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North Coast Old Stock Ale 2012

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North Coast Old Stock Ale 2012, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a dark caramel/toffee with a thin light cream-colored head. Almost entirely opaque with some carbonation.

S: Smells of toffee and caramel. Rich malt base. Still fairly hot in terms of alcohol.

T: Definitely still fairly hot. This is my first of these, and even with a year on it you can definitely taste the 12.5 abv.

M: Medium to full body with a smooth creaminess. Definitely large alcohol notes; this is still quite hot, although still good. This is a beer that could definitely use quite a bit of time more in the cellar.

D: Again, still a little hot. Still, quite nice. I’m hoping that some time in the cellar will help the complexities in this one come out a little bit more.

Saison Imperiale

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Saison Imperiale, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A- Body is a cloudy dark amber color. Much darker than most saisons. Pours with a 2 finger, creamy, slightly off-white head. Head fades slowly to 1 finger but has perfect retention from there and plenty of lacing is left behind in the glass. Cloudiness has medium thickness and is dynamic as yeast sediment and the cloudiness can be seen moving about in the glass.

S- Smell is on the sweeter side with peach, maybe some mango, and apple and pear coming through first with a slight floral accent. Some yeasty funk can be found in the background.

T- Upfront is a mix of sweet and tart fruitiness. I can definitely detect apples and pears, and maybe some peach and mango also (as there is definitely an exotic presence here). This is softly accented by a floral hop presence and a slightly funky, yet bready yeast looms in the background along with a healthy dose of sweet caramel malt. The finish is more tart and bitter than the initial flavor and the floral hops and yeast really make their presence known here.

M- Low to medium carbonation and nice, smooth, yeasty body.

D- This is an awesome beer and is definitely not typical of the style. I’ve never seen one this dark before and the exotic fruit presence is a great spin on this style. It is a bit sweeter than most but still very good.

Serving type: Bottle

New Belgium La Folie

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New Belgium La Folie, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a tawny brown color that is not entirely transparent; nice white head.

S: Lots of tartness of cherries and other fruits on top of a brown base. A little bit of funkiness going on as well.

T: The taste is quite sour, but not overpoweringly so. The biggest fruit component is of cherries, and there are oak hints complementing the sourness.

M: Prickly and sour; quite good.

D: Unbelievably drinkable for the style with the perfect amount of sourness

Serving type: bottle

Stone La Citrueille Celeste De Citracado

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A: Clear copperish brown, sudsy topping

S: Birch sap, lemon oil, gourds, caramel very. Very hippy smelling

T: Brown bread, birch, vague spice, lemon zest, earthy pumpkin, steely caramel, mild hopping, slightly roasty finish

O: Not the best idea for the collab in my opinion, the birch takes the lead though and leaves most of the yam behind. The pumpkin make its mark more towards the finish. Interesting use of spice. Nice but I would pass on it in the future.

Mikkeller 10

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Mikkeller 10, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Poured a slightly cloudy copper color with a dense off-white head.

S: The nose is definitely hoppy with some conflicting notes. Good pine and floral aromas, along with some underlying citrus. Still quite a bit of malt for this style.

T: There is a distincly perfumey note to this beer. Lots of floral hops, some mild citrus and pine, and a fair amount of caramel maltiness.

M: The body is medium with a moderate carbonation.

D: The problem with these Mikkeller IPAs is that they’re not all that fresh by the time they get to the states. Still decent, but I’d opt for a more locally brewed option that is fresher. Can imagine it would better out of the tap in Denmark.

Mikkeller Simcoe

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Mikkeller Simcoe, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – Poured a clear, copper color with a two-finger, long-lasting head of foam. It left thin, sticky rings of lace on the glass.

S – It smelled like pine and grapefruit. There was a decent amount of maltiness, too.

T – It tasted of sharp, piney, resiney hops. Some grapefruit and other citrus flavors, too. Sweet toffee/caramel flavors were also present

M – It was crisp and sharp with a dry finish. A medium bodied IPA with some sharp bitterness.

D – This is another great brew from the folks at Mikkeller. Really well done and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

Saison DuPont

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Saison DuPont, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A fine Belgian Farmhouse Ale

Appearance – Delicate pour yields a hazy golden body with highly active carbonation. Wonderfull fluffy eggshell white head that leaves chunky lacy all over the glass.

Smell – Lemon rind, a hint of pepper, light clove, sweet malts, grassy hops, and light aromas of musty cellar and earth. Really balanced and hard to pick apart.

Taste – A nice backbone of malt sweetness sweetps across the tongue bringing with it pepper and clovey spice. Subtle hints if citrus fruit sit calmly underneath. The finish is both herbal and grassy with a moderate bitterness. Dry finish.

Mouthfeel – Light, fluffy, and unbelievably smooth. Effervescent to say the least.

Drinkability – The ultimate summer beer. Light bodied, complex, but easy to mentally digest. This is one of the most refreshing saisons that I have encountered. Definitely a leader of its category.\

Paired with homemade Cast Iron Pizza, a delicious pair complement each other nicely. The cheese and spice of the pizza is easily cut by the carbonation of this beer.

Grab one and give it a try.

Brooklyn Brewing Monster

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Brooklyn Brewing Monster, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

Definitely one of the best Barley wines to date. If you wrote off this style grab two of these hide one away for a few years and drink one now.

2011 bottle served in Brooklyn Tulip

A: Great looking, perfect beer. Tawny-to-copper colored, with good clarity, foamy off-white head that fades away and leaves some decent lacing.

S: Fruity and grainy. Booze is almost invisible. Dried apricot, some dark fruits like raisins and dates and figs, toasted grains, caramel, and a hint of citrus, probably from an English Ale yeast.

T: Close to the nose, with nice variables. Sticky toffee and dried fruits on the front and middle of the palette, finishes with a flash of a toasted or lightly burn caramel grain. A splash of alcohol rounds out the flavors.

MF: Medium, thin almost…really just moderate with some good sticky viscous notes and a ghost-like dryness.

O: A nice winter drinker with well-masked alcohol and not too much sugary & buttery malt presence. Recommended.