Oskar Blues Death by King Cake

Oskar Blues is one of those breweries that usually finds a way to pique my curiosity with each new release. They always seem to release something fun & creative on a large scale. When I think of fun & creative recent beers I really enjoyed from them, last year’s Guns-N-Rosé immediately comes to mind. That, and their amazing Barrel Aged Ten Fidy variants. The Hot Buttered Rum was my particular favorite from the series.

What I am trying to say is their expanding catalog is full of great beers that, when available in limited quantities, would get me to call in a favor to my Uncle in Colorado or even drop everything and go chase down a can. Locally, in Western New York their beers no longer require the intense chasing they used to. However their brand new white porter Death By King Cake did give me that urge to chase it down. This happened for two reasons. The first being, I love their Death By Coconut Irish Porter, so playing off of that name is a smart way to get my attention.. The second being, I had never tried a white porter before and I wasn’t really sure what that was.

When I finally got my hands on a can, I cracked it open, poured it into a glass and felt something I wasn’t used to with Oskar Blues: disappointment. Most of the promised adjuncts were missing from the aroma. There was a hint of vanilla, a touch of chocolate and a whole lot of grains, especially corn. The closest comparison I had for the beer is Genesee Cream Ale. That’s why I chose the glass in the picture above. The taste was pretty close to Genesee Cream Ale as well but with a noticeable vanilla creaminess. Call me crazy but nutmeg & cinnamon are fairly strong flavors and I honestly could not find them here. Same goes for the orange peel which is also strangely missing. I got a hint of chocolate but really had to look for it. All I really got out of Death By King Cake was the taste of an inexpensive cream ale in a 4 dollar can.

This is a really disappointing beer from a fantastic brewery. On paper, it sounds like a great idea but the execution is lacking. The price point does it no favors either. I would recommend skipping this one and hope that this was an anomaly in the Oskar Blues catalog.

Overall rating: 2/5

Lagunitas Willettized Imperial Stout

After my last blog, I felt it was necessary to not only write about a beer but write about a big beer. Yes, I am writing about a barrel aged imperial stout again. I’ll do something different next week, I promise, but I had some thoughts about a particular beer I felt like sharing and it happened to be a rye whiskey barrel aged imperial stout. 

The first time I tried a Lagunitas Imperial Stout aged in Willett Bourbon Barrels left a lasting impression on me. It was 2016, I was having dinner with friends at The Stoneyard In Webster, NY(now known as The Beer Hall) and was awaiting the arrival of apps & a smoked prime rib sandwich. I remember thinking it was very good and was happy I tried it. In the weeks that followed, I found myself thinking about it more and more. As you can imagine, I was thrilled when this beer arrived in bottles the following year and they were using rye barrels instead of bourbon barrels.  I have been eagerly seeking it out every year  since. 

I was particularly excited to see Willettized arrive on shelves here last week and immediately purchased a 4-pack at the absurdly reasonable price of 12.99. I poured one in a glass the first chance I  got. The aroma of this year's batch is particularly fabulous. A lot of oak up front, rye, a touch of vanilla, molasses, dark fruits(especially cherry), roasted malt, and caramel with surprisingly very little coffee, especially considering this is a coffee stout. I did get more of the coffee once I took a sip. It added a bit of earthiness to the flavor profile. It also played a really nice complimentary role to everything else here. Chocolate, roasted malt, smoke, oak, cherry & rye are really at the forefront here. They are smoothed out by a very pleasant marshmallow sweetness before a warm, woody, earthy, boozy finish. The coffee is present the whole time and really compliments all of the other flavor notes here. Outside of wanting a little more body here, I really do not have any complaints. This is a huge 12.4% imperial stout and with each sip, I am floored by the outrageous price point it is sold at. I strongly believe this is easily one of the best values in beer.

Right now, there are a lot of amazing barrel aged beers just sitting on shelves everywhere but there are very few that have the low price point that Lagunitas Willettized has. That makes it a pretty safe bet if you are looking for a solid barrel aged imperial stout to beat the cold weather. With each passing year, I continue to be impressed with this beer and much like the first time I had it, this stout with leave an impact on me long after my last bottle of it is gone. 

Bells Christmas Ale

With snow on the ground and temperatures barely above freezing, I have found it very easy to make the early transition to winter or holiday-themed beers. Like every year I started with a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada’s winter classic Celebration Ale, then transitioned to some local favorites like Rohrbach Kasey’s Kristmas Ale & Naked Dove’s Nice & Naughty Christmas Ale. After I make my way through the classics I then looked to try something new, which brings us to the beer I am writing about today, Bells Christmas Ale,

Bells Christmas Ale is a 7.5% scotch ale, that pours reddish-brown with a light tan head. Its aroma thankfully did not contain any holiday spices. Not that I don’t enjoy them from time to time(Nice & Naughty), I just prefer a more straight forward approach to my holiday-themed beers. The aroma did contain a lot of caramel, along with a nice touch of peat smoke, a beautiful hint of cherry, raisin, toffee, herbal hops and a warm touch of alcohol. Honestly, the aroma was fantastic. I was fairly certain I would enjoy this beer. After my first sip, I knew my next beer purchase would be another 6-pack of this.

Sweet caramel dominates the flavor throughout. It is the first thing you taste and sticks around through the finish. While that might make it sound like Christmas Ale is unbearably sweet, it is beautifully balanced. Notes of cherry, toffee and peat smoke come through before a warm, herbal finish. The 7.5% is not completely hidden and I feel like that helps the beer. Its warmth pairs beautifully with a cold, snowy evening. The only thing I wish there was more of in the taste is the peat smoke. It comes through a lot more in the nose and if there was a bit more in the flavor, this review would be even more glowing.

I think it’s very clear by now that I really enjoyed Bells Christmas Ale. It’s a fantastic scotch ale and easily one of the best beers from Bells I have had in quite some time. If you are looking for a great holiday beer without the spices, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Overall rating: 4/5

Alosta & Live's Throwing Copper Ale

In the mid-90s, I was a young kid that enjoyed listening to modern rock radio. At the time I appreciated a few genres of music but nothing was better then riding the school bus home listening to FM radio’s The Nerve 95.1, 95.5. They had everything I loved at the time: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Garbage and a lot of hits from Live’s Throwing Copper Album. Without possessing the album, I found myself constantly singing along to all of Live’s radio hits. “Lightning Crashes” & “I Alone” in particular were huge favorites of mine. The songs were on the radio so much in the coming decades that I would instantly be taken back to my youth every time I heard them on the radio.

Fast forward to the summer of 2009, a good friend let me borrow a copy of Throwing Copper. From the first full listen I was blown away at what a fantastic album it was. From top to bottom, the songs were strong. I found myself enjoying the “deep cuts” just as much as the nostalgic hits.

After 10 years of fondness for the album as a whole, I made seeing Live in concert a huge priority. Once I heard they were touring for the 25th anniversary of Throwing Copper, I made sure I was in a seat to catch a show. I was blown away by what an excellent show they put on and listened to the album frequently in the weeks to follow. It was in that post-concert euphoria that they announced a craft beer brewed by California’s Alosta Brewing Company celebrating the release of Throwing Copper. Without a hint of hesitation, I purchased a 4-pack. For months, I waited for this beer to arrive. Now that it is here, I just hoped the beer inside the amazingly designed cans would half as good as the album. I felt that would have made it a satisfying purchase.

Throwing Copper Ale's appearance was a gorgeous, rich copper with a little but of haze. The aroma was caramel, toffee, creamy peanut butter(uh oh) and earthy, spicy hops. The first sip and every sip after that was rich with buttery diacetyl. There were hints of nuts, coffee, caramel and spice much like the aroma along with an unwelcome vegetal note. To be honest though, the buttery off-flavor stole the show. I wish I could give more insight but to be honest, the beer is barely drinkable. Which is super disappointing, especially when considering the cost of getting the beer shipped to Western NY.

Throwing Copper Ale is a disappointingly bad beer and now I am stuck with a 4-pack of it. As I write this I am staring at a glass half full wondering how I am going to finish it. I certainly do not want to pair this with listening to the album because that would tarnish the experience of listening to the album for me. Honestly, I think this beer is so bad that every time I hear a song off of Throwing Copper from this point on, I am going to think about the great show I saw them put on and how bad the beer they put their name on was. This is without a doubt the worst musician collaboration beer I have had. If you are on the fence about buying a 4-pack, don't. Your money is better spent on literally anything thing else.

Overall rating: 1/5

Founders Underground Mountain Brown

Whenever there is a new release in the Founders Barrel Aged Series, I can’t help but write about it. The series might not always deliver a great beer but the creativity behind each of the offerings is something that should be celebrated. The latest release in the series, Underground Mountain Brown, a bourbon barrel aged version of their coffee brown ale Sumatra Mountain Brown, feels like a more crowd pleasing entry on paper. Especially when compared to the previous entry, the margarita-inspired beer Mas Agavé. In fact, the first time I tried Sumatra Mountain Brown, I found myself wondering what it would taste like after spending some time in a barrel. Now, with the release of Underground Mountain Brown, I no longer have to wonder.

After spending a year in bourbon barrels, the barrel character is immediately noticeable in the aroma. Creamy vanilla blends beautifully with robust coffee, baker’s chocolate, oak tannins, toffee, hazelnut & a warm, boozy note. When I took my first sip, I thought I was drinking KBS Lite. It had many of the same flavor notes with a touch less body and a more acidic burn on the finish. Tons of earthy, robust coffee, as well as a big hit of roasted malt sits up front before giving way to creamy vanilla & a touch of caramelized sugar, which tries to add a touch of balance. A huge hit of baker’s chocolate then comes in before a tannic, acidic, boozy finish.

There is a large barrel presence in Underground Mountain Brown but a not a huge bourbon presence. I feel like the only time I noticed the bourbon was in the finish. I would have liked that to stand out more. I also would have preferred a touch more sweetness, to balance the flavor out. With each sip, I kept hoping the vanilla would come through more before being blasted with acidity. Another fantastic note I did not mention earlier was the subtle hint of hazelnut. I am a huge fan of hazelnut brown ales and would have really liked more of that to come through here.

This review might give you the impression I am not a fan of Underground Mountain Brown, but I actually did enjoy it. However, I will stress that one 4-pack goes a long way. I have consumed three bottles so far and plan on putting the fourth in the cellar awhile to see if the acidity calms down a bit. If you are a fan of Founders’ Sumatra Mountain Brown, KBD  or coffee brown ales in general, I feel this is a must-try. If those are not your thing, I would recommend passing on this one unless you absolutely have to try every entry in the Founders Barrel Aged Series.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

New Belgium Oakspire 2019

Last year, when I tried New Belgium's Oakspire I was a bit underwhelmed. With the market heavily saturated in quality barrel aged beers at the time of its release last fall, I felt my money was better spent elsewhere after trying a single bottle.

I was going to let it pass by this year, but a friend's palate I trust asked me to give it another try. Rarely do I turn a free beer down, so I decided to bring it home and give it a try the first chance I got. I went into this year's New Belgium Knob Creek collaboration with a positive attitude and decided to write about it. It was that positive attitude that gave me hope that this year's batch of Oakspire is better than last year's. That being said, I still was not crazy about it.

Oakspire's appearance is a gorgeous deep amber with a creamy white head. The aroma is full of caramel, vanilla and oak. Hints of corn, toffee, brown sugar, dark fruit, smoke and a touch of bourbon round out the aroma. Caramel and vanilla flooded my palate on the first sip. A strong corn note also came through as well. There were hints of smoke, raisin before a very tannic, bitter finish. This finish lingers and accumulates. By the end of the glass, it is a touch overwhelming. This was by far my biggest complaint when it came to this beer. Another one, since this is a review blog is, it is a bit too thin. A beer like this should have more body to it.

Oakspire is an interesting beer. I definitely think, New Belgium & Knob Creek improved this beer. I am not saying it is going to blow your socks off, but as the weather cools, this is a solid beer to have around before stout season gets into full swing. I hope next year, this beer is even better. A bit more body and a touch more bourbon could earn this beer a regular place in my fridge. A positive thing to come out of me revisiting Oakspire is next year, I will definitely buy a bottle. I might not buy another this year but I am very open to trying next year’s batch. That is progress.


Overall rating: 3.25/5

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Lord Hobo Pineapple Glorious IPA

Shopping for beer to bring on a weekend getaway always seems to take me way longer than it needs to. It has gotten to a point that I can’t do it with another person because they quickly lose patience while I ponder what would work best. I swear, I can switch the beers I am going to bring multiple times before I finally settle on what I consider are the beers to bring. Even when I’m given guidance and am told to bring cheap, sh—ty beer, I can’t bring myself to do it. If I am drinking beer all weekend long and sharing it with friends I want it to be something good.

Before this past weekend’s trip, I spent about a half hour in the beer aisle before I finally made a concrete decision on what to bring. There were a ton of great options but I decided to go with a couple of my local summer favorites: Three Heads Couch Tour Cucumber Sour and Genesee Lemon Strawberry Cream Ale. I love both beers. They are delicious, crowd-pleasing, low ABV session beers with a fantastic price point. I felt great about going with just those beers until I saw Lord Hobo Pineapple Glorious IPA. For some reason, I could not pass that beer up even though there were a few red flags attached to it. The first being Lord Hobo’s catalog is very hit & miss. The second being pineapple beer is also very hit & miss. Seeing “ale with natural flavor” was the third red flag. Then finally the price point for the beer was a bit more than you typically want to spend for a beach beer but I decided to go for it anyway and hope for the best.

Lord Hobo’s Pineapple Glorious IPA certainly delivers the pineapple. The aroma is full of it, along with peach, passion fruit, grapefruit, grass, herbal and floral notes, and bread dough. The first sip was a little disappointing due to the artificial taste of pineapple. The use of natural flavoring does not always get the best results and here is a perfect example of that. It is by no means a drain pour but it’s nothing special either. Peach, citrus, grass, doughy malt, and passion fruit go fairly well with the pineapple flavoring before an aggressive finish of bitter grapefruit rind and black pepper. In future batches I hope they soften the finish a bit.

It took a couple cans but I ended up kinda liking Pineapple Glorious IPA. However, I can’t bring myself to recommend you go out and purchase it at its current price point. I, for one, will probably not buy it again without a fairly dramatic price drop. I also can’t say it’s an upgrade over the base beer Glorious. As I mentioned earlier, Lord Hobo’s beers are hit & miss. Overall, I would list this one as a miss. At 13 dollars a 4-pack, you should expect better.

Founders Más Agave

Lately I have been all about the lighter, more refreshing beers that are best enjoyed with warm weather. That is clearly reflected in my previous blog on Naturday. For the past week or so, I have been drinking that and Genesee’s Ruby Red Kolsch. Both of those beers are refreshing and great values, and as much as I want to continue to look at lighter beers that compliment the warm weather, I can’t pass up an opportunity to blog about the latest offering in Founders Barrel Aged Series.

If you have been reading my blog for awhile now, you know I am a big fan of the Barrel Aged Series. My favorite part about it is how creative Founders gets with each new release. While I have liked some more than others, I really enjoy a brewery that continues to take chances, especially one on the scale of Founders. 

With the classics(CBS, Backwoods Bastard, KBS) taking up the last few months of releases, Founders’ Barrel Aged Series returns with an extremely fun & creative take on a beer version of a margarita. Más Agave is an imperial lime gose, brewed with agave and aged in tequila barrels. From the moment this beer was announced, I started counting the days until I could get my hands on some.

It’s fair to say I had high hopes for Más Agave and I was not disappointed. The aroma teased that Founders was successful with their take on a beer margarita. Lots of zesty lime on the nose, with agave sweetness and salt, with a touch of tequila & vanilla and spice. On the palate, Más Agave is a touch syrupy. Tart lime and sweet agave dominate the flavor. The barrel comes through as well, adding a touch of oak, tequila and vanilla. The flavors are strong here and leave little subtlety. The finish adds the perfect amount of salt, which brings a touch of balance to the sweetness and really makes this margarita-style beer work.

With a 10% ABV, the latest entry in the Founders Barrel Aged Series is deceptively easy to drink. I personally am a huge fan of it. I plan on making this the first of many 4-packs in my refrigerator throughout the summer. I also think this is the strongest entry(aside from the classics) in the barrel aged series in quite some time. Founders has crafted a fun, fantastic beer here and I highly recommend you pick it up.


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For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!