March 2018 Archives

The annual beer hibernation offers an opportunity for me to put on my ruminating wig and think long and hard about things other than beer. Like hot sauce. Or an obsidian goblet filled with an aqueous form of eldritch horror. Or, um, port wine. Alright, I shouldn't have mentioned that Lovecraftian liquor, but I assure you that it is literally unspeakable and indescribable, which obviates the need for a post. I mean, the very geometry was so corrupt that... you know what, I should stop writing about that. For reasons. You'll have to settle for port.

I've only reviewed four different port wines here, but they've all been Ruby Ports. In general, most of the port I've had has also been a Ruby Port. So many robey tones. But in many ways, Tawny Ports seem like they'd be more up my alley. Like a true dork, I've covered the general differences and definitions before, so I won't belabor the point, but Tawny Port is typically aged in oak a lot longer, resulting in a gradual oxidation leading to a change in flavor and color (instead of those robey tones, it's got a more earthy, orange-brown hue - i.e. tawny). The Indication of Age for port tends to follow specific designations of 10, 20, 30, or 40 years. Unlike some spirits, this indicates an average age of a blend (not, for example, the youngest age of the components) and the goal is to approximate the "house style" consistently from release to release (rather than a unique vintage feel). Up until now, I've only ever really had a 10 year old, which is certainly distinct from the various ruby expressions, but now that I've had a 20 year old, the difference is much more apparent. Let's take a closer look:

Graham's 20 Year Tawny Porto - Pours a clear, pale orange brown color, kinda like a dirty copper penny color. Smells sweet, syrupy, fruity, but with a nutty character in the background. Taste is very sweet, concentrated, rich, fruity, syrupy, a little nutty, almonds, some oak present, and some oxidation providing complexity. Mouthfeel is rich, full bodied, and sticky, just a faded hint of bright acidity in the background. Overall, unlike any port I've ever had, quite sweet but with a very nice complexity. A-

Port Nerd Details: 20% ABV bottled (750 ml). Drank out of a taster glass on 3/3/18. 20 Years Old.

Beer Nerd Musings: Lots of beers are aged in port barrels, but I don't think I've ever seen any sort of distinction made between Ruby and Tawny barrels (though, of course, they do exist... naturally, it doesn't specify how old the Tawny port was though...). I would certainly be curious about how much of an difference the older barrels make. I mean, a 20 year old barrel has to have a different character than a 2 year Vintage port barrel, right?

Certainly a bit pricey, but worth it at least once. I don't know that this is the sort of thing that would enter my regular repertoire, but it definitely works as a special occasion tipple.

As I make my way through my annual beer hibernation, I try to explore some beer adjacent realms, and this sometimes goes to some odd places, like... hot sauce? Last year, I discovered a new favorite, the BLiS Blast, which is aged in old KBS (or is it CBS?) barrels. It's not especially hot, but it packs a lot of flavor and it's got a character that was missing in my regular hot sauce repertoire (which it has now joined).

This year, we've got Habanero Heady, which I believe is sometimes called Heady Topper Owner's Reserve, and other times Red Heady (not to be confused with my poorly made homebrewed red ale that used yeast harvested from Heady Topper cans). They seem to name every batch differently and from what I can tell, they're all different anyway. Here's a video of them making a batch that does seem similar (but not quite the same as) my batch:

Whatever the case, I snagged a bottle of this from the brewery during last year's Operation Cheddar sortie into Vermont, and have been slowly making my way through it (yeah, it takes me a while to get through a bottle of hot sauce, wanna fight about it?) Made in collaboration with the Butterfly Bakery of VT and Maple Wind Farm, it uses Habanero peppers and a little Heady Topper (along with the usual hot sauce base of distilled white vinegar). Bright hops and spicy peppers actually go together reasonably well, so let's take a closer look:

Butterfly Bakery of Vermont Habanero Heady Owner's Reserve - Appears a chunky light orange brown color, visible pepper chunks and seeds. Smells of habanero peppers with a little vinegar tang. Taste has that big spicy habanero character and tons of heat, pretty straightforward and more hot than flavorful. Mouthfeel is chunky and extremely hot. Not a ton of balance here, and the heat tends to overwhelm the taste. I certainly don't get any hops out of the flavor. Not bad at all, but also not exactly a must try. Overall, an interesting hot sauce, but not one that I see myself revisiting. Interestingly, in applications where it's mixing with something liquidy or creamy (like a sunny side up egg or mac & cheese), it actually works better, as the heat is diluted a bit and the flavor actually has room to emerge. More simple additions, like wings or similar things, the pepper overwhelms the rest. B

Hot Sauce Nerd Details: Bottled (5 ounces). Batch #: 1638. Bottle #: 463. Heat Level: 4/5 "Pretty Hot" (not sure I want to know what the 5/5 level, "Crazy Hot", is like).

There are apparently lots of other sauces they make, including other Alchemist based sauces that aren't quite as potent. I'd definitely like to check that out.

South Florida's Barrel of Monks has been a solid discovery and I've really enjoyed checking out their standard takes on Belgian styles (a lot of American breweries dabble in this sort of thing, but few succeed as well as BoM), not to mention their more funky efforts. There's something to be said for an expertly brewed Dubbel or Tripel, but you know me: I'm not going to turn down a barrel-aged effort either.

Speaking of which, the first of our double feature is a Bourbon Barrel Aged variant of their Father Christmas beer, basically a Belgian style strong dark brewed with mulling spices (like clove, cinnamon, and ginger). As an added bonus, Barrel of Monks is living up to their name... now I just need to procure more of their Barrel Aged wares (limited as they may be). Due to a mix up in the Kaedrin procurement department, this didn't arrive until well after Christmas, but hey, why not extend the season a little:

Barrel of Monks Bourbon Barrel Aged Father Christmas - Pours a deep, dark brown color with a finger of tan head. Smells very nice, dark fruit, raisins, plums and the like, a little spice, cloves, coriander, and whatnot, plus a little bourbon, oak, and vanilla. Taste starts off rich and sweet, with that dark fruit character coming through, followed quickly by spicy phenols like clove, finishing with a boozy bourbon note. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, but nimble, perhaps due to the high-ish carbonation which cuts through the richness and the booziness. Overall, this is really enjoyable and they managed the bourbon barrel aging well, imparting complexity without completely overwhelming the base. A-

Beer Nerd Details: 10% ABV bottled (750 ml copper waxed cap). Drank out of a tulip glass on 1/19/18. Vintage 2017.

Next up in the double feature is a pretty straightforward Belgian style stout. This is perhaps not the most common or popular of the Belgian styles (inasmuch as you can really categorize them), and I must admit that this is the sort of thing that usually makes me wish I was drinking one or the other (i.e. a straight up imperial stout or a standard Belgian strong dark). On the other hand, this does fare well when compared against others of the style, which has become my expectation for BoM:

Barrel of Monks Parade of Souls - Pours a black color with a finger of light brown head. Smells sweet and a little spicy, maybe some dark fruits. Taste is very sweet, lots of Belgian yeast character, fruity esters, spicy phenols, a little caramel and maybe a faint hint of chocolate. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated, but still medium-to-full bodied, plenty of residual sugar there, but not cloying. Overall, this feels more like a Belgian Strong Dark than an Imperial Stout, but it comports itself well enough. Still, pretty good for a style that has often left me cold... B+

Beer Nerd Details: 10% ABV bottled (750 ml). Drank out of a tulip glass on 1/21/18. Vintage 2017.

While I don't think these guys are lighting up the ISO trading boards, I'm quite glad to have a somewhat regular Florida connection who can snag me some bottles. Many thanks to Kaedrin beverage compatriot Steve for slinging these my way.