365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
Day #558 Cockeyed Cooper / Uinta Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, UT
Previously from this brewery: HooDoo kolsch, more HooDoo kolsch, and another Cockeyed Cooper
Did you win a trophy today? I'm not saying I did, but this thing seems to be sitting in my house:
SHAZAM, YO.
Spent the afternoon with the wonderful and dedicated people of the Red Cross, and now I'm sitting here trying to get some thoughts together for a post so I can get some sleep. Would love to watch the NBA Finals game tonight, as there's nothing more exciting than a game seven, but that would put me up waaay past my bed time. I'm playing basketball tomorrow at 6:30am, so something tells me sleep will be more valuable than watching a game I only have a marginal rooting interest in.
Your beer tonight is a bottle of Cockeyed Cooper, a bourbon barrel aged barley wine from Uinta Brewing. Yes, this isn't a typical summer beer, but I'm making an effort to try and clean up some of the beers that have been lingering in the fridge. This one pours a dark mahogany with a thin tan head, and the aroma is a welcome mix of bourbon and vanilla. The taste is a heady mix of leather, spice, caramel, and oak. Complex and delicious, this beer improved as it warmed. Excellent beer.
Ahoy.
This beer is from Uinta's Crooked Line, a series of adventurous, out of the ordinary beers.
Thing to Think About Today:
Courtesy of winning an award today, I desperately wanted to play the clip from Revenge of the Nerds where Ogre drinks out of a giant trophy and spews beer on the audience of the Greek Games. Yeah, except for the fact Youtube doesn't let that video show up through blogger.com. Pain in my ass.
So instead of a tie in to trophies, I will instead give you something blood drive related. Say for example, Sunday Bloody Sunday. Hey... that's sort of related. I guess. Go with it.....
I'm clearly cleaning out the beer lurking in the back of the fridge because nothing says beautiful June day like a bourbon barrel aged barley wine.
This one is the Cockeyed Cooper bourbon barrel barley wine ale from Uinta Brewing'sCrooked Line Series. For the entirety of year one of this blog, when we were only drinking one beer from each brewery, Uinta messed with me during every trip to stock up on beer. Why? Because their labels are mysteriously wildly different from each other. Southern Tier? Has a look. Stoudts? Has a look. Uinta? Different. Every. Single. Time.
Barley wine ale can vary widely in tasting notes; however, it will always have a high ABV. It's typically lively and fruity, sometimes sweet or bittersweet. They can be challenging. Aromas range from intense fruits to intense hops. Body is usually thick and flavors can range from dominant fruits to big, resiny hops.
How did Cockeyed Cooper stack up? I'll admit it isn't the best barley wine I've ever had. It is billed on the bottle's label as having tastes of bourbon with splashes of vanilla and chocolate and dried fruits plus generous amounts of hops and malts.
It poured a murky, red-tinged dark brown ale with a full tan head. It left lots of sticky lacing in the glass. It smells of red currants and vanilla. There's a very thick mouthfeel to it. The first thing I noticed is the very hoppy finish, which is indicative of American style barley wine ales. I'm learning that I prefer non-American where you get more of a balance between the hops and malts. The flavor also produced some bitter chocolate and oaky notes. As it warmed up some it also had more sweet chocolate and cherry. It was also very boozy. While all this sounds very nice and tasty, the entire time I was drinking it, I kept thinking it was missing something. Maybe it was the big hop finish throwing me off...I'm not sure.
Will this cause me to avoid trying other Uinta beers? Doubtful. Beer stats
Style: Barley wine ale
ABV: 11.1%
IBUs: 65
Rating: Average
Previously reviewed from Uinta
We're going in the "Way Back Machine" to Gary's 110th post for a review of HooDookolsch.
I reviewed the same beer on day 105 with some recollections of attempting to create some DJ effects on my Dad's very expensive stereo turntable. Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for not killing me!
Day #377 Hog Heaven / Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO
Previously from this brewery: The Maharaja, White Rascal
It gives me great pleasure to report that I am done working for the year. Well, technically I'm in the office on New Year's Eve, but that's more of a social call than anything. Feels nice, as I haven't had time off at year end in a number of years. I will use some of the down time to keep working through my awards list for the year. Beer of the year, brewery of the year.... all the heavy hitters still to come.
So far, the Mayans seemed to have missed on the apocalypse thing (although the night is young - they didn't pick an hour), much to no one's surprise. However, on the odd chance that this was the end of the road, I was preparing myself by getting closer to heaven. No, not the mythological awesome place in the sky - a bottle of Hog Heaven from Avery Brewing. This barley wine is a bright, dark amber color (apologies for the bright/dark paradox there), almost like the color of tea. The picture below doesn't do this beer justice, so I apologize for that. The aroma is light, with plenty of hops and citrus. The taste is dry, with pine, tons of caramel, and a honey sweetness. More hops than your typical barley wine, which is just fine in my book. The beer got better as it warmed a bit in my glass, but regardless of the temperature it was straight up delicious. I mentioned when I reviewed The Maharaja that I intended to add more Avery to my line-up, and Hog Heaven definitely reinforces that opinion. Find it and drink it, you won't be disappointed.
Hog wild!
This brewery started brewing in 1993, and their increasing popularity has led to a number of expansions since then. Of particularly interest to me, Avery has been barrel aging beers since 2003.
Thing to Think About Today:
If I think about Hog Heaven... then clearly I'm thinking about Pigs In Space, an always classic skit on The Muppet Show. You can never have too much Muppet Show, quite frankly. And to tie up everything today with a nice, neat bow? This episode is about.... the end of the universe! Oh, you silly Mayans. Better luck next time, fellows.
I suppose on a beautiful fall Sunday during which I ended up working all day, it's perfectly fitting to end it with a beer that kind of sucks.
The Nils Oscar Company's Swedish barleywine style ale is brewed in Sweden. At 10.4% ABV and in a style that I generally enjoy, I had high hopes for this one. No such luck. It poured a clear, reddish brown ale with a minimal tan head. It smelled sweet like rum raisin bread.
Then it went totally south. The flavor was very smokey. The taste was overwhelmingly booze-laden. Surprisingly so. As a point of reference, I had more than a few sips of Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout on Friday night and the 18% ABV was smooth and well disguised. So it is possible to have a high ABV that isn't so assertive. Back to Nils Oscar...other notable flavors included molasses and caramel, but there was also an underlying acidity. To top it all off, as I got to the halfway point and it began to warm a bit, a weird chalkiness became more apparent.
Beer #293 Nils Oscar Barleywine / The Nils Oscar Company, Nyköping, Sweden
I had the pleasure of working from home two days this week courtesy of my cold, but unfortunately being sick caused me to not be as productive as I would have liked, so today was a busy day in the office, followed by a very good post-work happy hour, and then a very good dinner at Bluefin to unwind. I would be remiss if I did not share the fact that we saw a guy there on a "date" with a prostitute. Oh, it wasn't just a woman in a low-cut tight outfit (although that's what she had on); they clearly gave off the vibe of two strangers who were exchanging money for sex. But why go to dinner? Trying to impress her with..... your fondness for good sushi? Strange days indeed, people. At least we've finally reached the weekend! Although I'll be in the office on Sunday trying to catch up on what I missed courtesy of "working" from home this week. Can't win them all.
Tonight's beer is a barley wine from Nils Oscar, a brewery in Sweden - yes, another beer from Sweden. This beer has a clear amber color with wispy white head. The aroma is of stone fruits, and the taste is mellow, with notes of honey and raisins and a clean finish. This barley wine isn't terribly complex, but by the same token it isn't terrible. Just not as good as it could have been. In my mind, barley wines are made for cool nights sitting outside, and for my hard earned dollar (in the office this Sunday!), there are better barley wines to be found.
Swedish.......
This brewery is named for the grandfather of the founder of this brewery; Mr. Oscar lived in the United States for a number of years and studied in Chicago before returning back to Sweden to run his family's farm in the late 1800's. Now you know!
Thing to Think About Today:
So, ABBA, Roxette.... I guess the third most popular band from Sweden might be Ace of Base? Might be, and that would be a good pick, but I'm going to surprise everyone here and drop The Cardigans on you! Yes, they're Swedish. And, for further surprise purposes, I won't even drop their mega-hit song Love Fool, I'm going with My Favourite Game, a much rougher and dare I say sexier sound than what you expected from a band who put out Love Fool to the world. Weekend, here we come!
I'm taking a brief break from a whirlwind of activity trying to get out of dodge to tell you about Vermont's Rock Art Brewery and their barley wine ale.
The Ridge Runner has an ABV of 7.5%. It poured a lovely mahogany color with a small, pale tan head that disappeared fairly quickly. It left an edge of thin head in the glass. The smell is rich...full of dark fruit and syrup. It drinks with a thin feel and I was surprised by the amount of hop in it. I also expected a much denser brew considering it was a barley wine, but I'm pleasantly surprised by it. There is some caramel to the flavor and it's a nice well balanced beer.
Beer #284 Ridge Runner / Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville, VT
I'm writing this in the middle of making dinner on the grill; might as well enjoy this sensational weather while we can, right? Nothing too fancy, just some burgers and sweet potatoes on the grill, along with a beer. Nothing beats fall weather, my friends. Nothing.
Oh, a beer you say? We'll keep with the autumn evening theme and drink a Ridge Runner, a barley wine from Rock Art Brewery in Vermont. This beer has a dark mahogany color with virtually no head. Your nose picks up aromas of figs and raisins, and the taste is full of malt and stone fruits, with some sweetness and hints of leather, with a very crisp finish. This is a little thinner than your average barley wine, but it doesn't detract from the flavor. It clocks a 7.5% ABV, making it one of the more drinkable barley wines out there in the marketplace.
ROCK!
Admittedly, I assumed this brewery was from the Southwest when I picked up the bottle, due to the Kokopelli character front and center on the label. However, the name and image are an homage to the scenery the brewery owners would see on hikes in the Colorado desert. Hey, whatever inspires people to make good beer works just fine in my book.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of Rock Art, I present for your consideration some Smashing Pumpkins and the always wonderful Cherub Rock, a song that never fails to make me think of college. We'll go with an acoustic version, to keep it super grunge-y.
Beer #106 Heavy Seas Barleywine / Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore MD
Good productive Sunday - made my wife breakfast, wrestled with the dog to give him his eye drops, went to the gym, and hit the grocery store. Need to pause here for a second, as I saw the cops take a guy out of Wegmans in handcuffs, which I found both sad and hilarious. Shoplifting? Stolen credit card? Can't say, but he got a free perp walk through the front of the store. That guy definitely isn't enjoying the rest of this sunny Sunday afternoon, like I am. Dinner is in the oven, and at long last a beer is in my glass.
Tonight Marci and I are both drinking the Heavy Seas Barleywine from Clipper City. This one is part of their Mutiny Fleet, a series of limited edition releases. It pours a dark
mahogany with ruby hues and a sparse tan head. Your nose picks up aromas of rich malts and.... maybe leather? The taste gives off notes of toffee, raisins, candi sugar, and roasted malt with a buttery sort of undertone. It checks in at 10% ABV which is definitely
noticeable. Solid beer, and I would definitely like to see how this beer changes with aging in the cellar (we had the 2011 vintage).
Ahoy!
Thing to Think About Today:
Finally, after 105 days and with a Baltimore beer up to bat, it's time for you think about the GREATEST television program in the HISTORY of television: The Wire. That isn't hyperbole or a random adjective here; this show is by far and away the best programming I've ever seen in my life. Marci and I have both sprinkled in some Wire quotes here and there, but now is the time we think about it in earnest.
Created by David Simon and Ed Burns and shown on HBO from '02 - '08, The Wire showed life in Baltimore from many perspectives, focusing on one main theme each season (the drug trade, the docks, the police/City Hall, the schools, and the print media). The writers/creators had an amazing ability to make every character both loveable and deplorable, often at the same time. Good guys did bad things, bad guys did good things, friends became enemies, enemies.... well they formed a co-op but mostly stayed enemies. Characters were woven in and out across the seasons, and you saw them evolve (or not) over time while life around them largely stayed the same due to the dysfunctional systems of local politics and street life. With a few exceptions, most of the actors were relative unknowns, but were near flawless in their character portrayals.
You are doing yourself a terrible disservice by not watching the show. Fix that by adding it to your Netflix queue, and see what all of the fuss is about. You'll be glad you did. Check this NSFW clip for a too-quick look at what you're missing:
On my way home today I decided to treat myself to a manicure. My new go to place gets major bonus points because their manicures include a back rub while your nails are drying. For a back rub fiend like myself, this is major. So there I sat this afternoon, nails freshly polished, enjoying my back rub when the clasp on my bra pops open. All I could think is, “Isn’t this how some porn movies start?” Key piece of information, the manicurist was a dude. Alas I did not find out if this was the nail salon that provided happy endings. I just pretended to sneeze and then developed some really bad posture.
***
To ease my awkwardness, I’m breaking open a barleywine style ale from Clipper City Brewing Company. The Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Below Decks is from the 2011 mutiny collection. Beer from this collection is described as among their biggest and boldest beers, brewed in small batches and designed for aging like a fine wine. Three plus months of aging is all this one got.
Below Decks poured a lovely mahogany color with a tan thin head. A good swirl brought out lots of carbonation and a rich, sweet smell redolent of molasses. It drank with lightness and was full of flavor. It is rich and somewhat buttery with hints of dark fruits. It finishes with some spice and a solid alcohol warmth. Even more intriguing than the straight up Below Decks is that there are versions aged in cabernet barrels or oak bourbon barrels. Perhaps the beer gods will smile on me and send one to Wegman’s for me to discover!
So is the Below Deck the right thing to be drinking on such a fine spring day? Probably not. But this is a very enjoyable beer and I’ll take it when I can get it. That day just so happens to be today.
Beer #96 Harvest Ale / JW Lees Brewery, Middleton, England
It's been a long day in a long week that isn't over yet, so I'm keeping this short and sweet. Tonight's beer is an English barleywine from JW Lees.... and that's about the best thing I can say about this one. I suppose I should say a bit more about it than that. Aged in sherry casks, this beer pours an amber color in the glass, and you're greeted with the aroma of alcohol and sweet honey. There's a malty, smoky taste that just doesn't appeal to me. This beer checks in at 11.5% ABV, and you can tell. Maybe we have a bad bottle, maybe we should have aged it longer, maybe.... this just wasn't a winner. Sorry, folks.
Note to self: I probably don't like sherry
Thing to Think About Today:
Lost in the shuffle of travel this week was our dog, Flash, turning 15 years old on Monday!
The Regal Beagle. But a Dachshund
We got him back in college when he was a pup, and he's been both my best friend and a pain in my ass ever since. This lovable, loyal, stubborn dog merits an entire blog to document his travels and the trouble he's created, not just a footnote in a post. However, we'll leave that for another day. Until then, we'll let this puppet (and sort of Flash-looking dachshund!) wish us all a happy birthday!!
An exceptionally trying week was capped off with an exceptionally trying Friday. What’s the answer to a terrible day like today? Italian beer. Mostly because the shape of the bottle makes me happy.
Tonight’s beer comes to me from Birrificio del Ducato via the Whole Foods in Devon, Pennsylvania. It is their barley wine -- L’Ultima Luna. It is aged for nine months in French oak barrels previously used to age Amarone della Valpolicella -- a wine that is very ripe, full bodied and raisiny. Check out the wikipedia entry on it. Quite interesting.
L’Ultima Luna translates to last moon and was created to celebrate the impending birth of the brew master’s first child. The beer man at Whole Foods said that it was one of his top five all time beer experiences. With that I was intrigued.
I popped the lid off the bottle, turned to throw it away and as I turned back to the bottle, the scent hit me immediately. I was enveloped in an aroma of red wine. The color was a deep, dark, almost muddy brown. As I worked my way to the bottom of the glass, I some ruby highlights became more noticeable.
A good swirl released the scent of milk chocolate and cabernet. Again as I worked my way through the glass, the smell took on the aroma of chocolate chip cookie dough batter. This beer drinks thick and has no carbonation. The flavor carries big, bold cabernet notes. I also got brown sugar, more chocolate and leather. I kid you not. Leather. I didn’t notice any hop characteristics -- just smooth malt goodness.
Would I put this one in my top five beer experiences? No, but I will put it in my top 25.
p.s. If you’re wondering about barleywine, here’s some intelligence. It’s most definitely a beer. In fact, it is a big beer - one of the strongest beer styles out there. They are typically lively and fruity, sometimes sweet, and can be bittersweet. The flavors can run the gamut from intense fruit to intense hops. Luckily I got intense fruit! The body is typically thick and the ABV is evident. They are usually great for cellaring and age quite well like a good wine.
Who knew you would get some knowledge with my usual ramblings! Cheers...
Beer #68 Cereal Killer / Arcadia Ales, Battle Creek, MI
America has a morbid fascination with two things: serial killers and breakfast cereal. Oh sure, I can look up a bunch of stats on the proliferation of crime dramas on tv and the millions of boxes of cereal purchased each year. However, we're in the middle of re-watching The Wire (season 5!), so I'm not going to spend my time looking up those stats. I'll be re-checking in on Marlo's beef with Prop Joe and his efforts to bring Omar out of retirement. You want to talk about serial killers, start with Marlo.
If I must talk about serial killers, then it makes sense one of my beers from last weekend is Cereal Killer from Arcadia Ales, a barleywine ale on tap at Jose Pistola's. It pours a dark brown in the glass (I guess; it was dark in the bar) and has a malty aroma. The taste has flavors of malt and bread with a hint of sweetness, with some toffee hiding in the background. Maybe a hint of chocolate. You can definitely taste the alcohol in this one. A decent beer, but probably not what I was in the mood for, particularly with Mexican food on the way. So, it wasn't the best choice I've ever made, but it's definitely worth a try if you're a barleywine fan. I'd drink another one.
Arcadia seems to be redesigning their website, so not much info there. However, from some other sources, people seem to suggest letting it age for a while. I had it on draft, so no dice there. I'm going to go ahead and assume that the beer name is an homage to Battle Creek, which also serves as home to Kellogg's world headquarters.
Thing to Think About Today:
Count me as someone who finds the psychology of serial killers a very interesting topic. However, it's a bit morbid to think about serial killers, so let's go ahead and think about cereal, shall we? If we're thinking cereal, we're starting and ending the conversation with the best cereal EVER:
Not sure why they only sell this during Halloween season, but rest assured I get multiple boxes each year to satisfy my craving.
BONUS ROUND: Everyone knows Frankenberry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry. But do you know there were two other monster cereals in existence back in the 80's? Fame and fortune to the first person to correctly identify the two other monster cereals which no longer haunt the mornings.
Beer #52 Leviathan Barleywine / Harpoon Brewing Company, Boston, MA
Dear people who say there is no global warming,
I drove home from work today, January 31, with the windows open. On a day in the middle of winter that felt like the middle of spring, the only thing I could do was get some fresh air going and absolutely crank The Rolling Stones on the drive home (went for the first half of the Exile on Main Street album - guaranteed to get the blood pumping). When winter punches us in the face and dumps 36" of snow in one day come late March, I'll remember this day.
Thanks,
Gary
Today's beer from Harpoon was built for a colder day. Drank it regardless, as I was interested in this beer for two reasons. One, my version of a "winter" beer is a barleywine, rather than some of the other traditional seasonal offerings (recall: I don't like stouts and porters). Go here for a quick primer on what a barleywine is, and for those too lazy to click, rest assured it's a beer, not wine. Two, I was interested in this beer strictly due to the name. Leviathan is one of those fun, underused words that I should probably weave into conversation more. "Did you see that basketball game last night? He was a freaking leviathan on the boards!" Feel free to join me here. Plus, Moby Dick is one of my all time favorite books, for whatever that's worth.
So the beer: the Leviathan series is Harpoon's take on big, unique beers. The Barleywine pours a rich garnet color, and gives off a strong malt scent. The flavor is dry and full of sweet malt taste, with strong notes of raisin and peppery spice. This checks in at 10% ABV, and definitely tastes like it, too. You can tell this beer packs a punch. If Captain Ahab had this beer aboard the Pequod, he wouldn't give a damn about finding the white whale.
The picture makes it look more purple than it really is. Sorry.
Things to Think about Today:
The Rolling Stones occupy a warm spot in my heart, as I grew up listening to them non-stop. It was sort of a ritual: someone brought a radio to the basketball courts, and we'd run and listen to the Stones all day. The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World will probably pop up again somewhere on the list of things to think about, but for now, think about rocking out tomorrow with the windows down on your way home. Spring will be here soon, right?
I'm not sure if you all care what I have to say on the topics of the life and work of Joe Paterno, but I plan to put together some thoughts. I'm just not ready yet.
Instead I shall share some knowledge that Gary dropped on me today.
(I Got It Made by Special Ed plays in the background)
Me: Is this a Tribe Called Quest?
Gary: No, it's Special Ed.
Me: The VJ from MTV? Yo MTV Raps?
Gary: No, you're thinking of Ed Lover.
Me: Who was the other guy who worked with Ed Lover?
Gary: Dr. Dre.
Me: (silence)
Gary: (curious look on his face)
Me: Dr. Dre was a VJ!
Gary: No, there are two Dr. Dres.
Me: (silence while processing this information) What! There are two Dr. Dres!?!
Gary: Yes.
So there you have it. I've been living in this world for 29 years and had NO IDEA I was sharing it with two Dr. Dres. Fascinating.
Photographic evidence:
Dr. Dre photo courtesy of askmen.com
Dr. Dre (right) courtesy of VH1.com
Obviously any writing that involves Yo MTV Raps! must contain a little Ed Lover dance. Enjoy!
Today I'm drinking Nøgne ø #100 out of Norway. It is a barley-wine style ale. I poured it into my trusty tulip glass and it was a deep, dark brown. If I managed to get the light to hit it just right, there are maroon highlights. The scent of this one was interesting. Molasses, earthy sweetness, woody. The light tan head dissipated rather quickly.
The taste is not at all what I expected. Roasted malt. Vanilla. Maybe cocoa? It drank thick and finished with some bitterness.
Sidebar: Remember when Keystone Beer advertised against bitter beer face? Bitter isn't always bad.
In fact, the brewery describes #100 as having massive hop bitterness. This is where my taste for beer gets very interesting. Low hop flavor = good. Medium to big hop flavor = bad. Massive hop overload = back in my good graces.
With that, I am off to put one of my favorite Christmas presents of all time to good use - my orange immersion blender. A snowy January Sunday demands soup. And I demand to use my immersion blender!
