Westbrook 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout

I was not going to write about Westbrook 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout because I thought it would be long gone before I got a chance to write about. I base that solely on my past experiences with buying previous beers in the series. The first time I got my hands on a bottle was the 4th Anniversary Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout. While I did not like the 4th Anniversary Stout, getting it felt like I won a prize. I walked into a bottle shop and asked for it, answered several silly questions and then was the handed a bottle from behind the counter to purchase. I think I even called my wife on the way home to brag about my unique and successful shopping experience.

For the 5th Anniversary Chocolate Raspberry Imperial Stout, I dropped everything and grabbed a bottle as soon as I knew it was on sale. I enjoyed this one more than the previous year but I still was not totally in love with it.

I found a bottle of the 6th Anniversary Chocolate Hazelnut Imperial Stout by luck. I thought it was long gone from my area, but when I walked into a bottle shop there were 3 bottles just sitting on the counter. I took one home and drank it a few days later and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. It was a rich, beautiful dessert beer and when my bottle was empty I felt a tremendous void knowing I would probably never sip that beer again. I really hope to see Westbrook brew a chocolate hazelnut imperial stout again one day.

For the 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout, I had a renewed sense of urgency in finding a bottle. The 6th Anniversary was so great that I had nothing but high expectations for the 7th Anniversary beer. That urgency was not needed as the Rochester, NY area seems to be flooded with bottles. I walked into several bottle shops, as well as grocery stores and there it was sitting on the shelves. So with a ton of excitement I opened the bottle, grabbed my notepad and poured a glass.

The aroma of fudge popped out of my glass. It was complimented by roasted malt, a touch of saline, caramel and smoke. The first sip and every sip after that was a treat. Rich creamy fudge dominated the flavor and it was delightful. The roasted malt provided a nice touch of bitterness to balance the sweetness. There was a hint of fruit, along with some caramel and a spicy hop finish which added another amazing layer to this beer. The sea salt is present, and is noticeable right off the bat but I wanted a touch more of it. I love salted dark chocolate so just a touch more would have put this beer in elite territory for me. However, that is a small complaint, because overall this is a fantastic beer.

Westbrook's 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt immediately takes its place as one of my favorites in the series. If you are looking for a fantastic sipper to pair with a cold winter night, look no further.

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Oskar Blues Rum Barrel Aged Death By Coconut

The first taste of liquor I ever had was at a friends birthday party. The alcohol being passed around was Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay. In case my mother is reading this, it was totally a 21st birthday party...totally. We sat around in a circle, waiting for our turn to take a shot out of the only shot glass we had available. When it came to my turn, I blown away by how smooth, warming, and easy to drink Parrot Bay was.

I only had Parrot Bay once more after that night. It was a Duty Free Store purchase on the way into Canada. While it made for a nice hotel room beverage for an uneducated palate, it took a toll on mostly everyone in the hotel room. I have practically little to no interest in ever drinking Parrot Bay again. That is a type of booze for a younger(definitely 21, Mom) person. However, when I took my first whiff of the aroma of Rum Barrel Aged Death By Coconut, I was instantly transplanted back to my younger self and my days of drinking Parrot Bay. Except this time, there was a bit more sophistication behind it and I really enjoyed it.

On December 9th, Oscar Blues Brewery in both North Carolina and Colorado released their Rum Barrel Aged version of their coconut flavored Irish porter Death By Coconut. I am fortunate to have an uncle in Colorado, so just in time for the holidays I asked for a favor. I really wanted to try this beer, not only because I enjoy regular DBC but because this sounded like a blend of my early days of drinking with where I am now. I received a text from him saying “mission accomplished,” and a week later the beer was in NY. I placed it in my refrigerator and gave it a night to chill, I opened it the next night.

It is difficult to describe how big the amount of rum was in the aroma of Rum Barrel Aged Death By Coconut. It was practically jumping out of the glass. As I was trying to take a picture from above, I was about a foot away and I could smell the rum practically just as much as I could with my nose close to the glass. There were other notes in the aroma, like coconut, molasses, vanilla, and chocolate, but they all seemed to be hidden behind the rum. It was almost shocking how strong the rum was in the aroma, and it definitely foreshadowed what was to come when I took my first sip.

In simple terms Rum Barrel Aged Death By Coconut tastes like coconut rum with a beer backbone. The rum is there right up front and it is there on the finish. Non-barrel aged Death By Coconut definitely has a strong flavor but after some time in a rum barrel, the strength of that flavor is greatly diminished. Coconut and chocolate were all that really stood out from beer after the barrel aging. Take those flavor notes and add the sweet flavor of vanilla from the barrel, and you get sweet, decadent, dessert beer. Not having the biggest sweet tooth in the world, I wanted there to be more roasted bitterness to balance out the sweetness. As it warmed, some roasted bitterness did come out in the finish but not enough to stand up against the intense sweetness here. I could complain about this but I will not. This is a rum barrel aged coconut porter, being on the sweet side is to be expected. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone say rum is too bitter? Exactly.

From a critical standpoint, I wished the base beer would have been able to stand out a bit more but overall, I am very excited I got to try this beer. I felt a bit nostalgic as it brought back memories of trying that Captain Morgan Parrot Bay and merged in with my present day love of craft beer. While I have zero interest in drinking Parrot Bay again, I would be more than happy to drink this again. If you like rum and you like Death By Coconut, you will enjoy this beer too.

Overall rating: 4.25/5

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Dogfish Head Liquid Truth Serum IPA

As the months go by, it always seems like it is only a matter of time before I write about something new from Dogfish Head Brewery. This happens because Dogfish Head always seems to catch my eye and pique my curiosity when it comes to their latest releases. Last year around this time, I reviewed their Beer for Breakfast, a stout brewed with a strange pork meat loaf that is a Delaware delicacy. I may not have been crazy about that beer but I loved what they tried to accomplish with it. Over the summer, I reviewed Lupu-Luau, a refreshing coconut IPA that I really enjoyed. To shorten up this intro I will just say that I have an endless amount of respect for Dogfish Head Brewing's creativity. Even if I do not like something from them, I am usually glad I gave it a try. Being endlessly creative with beer is a fantastic thing and I am happy to continue supporting this by buying their products. Recently, I gave their brand new Liquid Truth Serum IPA a shot and while I may not have been crazy about it, I am glad a gave it a try because it certainly was a unique experience.

My thoughts on drinking Liquid Truth Serum can be broken down into three parts:

Part 1: This is Tremendous!

From the moment I got my first whiff of the aroma, I thought I was going to love this beer. The aroma was juicy with big tropical and citrus notes. Lots of grapefruit, pineapple, and mango stood out beautifully with a touch of sticky pine, grass, some nice floral notes and just the right amount of biscuit malt. As I took my first sip, I fell instantly in love with it. Tons of mango, pineapple and grapefruit greeted me with notes of grass, orange peel, melon before a dry, piney, herbal finish. My only early critique was Liquid Truth Serum was touch watery. It made Liquid Truth Serum seem more like it would have fit in better as a summer release that a fall/winter one. I thought this would be my main criticism for this week until...

Part 2: Something isn't Quite Right Here

Initially I was blown away by the big tropical notes of pineapple and mango but as I moved further into the glass those flavors moved into the background. Grapefruit and lemon began to come out a bit more and instead of complimenting those flavors, they seemed to be at war with them. The bitterness which Dogfish Head claims is dialed back with this particular beer continued to grow. On top of that, the finish started becoming increasingly peppery which did not totally work here either. Basically, those big, beautiful flavors in the beginning have faded and what is left is a muddled, mediocre beer from a fantastic brewery.

Part 3: What the Hell Happened?

The final third of the beer was disgusting. I wish I could put it nicer than that but I really need to drive home what a mess this turned into. There was a massive vegetal note that rose to the surface, along with a lot more bitterness. By the end of the glass, my initial positive thoughts were nothing more than a distant memory. Normally, I would have chugged it and moved on but I continued to sip it in hopes of the beer I described in Part 1 would return. It never did.

The truth is Liquid Truth Serum is a surprisingly bad IPA from a brewery that honestly helped myself, as well as many others, fall in love with IPAs in the first place. Supposedly brewed to reduce bitterness, Liquid Truth fails at accomplishing what appeared to be its main goal. I have no problem with a bitter IPA at all,  but the growing bitterness here played a large role Liquid Truth Serum falling apart. I would definitely revisit this beer in the future in hopes that future batches correct these glaring flaws but for right now, I would advise you to stay away from this beer.

Overall rating: 1.75/5

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!