. The flavors are just as rewarding, it starts with some wonderful fruit flavors such as pineapple, mango, or papaya, but moves towards some bright citrus, hints of grapefruit, but very lemon heavy. The yeasty funk is less apparent in the flavors, but it does add a nice subtle layer of complexity to the fruitiness and doesn’t leave behind any unpleasant aftertastes or dryness. The body is nice, the carbonation is actually very mild, but the acidity and sour profile gives it a feeling as if it were carbonated at higher levels. Verdict: My words don’t do this beer justice, it’s truly unbelievable and the hype and hysteria is most certainly deserved. This is quite possibly Russian River’s best sour offering and with an already impressive lineup of sour beer, it really is saying something. Whether you call it a Gueuze or an American Wild Ale, this is a must try at all costs for any sour lover. (4.80/5)