Oskar Blues & Cigar City Bamburana

From the moment the Oskar Blues & Cigar City breweries announced Bamburana, a double barrel aged collaboration imperial stout, I had been counting the days until I could get my hands on some. It took longer than I hoped but it finally hit shelves in Western NY. I was so excited to purchase it that literally moments after it hit shelves I found myself in the car going to purchase it. I am a huge fan of both breweries and had extremely high hopes for this beer. Everything about it sounded fantastic and I am pleased to report that Bamburana did not disappoint.

Bamburana gets its name from amburana, a South American wood. It is a wood that adds unique flavors and reduces acidity. It successfully accomplished both in Bamburana. In fact, this is one of the most unique stouts I have had in awhile.

Bamburana spent time in both whiskey & brandy barrels but in both the aroma and on the palate they only play a complimentary note. Dates, figs, chocolate and the amburana wood are front and center here. The aroma caught me off guard in that aspect. Figs, dates, cinnamon, molasses, chocolate, caramel, an earthy woodiness and smoke shine with brandy complimenting the fruitiness. On the palate, the fruitiness of the figs and dates, along with notes of dark cherry and brandy come through initially before savory notes of cinnamon, licorice, molasses, ginger, coconut, caramel, vanilla and fudge. There is also a subtle espresso note, with a touch of whiskey before a tobacco, woody, spicy finish. With each sip, I found myself enjoying Bamburana more and more. It's a full-bodied, velvety smooth-sipper that offers a ton of complexity. In short, I am a huge fan of this beer.

These two amazing breweries have brewed a fantastic imperial stout. Since Oskar Blues contract brews some of Cigar City’s offerings I hope this is the first of many collaborations to see a wide release. That is looking to the future though. In the meantime, I highly recommend picking Bamburana up as soon as possible,


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Cherry Chouffe

Over the past few weeks I have been a bit obsessed with Rodenbach Alexander. It has been a mainstay in my refrigerator since I blogged about it and I do not foresee that changing anytime soon. Unfortunately, I cannot blog about Rodenbach Alexander every week, that would get fairly boring. So, to keep it fresh I picked up the new cherry forward offering from Brasserie D'Achouffe, Cherry Chouffe.

I will start this out by saying this beer is by no means as good as Rodenbach Alexander. In fact, I would say this straight forward Belgian-style fruit beer tastes more like Nyquil than Alexander. Being cherry forward is about the only thing these beers have in common. When I took in the aroma, I got a strong hit of cherry cold medicine. The phenols were noticeably strong in this beer. This carried over into my first sip. The cherry note is fantastic at times. It added a nice bit of tartness and blended well with the sweetness in the finish. There is a touch of graininess, licorice, toffee, chocolate and a vegetal note but they are mostly hidden behind the cherry. It’s weird to put it like this, but if you like the taste of cold medicine, you will enjoy this beer. If you hate the taste of cold medicine, I would strongly encourage you to purchase something else.

For me, Cherry Chouffe is definitely a one and done. It was by no means a drain pour for me but it is a beer I have little interest in purchasing it again. Cold medicine is a flavor I expect from cold medicine, not from my beer.

Once again, if you are looking for a cherry forward beer, go with Rodenbach Alexander.


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Jack’s Abby Citra Brau Lager

I am always looking for a great value and Jack’s Abby always seems to deliver just that. Over the years, the Framingham, Massachusetts Brewery has become a personal favorite of mine. The main reasons for that are they consistently push the boundaries of creativity with their lagers and they are always priced reasonably. I honestly can’t recall a single beer from them I have not enjoyed. Granted, there are some of their beers I prefer more than others, but that is how I feel about every brewery. Jack’s Abby consistently makes solid beer at a great price and their latest offering, Citra Brau, reinforces that.

I keep mentioning that Jack’s Abby beer is always a great value, but Citra Brau is the first beer from them that actually gave me “sticker shock”. “Sticker shock" is something that happens to every beer enthusiast at one time or another. It usually occurs when you find yourself paying a bit more for a beer than you expected to. For Citra Brau, a dry-hopped citra lager, I had the complete opposite reaction. A 6-pack of 16 oz. cans is priced around 10 dollars. Once I tried it, I felt like I had found one of the best values currently on the market. 

Citra Brau certainly showcases the citra hop but Jack's Abby balances it beautifully with a fantastic lager backbone. The aroma is super dank, floral, grassy, grainy and very fruity.  The taste matches the nose and as I mentioned earlier it is beautifully balanced. Orange, lemon, peach, melon, resinous pine and grass hit initially before the slightly sweet, grainy, crackery malt profile comes into play. The finish is dry, peppery, crisp & clean. Nothing here is going to blow you away, but this is a really nice, easy drinking lager with just the right amount of hop flavor.

Clocking in at 5.5%, Citra Brau is sessionable and a beer I hope to see year-round from Jack's Abby, especially for the summer. Citra Brau has "lawnmower beer" written all over it. In the meantime, its very reasonable price point could make it a staple in my refrigerator for the foreseeable future. Once again, Jack's Abby delivers another solid beer.


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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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Orkney Skull Spiltter Scotch Ale

I am always looking for something  new to try for this blog. Once in awhile though, I come across a classic beer I have yet to try. That is the case for this blog.

For as long as I have been drinking beer, I have heard people talking about Orkney Brewery’s Skull Splitter Scotch Ale. I always thought it had a badass name and that I should pick it up, but sadly it never went any further than that. I would always tell myself that I would pick it up sooner than later but somehow always forgot about it when it came to restocking the fridge. Well, thanks to a friend's generosity I finally had a bottle in my refrigerator with no excuses. It was time to try Skull Splitter.

From the moment I took in the aroma, I knew I had made a huge mistake by not trying this scotch ale sooner. The aroma was incredibly fruity with notes of dark cherry, plum, dates, figs, toasted bread, caramel, a hint of apple, a touch of earthiness, and a warm boozy reminder that this is an 8.5% beer.

After my first sip. I was astounded by the complexity of this beer. Toasted bread, caramel, tobacco, dark cherry and molasses are the strongest notes to come through. There are also hints of dates, figs, smoke and apple. The finish is dry, spicy, and boozy with a pleasant hint of lemon. The lemon was subtle but a really nice touch. There is so much to like here from this Scottish classic, I wish I had a second bottle to follow this.

It might sound like I am gushing here but I really enjoyed Skull Splitter. This classic scotch ale lived up to its reputation and it will not be long until it finds its way into my glass again. If you are a fan of scotch ales and have yet to try this one, I highly recommend picking it up.


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Lawson's Maple Nipple Amber Ale

I am excited that offerings besides Sip of Sunshine & the Super Session session IPA from Vermont's Lawson's Finest Liquids are getting distribution to Western NY. It feels like only yesterday I was waiting in line for a draft pour of Sip of Sunshine and now I can walk in to any beer isle and find their beers. What a time to be alive! Since I had yet to try their Maple Nipple Amber Ale, I wasted no time in purchasing it once it hit stores. I thought it would be the perfect beer for this blog.

First things first, I am not going to lie. I had a touch of sticker shock when I saw the 17.99 price tag for a 4-pack but figured if it was from Lawson's, it was going to be well worth purchasing. After opening my first can and pouring it into a glass, I took in the aroma. It reminded me of Fall more than anything else. Rich caramel, toasted bread, a lighter than expected maple syrup note and herbal hops greeted me in the aroma. It instantly took me back to October and in hindsight, if it was paired with a crisp Fall night I might have enjoyed it slightly more. 

When I took my first sip, I found myself underwhelmed. The caramel, toasted bread, toffee and spicy, herbal hop finish stand out the most. In a way, this very much reminded me of a stronger Oktoberfest, and for a moment I enjoyed it. The maple syrup is there but there is not enough of it in the flavor for my taste. If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know that when a beer promises maple syrup, I really want to taste the maple syrup. With Maple Nipple, it is definitely there, there is just not enough of it. I found myself disappointed by that and even more disappointed by the green apple off-flavor that I continued to pickup the further I got into the pint. By the time my glass was empty, I felt like the best thing about Maple Nipple was its hilarious can art. 

With some beers, if I feel future batches could improve them, I have no problem revisiting them down the line. That could very well be the case for this one. However, with this beer's price point and the level of disappointment I feel as I write this, I highly doubt I will be picking up again.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

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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Oskar Blues Guns 'N' Rosé & Can-O-Bliss

Oskar Blues' two new releases just hit shelves in Western NY and I wasted no time in purchasing both of them. The only thing I wrestled with was which one to try first. Guns 'n' Rosé is a rose ale brewed with hibiscus & prickly pear, and Can-O-Bliss is a Tropical IPA and the first in a trilogy of IPAs to bear that name. The next releases in the series will be Hazy & Citrus. While this is usually where I tease my thoughts on these beers, I will skip ahead and just come out and tell you that both of them are fantastic.

My favorite beer of the two was Guns 'n' Rosé. To describe it as easy-to-drink is an understatement. The floral, berry, and lemony-citrus aroma is delightful and the flavor that followed blew me away. Lemon tartness dominated initially before a wonderful balance of herbal tea, cranberry, and bubblegum sweetness. The finish is dry and crisp, clean, and begs for another sip. This is a beer version of herbal tea and while I do not think it is for everyone, I really enjoyed it and will be restocking my fridge with it once it is gone.

Can-O-Bliss Tropical IPA is also fantastic and kicks off the series on a high note. It also made me laugh out loud when I read Juice Willis on the top of the can. Bright citrus, lots of passion fruit, mango, crushed pineapple, melon, pine resin, and peach with a touch of spice came through in the nose. That tropical bliss carries into the flavor which sees the pineapple, peach, passion fruit, mango, orange marmalade, and melon in the flavor before a hit of bitter grapefruit, pepper and pine in the finish. The finish is a touch chalky but by no means ruins the beer. Can-O-Bliss is delicious and delivers a lot of flavor for its under 10 dollar a six pack price point. 

If you are looking for something new to drink, you can't go wrong with either of these beers. Both deliver a ton of flavor for a great price. The Can-O-Bliss is definitely the crowd pleaser of the two but if you are looking for something different I highly recommend Guns 'n' Rosé. I do not think you can go wrong either way.

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!