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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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Dogfish Head Super Eight Super Gose

From the moment that Dogfish Head & Eastman Kodak's collaboration beer SuperEIGHT Super Gose was announced, it was only a matter of time until I blogged about it. I am a fan of Dogfish Head's beer and I am the son & nephew of long time makers of Kodak film products. For that reason alone, I could not pass up an opportunity to try this beer as soon as distribution hit Western NY. 

What makes SuperEIGHT fun is that it is a 2-for-1 beer. It is a light, fruited session gose and it also develops Kodak's Super-8 film. It pulls this off by having a low pH which means that SuperEIGHT is going to be a touch acidic but that should work perfectly for the style.

As the can says, SuperEIGHT pours a vibrant red. Besides the beautiful color, the lemon, lactic sour aroma was the first thing I noticed as I poured the beer. The aroma is also very fruity, grainy, and a touch floral with the berries and prickly pear really shining. The pear added a really nice note of watermelon and that is the first thing I noticed and loved about my first sip. Raspberry and watermelon really come through in the flavor before a touch of malt and grain. The finish is very tart, with a touch of salt, bubble gum, green apple and lemon rind. The lemon rind lingers on the palate long after the beer is gone and to be honest is not ideal. Also, I can't say all SuperEIGHT ingredients are noticeable. The mango in particular seems MIA which is disappointing but there is still a lot going on here and this beer is a lot of fun. 

SuperEIGHT is one of those beers where Dogfish Head's unrelenting creativity pulls off something really cool. Sometimes, their use of adjuncts goes a touch a overboard and while this beer is no different, I found myself really enjoying it. With summer just around the corner, SuperEIGHT would serve as a wonderfully refreshing beer to both make and develop summer memories. I highly recommend picking it up.

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Rodenbach Alexander

As I sit here writing this, I am wondering if my house is going to be swept away by the crazy wind storm occurring outside. Hours before the wind storm began, I went out to get a few last minute essentials. The most important being, beer. To be honest though, I did not need to make a beer run. There was more than enough beer in my refrigerator to ride out the storm. However, I went looking for a specific beer. I went looking for Rodenbach Alexander.

Like last week's blog, I wanted to write about another classic beer. Rodenbach Alexander is a Flanders red ale macerated with juice from sour cherries from the legendary Brouwerij(Brewery) Rodenbach in Roieselare, Belgium. Brouwerij Rodenbach are masters of the Flanders red ales which requires the blending of oak aged ales. The composition of Alexander is two-thirds two year old oak aged ale and one-third young oak aged ale. The amount of craftsmanship behind Alexander is immediately noticeable from the moment you first take in the aroma to the very last sip.

The aroma is full of cherry, along with a touch of raisin, funk, leather, oak tannins, a slight mustiness, vinegar and an earthy spice. From the nose, the cherry is very clearly the star of the show here and that is even more clear on the first sip.

As I took my first sip, I was immediately greeted with huge amount of tart cherry, along with the perfect amount of acidity, a touch of funk, a touch of mustiness before a spicy, tannic finish with a lasting amount of cherry. From my first sip, to my last, I was blown away. There is so much to love about this vinous beer.

What makes Rodenbach Alexander even better is that it is a beer that can cater to a wide audience. Its fruit forward flavor is very accessible, but its more subtle notes will offer enough complexity to a seasoned beer or wine enthusiast. If you have yet to give this beer a try, I highly recommend picking it up on your next beer run, whether there is catastrophic weather coming or not. I assure you, you will not be disappointed.



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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Lagunitas Super Cluster & Cherry Jane

One thing I love about Lagunitas Brewing Company is their reasonable prices. As someone who is currently trying to furnish a home, I am looking for values in any place I can find them, especially when it comes to purchasing beer. As hard as it is for me to admit, I find it difficult to justify purchasing several 15-20 dollar 4-packs while sitting on one of two chairs in an otherwise empty living room watching television. If I was in college, I could easily justify this but it gets a failing grade when it comes to adulting. For this blog, I am not so much reviewing beer but offering two great options at more reasonable prices.

I came across Lagunitas' Super Cluster DIPA and stopped in my tracks. Super Cluster is an 8% Citra-Hopped DIPA, priced under 20 dollars for a 12-pack. Without even trying it, that price alone felt like a steal and I could not wait to get home and give it a try. What I found when I did was an excellent West Coast DIPA that is bursting with citrus & pine resin. The first sip does not disappoint, delivering a healthy dose of bright, citrus flavors. Orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and a touch of lemongrass come through at first before a piney, herbal finish. The 8% ABV is hidden fairly well, making this even easier to drink. Super Cluster is beautifully crafted and a steal at its price point.

Another solid offering from Lagunitas is their cherry sour ale, Cherry Jane. The price point for Cherry Jane is around 13 dollars a six-pack which is a touch more than I was looking to spend but I could not resist a beer brewed with Turkish Delight Cherry Juice & Brettanomyces. The Brett delivers just the right amount of funk to the dominating flavor of tart cherry juice. The sourness is not particularly aggressive, it plays as more of a compliment to the cherry juice. I, in particular love tart cherry juice so this beer definitely worked for me.

Both of these beers are solid offerings from Lagunitas. I would highly encourage you to pick up Super Cluster in particular. It is easily one of the best values I have come across in beer that did not have the name "Genesee" on it.



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Thanks for reading. Sláinte! 

Westbrook Lemon Cucumber Gose

I love Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose. Whenever I come across it, I pick up a 4-pack. It's practically automatic at this point. If the beer did not sell out so fast it would be a regular staple in my refrigerator. I also love the base beer Westbrook Gose. I buy that with less frequency but enjoy it every single time I have it. When I heard Westbrook was releasing a new Lemon Cucumber Gose variant, I could not wait to give them my money. Lemon cucumber water is super refreshing and Westbrook Goses are absolutely fantastic. I could not help but think that this right here might be the perfect summer beer combination.

As I poured the beautifully hazy, golden liquid in a glass I found myself pondering whether or not it was going to be better than the Key Lime Pie Gose. I thought it had a 50-50 chance to top it. That was, until I took in the aroma and realized it would come nowhere near the Key Lime Pie Gose variant. The first thing that jumped out to me was the tart lemon, it seemed to pop out of the glass. I then noticed a touch of refreshing cucumber underneath it. After that, all I noticed in the aroma was a strong note of pickles. I found this strange and intriguing, but was not sure it was something I was going to enjoy.

Like the Westbrook Gose & the Key Lime Pie variant, the sourness of the first sip aggressively hits the palate. The lemon is the star of this beer and comes out swinging right away. Paired with the lactic sourness of the base beer, they provide a 1-2 punch right to the kisser. As the aggressiveness of the tartness began to subside the further I got into the glass the cucumber started to come through. It was met with sea salt, coriander and a touch of vinegar which really brought out the pickle flavor. All of these flavors worked surprisingly well together. Unfortunately, for me, this is a “one-and-done” kind of situation. Due to the style of beer, this outcome should have appeared obvious and I admit I feel a bit foolish that I did not see it coming.

If you are a fan of sour beer & pickles, I could see you really enjoying this beer. If you are a fan of neither, then I would avoid this at all costs. I had high hopes for this one and I am still glad I tried it. Unfortunately, it pales in comparison to the base beer or my beloved Key Lime Pie variant.

2.75/5


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!

Firestone Walker Lil Opal Barrel Aged Saison Farmhouse Ale

I always seem to miss out on the Firestone Walker limited edition beers. Something always comes up that prevents me from getting to the bottle shop in time to buy one. To make things worse, if I do get there I seem to just miss them. For example, one time I walked into a bottle shop right as someone was walking out with the last bottle of Firestone Walker 19th Anniversary. Another time, I was next in line as the last Velvet Merkin went to the customer ahead of me. The point here is I have no luck with the “Box” beers Firestone Walker releases throughout the year. What I do have luck with however, is the Firestone Walker Barrelworks beers. I passed twice on the first release in the series, Bretta Rose. To this day, I ask myself, “why?” I still have yet to find a good enough answer. By luck again I stumbled upon Lil Opal, a farmhouse saison aged 17 months in American and French Oak Barrels. This time, I decided to purchase a bottle for 2 reasons. The first being I could write a review on it. The second being I get to publicly vent about my frustrations of not getting any of the “Box” beers. I feel like it is a good way to commiserate because I know many of you out there are in the same boat as me. So for all of us, here's hoping we get one on the next release! In the meantime however, I was just hoping Lil Opal was worth the purchase.

As I stared at Lil Opal's hazy golden orange color and white fizzy head, I could not help but hope more that usual that it was going to be a good beer. This is because the cost of this beer per ounce is slightly higher than what I usually review here. At a little over a dollar an ounce I hoped that the luxury the bottle promised would translate to the glass. I was relieved to find that the aroma delivered the complexity I was looking for. Brettanomyces funk, tart lemon, pepper spice, vanilla sweetness and oak were what greeted me in the aroma. There was much more going on when I took my first sip. Brett funk, lemon, and a lactic sourness start things off before giving way to the barrel which is a bit too understated. After spending 17 months in a barrel I thought the barrel would have a bit more of a presence in Lil Opal. It did provide a bit of spice and a nice vanilla sweetness that added a bit of creaminess to the mouth feel. I just wanted a little more of that. The finish brought yet another layer to this complex beer by being reminiscent of dry white wine. To sum things up, Lil Opal did not disappoint in bringing the complexity.

I enjoyed drinking Firestone Walker Lil Opal. I thought it was a good beer and that it was worth the purchase. Drinking it felt like a long, complex journey. Like any long journey, fatigue began to set in around the midway point. The funk and tartness which I enjoyed in the beginning began to grow a bit stale. Then after it had some time to warm, the vanilla sweetness became a bit more present. I felt revitalized from that and it got me into finish the glass. The thought of drinking another Lil Opal however seems exhausting. For that reason I can't say it would be worth a second purchase. Of course that would mean I am lucky enough to stumble upon it again to make that statement a bit more meaningful.

Overall I would rate Lil Opal a 3.75/5. It's a good beer and I enjoyed drinking it. I just wish I had shared it with someone. Believe me when I say 6 ounces goes a long way 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

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!