Category: Beer

Uncle Steve’s Irish Stout

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Maker: Short’s, Bellaire/Elk Rapids, Michigan, USUncle Steve's Irish Stout

ABV: 5.5%

Purchased for $9

Appearance: Black with a foamy chocolate head

Nose: Dark toast, molasses, malt.

On the palate: Medium bodied, dry and effervescent. Dark roasted malt and a little sourness. A little sweetness at the end.

Finish: More dark toast and bubbles. Fades fairly quickly.

Parting words: It doesn’t take a lot of guesswork to figure out what brand of beer a craft “Irish Stout” is aimed at. If you like Guinness, you’ll like this. It’s a bit of an improvement on Guinness, but not enough to make it a repeat buy for me since I’m not a fan of that style of stout in the first place. I prefer my stouts more flavorful and chocolaty. Uncle Steve’s Irish Stout is mildly recommended.

The Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout

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Maker: Port, San Marco, California, USALost Abbey Serpents

ABV: 11%

Price: $14/750 ml (Binny’s)

Thanks to Rhiannon to help in acquiring this bottle.

Appearance: Black coffee with a big frothy head

Nose: Faint. Coffee.

On the palate: Full bodied and rich. Roasted malt, effervescence, chocolate covered raisins, Ethiopian Harrar coffee.

Finish: Bitter and slightly sweet. Coffee and dark chocolate stick to the lips for a long time.

Parting words: Lost Abbey’s Serpent’s Stout is one of the best stout’s I’ve ever had. It’s fantastic beer that has a strong classic stout profile but is has a complexity and balance that puts it ahead of the competition. The fruity notes were a bit of a surprise but a welcome addition. As usual, I feel like I’m reaching for descriptors for a beer. I all have left to say is that one tastes really good. Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout is highly recommended.

Arcadia Ales 15 Ale

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Maker: Arcadia, Battle Creek, Michigan, USAArcadia 15 Ale

Style: Sour Brown Ale with cherries, finished in a bourbon barrel

ABV: ??

Appearance: Murky auburn with a moderate head.

Nose: Charred oak, hops, roasted malt, hint of cherry.

Palate: Medium bodied and delicately sweet. Cheery, oak, bourbon, brown ale.

Finish: Fruity and slightly sour. Carries on in a low key fashion for quite a while.

Parting words: I normally don’t review beer one-offs like this, especially not years after they were released, but I have an enormous backlog of beers to review and not a lot of space to store them in so I have decided to review what I have instead of buying new stuff.

This beer was one of two special releases Arcadia put out in honor of their 15th anniversary in December of 2011. The other one was XV ale. It was finished in white wine barrels while this one got the bourbon barrel treatment. This one was said to be a sour brown ale brewed with cherries but I don’t get much sour out of this at all. Either the sourness has mellowed during the time in the bottle or the cherry sweetness has done the mellowing.

I bought it in 2013 or 2012 when visiting Arcadia with Friend-of-the-Blog Oscar. I don’t remember how much I paid for it, but I am sure it was between $10 and $24. I don’t mind paying that much for a one-off of this quality in a 22 oz. bottle like this. If you can find it, Arcardia’s 15 Ale is recommended.

Lagunitas Cappuchino Stout

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Maker: Lagunitas, Petaluma, California, USALag Cap Stout

Style: Stout with coffee.

ABV: 9.2%

Price: $4.50/ 22 oz bottle

Appearance: Dark coffee with a big head.

Nose: A bit of malt, mocha.

On the palate: Full bodied and fizzy. Cappuchino, roasted malt, tirimisu.

Finish: Coffee ice cream, long, bitter and creamy. Leaves a bit of sticky sweetness on the lips.

Parting words: Yes, we mostly do Michigan beers around here, but without a little context my reviews wouldn’t be worth what you paid for them.

Lagunitas Cappuchino Stout is a delicious beer. It’s not complex or revolutionary but it tastes really good after a meal. It would taste even better shared with 1-2 friends. At this price, it’s hard to beat. It is recommended.

Abita Purple Haze

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Maker: Abita, Abita Springs, Louisiana, USAAbita Purple Haze

Style: Lager with raspberry.

ABV: 4.2% ABV

Appearance: cloudy burnt orange.

Nose: Malt and a vague fruitiness.

On the palate: Heavy cereal notes with a background of raspberry. Like eating a bowl of Grape Nuts with raspberries, only the raspberries have already been eaten and all that’s left is the raspberry infused milk with the cereal.

Finish: Light with more cereal and what seems to be a touch of hops. Not much fruit to be found.

Parting words: I traded a Rübæus for this with a friend. I think she got the better of the trade. There’s nothing wrong with this beer. It’s very easy drinking and if you like lots of cereal flavors in your beer, you’ll like it. I think it needs more raspberry, though. If I didn’t want something that tasted like it’s been made with raspberries, I wouldn’t get this beer. So I want more raspberry not more. Anyway, it’s good enough to warrant a mild recommendation.

Noel de Calabaza

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Noel de CalabazaMaker: Jolly Pumpkin, Dexter/Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Style: Oak-aged, spiced sour ale

Notes: Blend 16, bottled November 19, 2012

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 9% or so.

Purchased for $11/750 ml

Appearance: Coffee brown with a robust foamy head on first pour.

Nose: Malt, balsamic vinegar, clove.

On the palate: Medium bodied and effervescent with underripe plum, hops, clove, aged balsamic vinegar

Finish: Fairly clean and short but with old, ashy oak that lingers for a long time.

Parting words: Noel de Calabaza is another holiday beer that defies expectations. It’s sour but in a more subtle way than many from Jolly Pumpkin. The oak rounds the whole thing out nicely. As you can tell from my notes above, it reminded me a lot of balsamic vinegar, the good aged kind. It doesn’t strike me as a particularly festive beer, but it’s really good. The price is acceptable. Noel de Calabaza is reccomended.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

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Maker: Great Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Style: Spiced ale

ABV: 7.5%

Thanks to Brian & Jessica for this birthday beer!

Appearance: Coppery auburn with a nice foamy head.

Nose: Malt, baking fruitcake.

On the palate: Effervescent and spicy. More fruitcake, then malt, toffee and a hit of hops.

Finish: Surprisingly dry. Spicy, malty and lasts for a good while.

Parting words: Great Lakes Christmas Ale is much more typical of holiday brews than Bell’s. It’s sweet with some Christmas spice and a tiny bit of hoppy bitterness. It’s not complex but it is comfortable like a fuzzy Christmas sweater. It goes just as well with a hearty Christmas feast as with conspiring by the fire. Great Lakes Christmas Ale is recommended. GL Xmas

Bell’s Christmas Ale

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Maker: Bell’s, Comstock/Kalamazoo, Michigan, USABells Xmas Ale

Style: American Pale Ale.

ABV: 5.5%

Notes: 100% malted Michigan two-row barley, Michigan and Northwest US hops.

Purchased for: $10/6 pack
Appearance: Old gold with a big frothy head and a bit of sediment in the bottom.

Nose: Hops, creamy malt, dried flowers, tea.

On the palate: Full bodied and well balanced. Fruity malt and then the hops take over in a big way.

Finish: Dry and spicy, a quick shot of fruity malt and then hops until the whole thing fades away.

Parting words: Bell’s Christmas Ale is an unusual holiday beer because there’s nothing particularly holiday-ish about it. It’s just a good hearty pale ale. It goes very well with food, even rich food that one has around this time of year, so maybe that’s the idea. Or maybe it’s that it reflects the experience of a typical holiday family gathering. It begins sweet but ends in lingering bitterness. I may be over thinking this a bit.

At any rate, it’s quite tasty and the local angle in the malt and hops adds interest and softens the blow of the price which is a bit on the high side. Bell’s Christmas Ale is recommended.

Closure

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Maker: Greenbush, Sawyer, Michigan, USAClosure

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.9%

Purchased for: $10/6 pack

Appearance: Dark tan with a foamy head that dissipates fairly quickly.

Nose: Creamy malt, flowery hops, hint of sweetness.

On the palate: Cream on first entry, then springs into bloom. Dried flowers, coriander seed, epazote.

Finish: Fairly dry with big, brash hops. Lingers for a long, long time getting more and more bitter.

Parting words: Greenbush is a newish brewery in Southwest Michigan in the heart of wine country, the Lake Michigan Shore AVA, specifically. It’s a big, bold American Pale Ale that reminds me a lot of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale but it lacks the finesse of Two Hearted and the hoppy finish can get unpleasant when not drinking with food. I had it with a variety of foods and it seems to drink best with rich, spicy ones like sausage or pizza. Price is normal for a quality microbrew. I look forward to trying and reviewing more from this brewery soon! Closure is recommended.

Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout

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Maker: Aloha Plenty/Iron Fist/Stone, California, USAMCIS

Style: Imperial stout with cocoa and mint flavoring added.

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 9.6%

Thanks to Rhiannon for this bottle.

Appearance: Black coffee with a lacy beige head.

Nose: Dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, faint herbal note.

On the palate: Full bodied and sweet. Like a Shamrock Shake upon initial entry. Some bitterness does surface later and on subsequent sips. Very dark chocolate, Espresso with a shot of peppermint schnapps.

Finish: Long, bitter and slightly sweet. The mint is in the background but still present.

Parting words: I wasn’t so sure what this beer was going to be like, but my doubts were unfounded. It’s delicious. The cocoa dovetails with the Stout-ness perfectly even to the point where I don’t think I would notice it if I didn’t already know it was there. The mint is noticeable but subtle, especially as the beer sits in the glass. I would have preferred a little more mint, but that’s a quibble. I also don’t know if adding cocoa was really needed but it didn’t hurt.

I received this beer as a gift from my cousin, so I’m not sure how much it sold for, but I’ve been able to find it online for $3 for a 12 oz. bottle. That’s not cheap, but since this is more of a novelty than a go-to brew, I wouldn’t mind paying that for a bottle or two. Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout is recommended.