Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Ommegang 

Beer Name: Three Philosophers

Beer Style: Belgian Quadrupel

Abv.: 9.80%

Serving Glassware: Chalice

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 4-pk 12oz bottles, 750mL bottles

Price: ~$12

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Dessert (Belgian chocolate, brownies)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.6

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A-/4.1

Mike's Description

This is the beer that originally attracted me to good beer. 

Appearance - Darkish brown brew that has an opaque character representative of the style. About a half inch of khaki head that lasts throughout the session and produces a nice lace profile. Some sediment is seen floating near the bottom of the chalice indicative of Belgian yeast strains.

Aroma - As expected for a Quad, negligible hop contribution/bitterness. The sweetness of darker fruits is the dominant element here. Some licorice, caramel, and hints of cinnamon are present.

Taste - Foreshadowed by the aroma, dark fruit represents most of the flavor. Plum, red pear, raisin, fig, and some faint grape make up this niche. Some hop bitterness is present, but barely noticeable.

Mouthfeel - The blatant pioneers of this beer (dark fruits) are what linger in the aftertaste. Complex Belgian yeasts fill in any gaps to make this a truly full-bodied beer. Some sweet malt character presents itself here as well.

Overall - Despite not being made in Belgium, this beer represents the accuracy and precision with which Ommegang produces tasty Belgian-style ales. Three Philosophers is better than many Belgian quads despite being US-made and it is definitely my favorite American quad.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Beer Name: Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale

Beer Style: Double IPA

Abv.: 7.85%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 6-pk 12oz bottles

Price: N/A

Availability: One-time Release

Pairings: Fish (haddock, shrimp), Burgers

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A/4.53

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A/4.27

Mike's Description
Thanks to Matt for this phenomenal rarity!
 

Appearance - Light golden color that doesn't suggest a Double IPA, but a lighter lager. Minimal head that fades almost immediately. Having trouble believing that this beer is a DIPA at this point.

Aroma - And here is where the style is given away. Tons of fruit and floral aroma radiating out of the glass. Hard to specify the fruit at this point, but definitely some expected citrusy esters. Minimal piney notes that often dominate this category.

Taste - The citrusy character is much more overwhelming here suggesting plenty of lemon and lime. The pine taste is slightly more pronounced and is complemented by some sweeter fruits such as pear and apple. Faint orange notes are present as well leading to an extremely well balanced flavor.

Mouthfeel - The previously mentioned fruit lingers from this surprisingly lighter-bodied brew. Although the fruit presence shows fortitude in terms of sweetness, the furtive hops do their job.

Overall - Fantastic name for this beer, and Lagunitas...you don't suck. For "screwing up this badly", as you suggest on the label, you've still obtained insanely high ratings for this beer. I do miss Brown Sugga', but this is a fantastic substitute that many breweries would strive and fail to obtain.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: The Alchemist

Beer Name: Luscious

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Abv.: 11.1%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: $20

Availability: One-time Release

Pairings: Dessert (Brownies, Vanilla Ice Cream)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A/4.33

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A/4.41

Mike's Description

Appearance - Pitch black beer that looks similar to motor oil. Brown 1/2" head that lasts throughout most of the session. A good amount of lace is splayed around the Alchemist pint glass.

Aroma - Strong coffee bean aroma from the copious amounts of roasted malts. Chocolate is a major player here as well along with some wisps of caramel.

Taste - The aroma doesn't lie...this RIS has anything that one could ask for. Plenty of coffee, bittersweet dark chocolate, and a faint maltiness to fill in the gaps. The hops aren't directly detectable, but their presence is felt from their contribution to balancing this beer perfectly.

Mouthfeel - The coffee and chocolate notes last after each sip...and that is all that's needed.

Overall - This is a top-notch representation of this style and I wish I could attain/afford more of it, but unfortunately only 700 bottles were saved from the Alchemist flood that destroyed the pub and brewery.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head

Beer Name: Life and Limb

Beer Style: American Strong Ale

Abv.: 10.2%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Seasonal

Pairings: BBQ / Teriyaki - flavored steak

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: C/2.88

Appearance: 2.5

Aroma: 2.5

Taste: 3

Mouthfeel: 3

Drinkability: 3

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.94

Mike's Description

Appearance - Very dark brown, nearly black, beer. In large volume it's opaque, but in a lesser amount I think it's translucent. About a half inch of khaki head that dissipates quickly leaving a good amount of lace on the wine glass.

Aroma - Not too much here; only faint aromas are present such as darker fruits (grape, fig, raisin) and some licorice. Smells (and appears) as though it will lean towards the maltier side of the spectrum.

Taste - The taste is bolder and provides a little more detail than the aroma. The fruits are more pronounced and the malts nearly dominate this area. Very little hop contribution, but some piney bitterness comes through in a feeble attempt to balance this beer. Maple syrup is detectable as well.

Mouthfeel - Surprisingly the hops make a comeback and successfully balance this beer out nicely. Despite the strong malt backbone and initial lack of hops, they somehow do their job.

Drinkability - A well-balanced beer that successfully represents its style. Beyond that, however, nothing special. It's tasty, but there's not anything spectacular or unique about it. If I found it on tap I would order it to compare, but I would not buy it bottled again.

Beer Information

Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company

Beer Name: Triple Bag

Beer Style: American Strong Ale

Abv.: 9.40%

Serving Glassware: Stange, Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 4-pk 12oz bottles

Availability: Brewed once (so far hopefully)

Pairings: Dessert (Chocolates, Brownies)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.03

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.79

Mike's Description

Appearance - Very dark brown beer with slight amber tones when held up to a light. Minimal head and lace. Appears as though it will live up to its 9.4 abv. and pack a punch.

Aroma - Very malt-forward aroma with no hop presence. Tons of sweet esters with dominant elements such as caramel and cherry.

Taste - Strong malt profile as suggested by the aroma that contains sweeter ingredients such as the caramel and cherry mentioned before at the flavor-forefront followed by hints of blueberry, chocolate, coffee, heath bar, plum, and slight grape and apple notes.

Mouthfeel - The powerful and sweet caramel character lives on after the initial sip and compliments this full-bodied and strong-flavored beer. Some cinnamon resides in the aftertaste.

Drinkability - If you're at the less popular end of the beer-spectrum (opposite the hop-heads) and looking for a malt-bomb, this beer will be a rare treat. This is probably the maltly equivalent of the hop-bomb, Hop Stoopid, by Lagunitas. This beer has tons of flavor and alcohol that will satisfy all wants/needs of someone looking for a sweeter one-and-done beer.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

Beer Name: Heretic

Beer Style: Barleywine

Abv.: 9.99%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: $15

Availability: One-time release (700 bottles)

Pairings: Dessert (Chocolates, Brownies)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.03

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.80

Mike's Description

1 out of 700 bottles sold at the Alchemist. I am extremely happy that I and my girlfriend were each able to obtain one. The alchemist pub was flooded and only this beer and an imperial stout were saved and bottled.

Appearance - Listed as a DIPA on the bottle, but as a barleywine on BeerAdvocate. I'm gonna have to agree with BA in terms of appearance. Brownish/amber beer with an off-white head...much too dark to be any DIPA that I've ever seen and pretty characteristic of a barleywine. Some lace present on the alchemist glass.

Aroma - Very hoppy as assumed, but has an almost overwhelming malt profile to balance out the bitterness and add some surplus sweetness.

Taste - The hops are there, but again the strong malt presence takes over. Some darker fruits are here such as plum, raisin, and faint hints of grape. Due to the sweet character, some licorice and fig comes through too.

Mouthfeel - Almost no lasting hop bitterness, which is distinct in my barleywine experience. Not too much to elaborate on here minus the obvious lingering sweetness.

Drinkability - Overall a decent barleywine and a horrible DIPA :D. Presents all of the basic elements of a barleywine and lacks all the facets of a DIPA that hop-heads desire. Very happy that I was able to try it, but I'm only happy I spent the $15 on it in order to support the Alchemist.