Saranac Basking in Bourbon

I tend to avoid purchasing a 4, 6 or 12-pack of beer with the Saranac name on it because frankly, I do not like much of it. To keep up with their new beers, I usually buy a single bottle hoping to find something I enjoy. Truth be told, I have not had much luck lately. I have mentioned before that during college I would buy their mixed packs to get more familiar with different styles of beer. I found most of the beers in the pack to be underwhelming but nevertheless continued to keep trying them. However, I feel like I should say my relationship with Saranac beer is not all bad. In college I drank my fair share of Saranac Black Forest. On dollar pint nights, drinking that particular beer was a no-brainer over Labatt, Budweiser or the other domestic beers you commonly find in college bars. Sadly, outside of an appearance in a mixed pack, Black Forest has vanished from their lineup, and so has the opportunity for feeling the positive vibes of nostalgia along with it. So where is this all going? Well, I wanted to paint this picture so you would understand my reluctance to purchase a 4-pack of Basking in Bourbon Imperial Stout.

On several visits to my local grocery store over a week-long span I would stare at the shelf containing Saranac Basking in Bourbon. Normally, I would take any chance I could to buy a new barrel aged imperial stout from a brewery I enjoyed. Having the name Saranac on it caused me to leave it on the shelf. Each time I looked at it I would check Untappd to see it's rating. Over the span of the week, the rating kept going up. Then I started hearing some positive word of mouth about the beer and its price point. A 4-pack of an imperial stout sitting in barrels for over a year costing under 15 dollars was definitely priced right. After a week of deliberating, I went back to the store and picked up the last 4-pack on the shelf. It felt like it had been waiting there just long enough for me to buy it. Now, putting my past judgments of the Saranac Brewery aside, I opened up a bottle of Basking in Bourbon for this review.

I have set the stage for this review long enough, so I will cut to the chase. Basking in Bourbon is really good. I had a feeling I would enjoy it from the aroma. Judging by the aroma, Basking in Bourbon certainly lived up to its name. It was full of bourbon, oak, dark chocolate, caramel, spice, tobacco and a hint of smoke. It felt like a vast departure from anything else I have tried from the Saranac Brewery. The aroma told me there was a lot going on here and my first sip confirmed it. Basking in Bourbon is boozy, chewy, full of bourbon, dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, with a smokey tobacco, spicy finish. As it warmed, the vanilla and chocolate sweetness became more pronounced. A small complaint I have is that I wanted just a little more carbonation. Basking in Bourbon is by no means flat but I think a little more carbonation would have added to the mouthfeel. The strong tobacco-like finish was interesting at first but I would have liked to see that scaled back just a little bit as well. Those complaints aside, this is by far the best beer I have had from the Saranac Brewery. It's full bodied, complex and most importantly, it tastes great. I hope Basking in Bourbon becomes a regular yearly release from them. Next time, I would purchase it without an ounce of hesitation.

Overall I would rate Basking in Bourbon a 4/5. It was good enough to open my mind up to future new releases from them. Also, if they could just bring back Black Forest that would be great.

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

The Alchemist Sterk Wit

The first time I went up to Vermont to purchase beer from The Alchemist was a couple years ago. My wife and I arrived at The Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, Vermont at 8:40AM. I was the 6th person in line. By the time the place opened at 10 AM, the parking lot was completely full and the line was around the building. Judging by the license plates on the cars in the parking lot, people had come from all over the US and Canada to get their hands on Heady Topper. I stood in awe of the amount of cases the store received. Their entire stock sold out that day in a matter of minutes.

Since then, The Alchemist Brewery has opened a new visitor's center in Stowe, Vermont. This has made their beer significantly easier to obtain. It also allows for a bit more variety to choose from. For our most recent trip to Vermont, we were fortunate enough to arrive there with friends around 5 PM, with plenty of beer still in stock. Unfortunately, we ended up missing out on Focal Banger. We did however leave with Heady Topper, Luscious British Imperial Stout and the beer I will be reviewing today, Sterk Wit Belgian Style Double Wit.

My first experience with Sterk Wit was not under the circumstances I would normally like. I drank it out of a can in let's just say a shorter amount of time than I would have liked. Now that I am home from vacation, I was able to take my time with it and really enjoy it. The aroma was lovely, full of orange, spice, coriander, bread dough and a hit of fruit. This first sip was delightful and had a nice creamy mouthfeel. Sterk Wit is by far one of the hoppier witbiers I have ever had. The flavors of orange peel, tangerine, coriander, bread dough, clove, and banana give way to a spicy, dry finish. There was also this subtle fruity sweetness that lingered in the background which really added to the character of the beer. Needless to say, there's a lot going on here and I thoroughly enjoyed every sip. The use of Mandarina Bavaria hops are a beautiful addition to Sterk Wit. They really amplify the citrus and fruitiness. This beer definitely measures up as one of the best Witbiers I have had in recent memory. The Alchemist Brewery delivered again with another fantastic beer.

Overall I rate The Alchemist Sterk Wit a 4.5/5. If you are a fan of Witbiers, this is a must try.

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!

Guinness Golden Ale, Rye Pale Ale & Milk Stout (Featuring Pat Ryan)

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, Guinness is everywhere. It's impossible not to walk down a beer aisle without stumbling upon a giant display of it. I really enjoy Guinness, I think it is a perfect beer to transition from winter to spring. Body-wise it is a little on the lighter side but the flavor is not. Unfortunately, like many others, I kind of drift away from it once the season passes. Not because I am tired of drinking it, but because it gets lost in the shuffle with all the amazing craft beer out there. I still enjoy a Guinness Draught on occasion throughout the year because my Dad(Pat Ryan) always has it in stock. For him, there never seems to be a bad time to enjoy a Guinness. If it's a cold winter night, he's enjoying a Guinness. If it is a 90 degree day with 100% humidity, he's still enjoying a Guinness. For this week's blog, I decided to visit him with some of the latest offerings from Guinness to see what his thoughts were. I also wanted to see if the same brewery that makes one of his favorite beers could make another beer he enjoyed just as much.

Guinness Golden Ale kicked off our tasting session to underwhelming results. Very light on flavor and what was there was not anything special. Caramel, cracker with a mild hop bitterness and a very metallic finish disappointed both myself and my father. We searched for positive things to say about the beer but kept circling back to the strong taste of metal we were left with after each sip. However if the finish was not an issue, with a low ABV of 4.5% this could have worked as a light beer in warmer weather. When it comes down to it though, Guinness Golden Ale is just nothing special.

Pat's take: “It's not terrible. It's definitely drinkable. I just don't like the aftertaste”

My rating: 2/5

Guinness Rye Pale Ale was up next. It was a significant step up from the Golden Ale but that's not to say it was anything special either. The rye spice was there but I wanted more of it. One would think that if it is promised in the title of the beer, it would be a featured part of it but sadly it was not. There were some nice candied orange, grapefruit and tropical notes here which we both enjoyed but they were also understated. Bready malt dominated most of the flavor. The metallic finish that ruined the Golden Ale was also present but not nearly as prevalent. My dad pondered this one a bit longer. I could tell he did not mind it but this is not something he would seek out again either. He agreed it was better than the Golden Ale but that was about it.

Pat's take: “It's a notch better than the golden ale. Clean finish, none of that bullshit in your mouth. It tastes more like a craft beer.”

My rating: 2.75/5

My Dad are I were divided on the final beer we sampled which was Guinness Milk Stout. Since it was more true to the style of Guinness Draught than anything else we tried, he thought this one would be a winner. After his first sip, he was completely disappointed. However, I enjoyed Guinness Milk Stout. It was a little chalky on the mouthfeel but the nice flavors of roasted malt, coffee and milk chocolate worked for me. I did not think the beer was by any means a masterpiece. Like the other beers, this one was a bit thin and the flavors could have been developed better. Overall though, I thought it was a serviceable milk stout.

Pat's take: “I thought I would like it. I'm not happy with it. I liked the Rye better”

My rating: 3.25/5

Once we finished each of the beers, my Dad and I both arrived at the same conclusion. The latest offerings from Guinness were nothing special. From his standpoint, none of the beers were good enough to take the place of Guinness Draught in his fridge and I completely agreed with him.

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!

Evil Twin Brewing & Westbrook Brewing Co. Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break

Two weeks ago, I mentioned I waited in line to get Westbrook's Mexican Cake. From that, I am certain you have already figured out that I love that beer. What you may not know is I absolutely love Evil Twin's Imperial Biscotti Break. Like many other beer enthusiasts, I think it is a fantastic beer. To make things even better, recently it has become less expensive, easier to get and produced in cans. All three of those things are fantastic and they happened because Evil Twin Brewing contract-brews out of Westbrook Brewing Co. So a collaboration brew between the two breweries is definitely a no-brainer. What I did not expect however is the combination of both Mexican Cake & Imperial Biscotti Break. On paper, Westbrook & Evil Twin's Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break sounds like a fantastic idea.

The first time I saw a picture of a bottle I stopped in my tracks and hoped it would make it to Western NY. It took a few months but it finally hit my hometown. I rushed out and purchased it as soon as I could. Like Mexican Cake, I expected it to sell out as soon as it hit the shelves. For that reason, I did not expect to do a blog on it. Shockingly after two weeks, it is still sitting in beer aisles and shelves everywhere waiting to be purchased. The 16-18 dollar a bottle price point might have something to do with it but even with that, it is still fairly surprising. At that price point though, I hoped the beer would be as good, if not better, than the sum of its parts.

Westbrook & Evil Twin's Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break works. However it does not work as well as the beers it's supposed to be combining. The aroma is a reminder of both beers. It is roasty and nutty, with dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, pepper spice and a hint of cinnamon. That seemed to hit every note I expected it to. The first sip, however, did not. It starts off slightly sweet, roasty, with coffee, dark chocolate cake batter and vanilla, and finishes bitter, spicy and boozy. Occasionally, I would find the cinnamon and each time I did, I wanted more of it. The pepper finish was what I was looking forward to the most. A criticism of last year's batch of Mexican Cake was that the habanero peppers were very understated. I hoped this beer would showcase them more and it did. Honestly, I wanted it to have a little more heat on the palate but no complaints, it was nicely spiced. I actually found my chest warming up quite a bit the more I drank.

As I made my way through the glass, I continued to get a wide range of flavors but they never seemed to go well together. Everything seemed a bit muddled, even when it warmed. Vanilla and dark chocolate cake batter rose more to the forefront which helped but did not make the beer any better. At 16 to 18 dollars a bottle this beer is dramatically overpriced for the results you get. You are better off buying a 4 pack of Imperial Biscotti Break at a cheaper price and enjoying that. If you are insistent on looking for a special occasion beer with similar flavor notes, just buy two bottles of Prairie Bomb! Trust me, you will feel significantly less cheated out of your money.

Overall I would rate Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break a 3/5. It's not horrible, it's just nowhere near as good as it should be.

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 follow me on, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

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

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Burial Bolo Coconut Brown

For some reason when I hear a beer has coconut in it I have to try it. This has been going on for a while now and I do not seeing it stopping any time soon. I think coconut in beer can be fantastic. I also think sometimes it can be fairly disgusting. A fantastic example of coconut in beer is Oskar Blues' Death By Coconut. Actually, no beer has grown on me more the past few years than Oskar Blues' Death By Coconut. The first time I had it was on draft at a tap takeover. I thought it was good but it got lost in the shuffle with other beers I tried that night. These things happen when trying a lot of beer in a short time. The next time I had it was the following year. I liked it but still did not get the hype behind it. This past release though was when I fell in love with it. It really is a fantastic porter and I am looking forward to seeing it again. Another example of a great coconut beer is Stoneyard's Toasted Coconut Kareem Ale. I dug it instantly and I think it is a perfect compliment to a summer day in Rochester, NY. An example of when coconut does not work in a beer is DuClaw's Dirty Little Freak. I reviewed that one this past summer. It tasted like coconut soap combined with a bland base beer. That bland base beer drowned in adjuncts happened to be a brown ale. That was particularly disappointing because a brown ale is a style of beer coconut should have been a nice addition too. So I chalked it up to DuClaw just doing a bad job with it and I looked forward to trying a coconut brown ale from another brewery. I got the chance this week when I stumbled upon Bolo Coconut Brown from Burial Beer Company. I immediately thought revisiting this style would be perfect for this week's blog. I just hoped Bolo Coconut Brown would get better results than Dirty Little Freak did.

Bolo Coconut Brown's aroma alleviated a lot of concerns I had. The aromas of toasted bread, toffee, brown sugar, chocolate and coconut were quite pleasant. The coconut was not particularly strong and that worked for me. It played a nice role in the flavor by complimenting and not overshadowing anything going on here. Chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, toffee with a nutty, roasty, lightly pine finish were delightful. I did not mention coconut there because it is there throughout. The flavors here work very nicely together. My issue with the beer is it is on the thin side and seems a bit watered down. Unfortunately, the flavors that should be a bit more prominent seem to be on the lighter side because of it. If this beer had a bit more body I think it would have been outstanding. Still, everything worked here and I really enjoyed the beer. I just wanted to see bolder flavors paired with a fantastic coconut flavor.

Although I wanted Bolo Coconut Brown to have more body I really enjoyed the beer. Even better, I thought it was a remarkable upgrade over the coconut brown ale I reviewed previously. It is a bit off topic but I also recently tried Burial's collaboration IPA with Sloop Brewing Company, Money Bomb, and I really enjoyed it. Those two beers have me looking forward to trying more from the Asheville, NC brewery in the future. It also has me looking forward to seeing more coconut brown ales on the market as well.

Overall I would rate Bolo Coconut Brown a 3.75/5. Really enjoyed drinking it. The coconut flavor is really nice. I just wish it had a bit more body.

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 follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

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

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Grimm Lumen, Candlepower & Sugarmaker

I am not typically one who likes to wait in line for beer. That is not to say I will not do it. I have waited in line like so many before me for a case of Heady Topper. I have waited in line for Goose Island Bourbon County. I have waited in line for Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin. I accidentally waited in line for Westbrook Mexican Cake. In the case of the Westbrook Mexican Cake though, I was told they would be arriving shortly. Moments later more people started showing up. A half hour later Mexican Cake had still had not arrived but a lot more people did. At that point I felt like since I had already waited that long, I might as well see it through.

For the Mexican Cake, Velvet Merkin and Bourbon County lines I only got a bottle or two. That is perfectly fine with me because those beers last. I can put them in my fridge and stare at them proudly for a while before the occasion calls for me to drink them. For me, that is perfectly acceptable. One thing that I do not understand is waiting in line for a single can of an IPA. I fully understand waiting in line for a 4 pack or a case of an IPA but just a single can seems like a waste of time. I feel this way for two reasons. One, is their short shelf life. The refrigerator admiration time for these limited IPAs is very short and I personally enjoy that time. Another thing, on a more serious note, is that frankly there is not a good enough IPA distributed in this area to make me want to spend a portion of my day waiting in line for it. That includes the entire lineup of Grimm IPAs. A lineup which I find to be very hit and miss. The hits(Tesseract, Magnetic Compass, Lambo Door) are fantastic but the misses(Forcefield, Dreamweapon) leave me feeling cheated out of 5 dollars. Still, these Grimm IPAs get people excited unlike any other beers distributed in my area. So, for this blog which happens to be my 3 year anniversary blog, I am going to review 3 beers recently released by Grimm including their IPA Lumen. Hopefully, from these reviews I can give you a better idea of whether these are worth waiting in line for, or just looking for on draft.

Grimm Lumen was the first IPA I was able to try from Grimm. I thought it was a really nice beer then and I still do now. The bold passion fruit aroma is wonderfully complimented by the aromas of pineapple, peach, grapefruit and pine. This beer is really juicy. The passion fruit is there along with orange, pineapple, mango with a bitter grapefruit and pine finish. Bold, juicy hop flavor is showcased wonderfully here with biscuit malt sweetness in the background. As I said earlier, it is a really nice beer. If you have never had an IPA from Grimm, this is a great place to start.

Overall rating 4.25/5.
Would I wait in line for it? Only if I could get more than a 4 pack

Next up, we have Grimm Candlepower, a farmhouse saison with brewed sage and pink peppercorns. I really enjoy when sage is used in saisons. I think it compliments the flavor nicely and it does that here. The issue with this beer is the malt. The sweetness of the malt overshadows everything else going on here which is a shame. Notes of lemongrass, funk, citrus with a pepper finish are nice and if not overshadowed would have been made this a really nice beer. I shared this bomber and I am glad I did. I could barely get through half a glass of it.

Overall rating 2/5
Would I wait in line for it? No, in fact I do not think I would walk across the street to try it again.

Finally, Grimm Sugarmaker Imperial Milk Stout brewed with vanilla and maple syrup. I have enjoyed every Grimm stout I have had, especially Double Negative. Personally, I think Double Negative is the perfect imperial stout and I am looking forward to its next release. Sugarmaker is a solid beer but nowhere near the class of beer Double Negative is in. The aroma is very roasty, smokey with chocolate, vanilla, lactose and maple. Much like the aroma, the first sip is roasty and smokey with a creamy chocolate, vanilla and maple finish. Initially Sugarmaker does not live up to its name. It is sweet but not too sweet. As it warms the maple really comes out in the finish and it is candy sweet. The promise of this being a sweet stout is delivered. I really liked the fact that the maple syrup was noticeable. Too many beers, including some I have reviewed here fail to deliver on the maple flavor. Sugarmaker does not and I am excited for that. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the maple sweetness, like Candlepower, the sweetness became a bit too much. Also, just like Candlepower, I am glad I shared the bottle.

Overall rating 3.5/5
Would I wait in line for it? No, but I would wait in line for Double Negative

Normally, I enjoy beers from Grimm a bit more than I did here. Perhaps, this was a weak release from them or maybe, just maybe, not everything they produce is worthy of the hype. I think Lumen is a really nice IPA. If you like the style you will really enjoy it. I would just recommend seeking it out on draft.

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

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

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

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!