Firestone Walker Dark & Stormy

The Firestone Walker Proprietor's Series needs no introduction. This series is so outstanding that even my least favorite beer in the series is still excellent. The only reason I would spend any time writing about it is if they did something different enough with it that I legitimately was not sure what to expect. With Dark & Stormy, Firestone Walker did just that. Dark & Stormy is a rum barrel aged blend that is 80% Helldorado and 20% Velvet Merkin, with freshly zested ginger and lime. 

When I first heard about Dark & Stormy, I was not as excited as I usually am about a new release in the series. I had no issue with the blend or the rum barrels, only the addition of ginger & lime. They felt like unnecessary adjuncts to an amazing series, but if any brewery could pull it off it was Firestone Walker.

The aroma of Dark & Stormy is very rum-forward. There is a nice honey sweetness as well, along with ginger, lime, a hint of chocolate, vanilla, coconut, caramel and spice. I grew optimistic from the aroma and that was rewarded when I took my first sip. Rum dominates initially before the ginger & lime are showcased. The creaminess of vanilla from the barrel finds its way in, along with the familiar graham cracker from Helldorado and a touch of chocolate from the Velvet Merkin. I wanted more of the Velvet Merkin to come through but I found myself enjoying Dark & Stormy for what it was. A fun, yet different addition to an illustrious series. However, I would not recommend this to any one who does not like rum. Rum is the dominant note here and I could see that being off-putting to some. 

Dark & Stormy is another great addition to the Proprietor's Series. I will admit it rates on the low end for me as far as the series goes, but I still think it is excellent.

Overall rating: 4/5

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!

Southern Tier Oat BBA Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Over the past week I have been on a small quest to find 4-packs of Southern Tier Warlock. Not for blogging reasons but more for the reason of picking up one of the pumpkin beers I really enjoy. So far I have been unsuccessful but it has given me plenty of time in different stores to contemplate beers I have yet to try.

For several months I had been contemplating buying Southern Tier’s Oat, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know this kind of beer hits right in my wheelhouse. The funny thing was every time I seemed to come across it, I found myself buying something else. I realized as I was looking at the remaining bottles of Oat that I might find myself in the same position with that as I did with the 4-packs of Warlock. So instead of missing out on Oat as well, I decided to give it a try.

In the past Oat was not barrel aged, but I love the idea of bringing back a beer from the past in a new way. The aroma is rich espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, smoke, vanilla, a touch of bourbon and a lot of oak. The barrel is really showcased on the first sip. Bourbon and vanilla come through initially along with molasses, dark chocolate, coffee, anise, caramelized sugar, dark fruit with a boozy, spicy finish. I realize I am close to 6 months late on trying this beer but in its current state it is delicious. Its velvety smooth mouthfeel made me wish I had another bottle. If I come across a second I will immediately throw it in the cellar to give it a little more time to mellow. I think just a little more time will work wonders for this beer. As it is right now, I think it is a fantastic drinking experience. I am trying to find ways to be negative because of how long I slept on this beer but it is difficult. This is a really great beer from Southern Tier. I will continue my quest to find a 4-pack of Warlock but if I come across this beer instead I will be thrilled to purchase it again.

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!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

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

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Ballast Point Red Velvet Oatmeal Stout

The first time I laid eyes on Ballast Point's Red Velvet Nitro Oatmeal Stout, I experienced some mixed feelings. My first thought was Ballast Point's transition into a gimmick brewery was now complete. This was particularly disappointing to me because I have enjoyed so many of their beers. In a previous blog, I discussed my love of Grapefruit Sculpin, Victory at Sea, Habanero Sculpin and Calm Before the Storm. I think all of those beers are creative, fun and most importantly taste great. I also think Grunion Pale Ale is one of the better pale ales on the market. If you have not had it, I recommend trying it the next time you see it. My thoughts on Ballast Point took a turn for the worse last February when Ballast Point released Watermelon Dorado, Mango Even Keel and Pineapple Sculpin. Those three beers ranged from mediocre to terrible. They also seemed to open the flood gates for more ridiculous offerings like Cinnamon Raisin Commodore, which is terrible, and Thai Chili Wahoo, which tastes way too artificial. At this point, I honestly look at all new offerings from Ballast Point with mixed feelings. On one hand, I want them to return to the glory days of when I tried Grapefruit Sculpin, Habanero Sculpin and Victory at Sea for the first time. I want to be absolutely blown away by a brewery willing to push the envelope of creativity. On the other hand, I feel like now they are simply flavoring beer just because they can and not because it works. I think that is disappointing, lazy and uninspired. So when I picked up Red Velvet, which is a golden oatmeal stout that uses beets for coloring, I admit I could see the creative potential of what they were trying to do. I even thought the beer would have looked cool in my Valentine's Day blog if I decided to go that route. Even with that optimism, I just could not shake the thought that this beer was going to disappoint like so many of their other recent offerings.

Whether Red Velvet was going to be good or not was irrelevant as I dumped it into my stout glass. I love pouring nitro beers and watching them settle. The fact that this one was a reddish pink in color made it an even more enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, the pour was the last thrill this beer provided. The aroma was interesting, it had some earthy chocolate notes, with some vanilla sweetness which I am guessing is supposed to be frosting. There is a hint of cherry in the aroma as well. My first sip brought some mixed results. The chocolate is there along with an earthy spice. There is also a hint of vanilla and cherry as well. This might sound good but it really isn't. None of the flavors work well together. The fact that it is watered down and thin tries to hide this but it does not work. To make things worse, there seems to vegetal note in the finish as well which does not do it any favors either. The further I got into the glass the more I could see the potential of what they are trying to do. Some of the flavors are quite nice, they just needed to work better with everything going on here. I usually sip a stout slowly to allow it to warm up but I did not see taking my time with this one doing it any favors.

I am disappointed to see another Ballast Point not live up to its potential. Clearly they were more worried about putting out a nitro stout with a cool color than one with a good flavor. I wish I could say this beer has taught me to stay away from Ballast Point but it has not. I am still going to keep trying their new beers hoping to find the one that brings me back to my glory days with the brewery. I know its sad but sometimes drinking bad beer comes with what I do here.

Overall I would rate Ballast Point Red Velvet a 2/5. It is not a terrible beer but aside from its color there is nothing worth remembering here.

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

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!