Lakefront Brewery, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started in 1987 by Russ and Jim Klisch who started the brewing as home brewers competing over who could make the best beer. Although I am located in California, I was able to find a 6-pack of their IPA at a local store in San Mateo and I’m glad I did find this IPA. It has a great hoppy nose from the Cascage and Chinook hops but balanced by a generous malty sweetness.

Lakefront Brewery describes their IPA as follows:

Pours a hazy orange with a rocky white head that lasts, and leaves soft lace on your glass as you sip this refreshing beer. American Cascade and Chinook hops dominate the aroma, yielding a citrusy, floral bouquet. The hops give a nice bitter bite to the flavor, but this beer is surprisingly well balanced with a full body and smooth malty flavor to back up the hops. It finishes smooth and crisp with a lingering hop flavor reminiscent of fresh ruby red grapefruit.

Date Reviewed. November 17, 2009.

Where I Found It. Draeger’s in San Mateo

Serving Type. 12 oz bottle to a glass.

Appearance. Being careful to pour the beer without stirring up the yeast, I found this IPA clear with a nice light-tan head. The head died down from full volume quickly but left about 7 mm for quite a long time and then and everlasting clumpy, thin layer of foam until the last drop. The color is a nice dark orange, or light oak, amber color.

Smell. Lakefront IPA has a very nice hoppy bouquet of citrus, floral, earthy, and pine. The aroma is malty sweet with hints of sweet biscuit and roasted malts. The sweet aroma combines with the citrus notes to produce a an aroma like ruby red grapefruit. The smell of this beer is very inviting.

Taste. Although the nose is very hoppy, the bitterness is very light in the first few sips. As you drink more, however, the bitterness grows but is a smoother hop bitterness. For the most part the malty sweetness takes a back seat to the hops and is there to balance the hop bitterness. However, just as in the smell, the sweet malt and citrus hops produce a pleasurable, beery grapefruit flavor.  Maybe I had a weird body chemistry reaction, but the aftertaste is slightly little like ripe bananas.

Mouthfeel. Lakefront IPA is a medium bodied beer that seems to be a bit lighter in mouthfeel than the sweet aroma might suggest. I personally felt it to be a touch to watery. It is moderately to lightly carbonated.

Drinkability. The smooth bitterness of this beer makes it more quaffable than other IPAs out there. The bitterness does however build over time but if you drink leisurely enough it will never become overwhelming. This is a tasty IPA that I will keep in mind for the next time I travel to the Great Lakes area.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.5
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.0

Information

• Style: IPA
• Brewery: Lakefront Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 6.9%
• Hops: Cascade, Chinook
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.86 (as of March 19, 2010)

Other Reviews

• The Liquid Diet – Lakefront Brewery India Pale Ale
• Beer Dorks – IPA Lakefront Brewery
• Beer Advocate – Lakefront IPA
• Rate Beer - Lakefront IPA

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout is the union of an imperial stout with coffee which produces a very interesting and tasty beer. It is produced by one of Japan’s first craft breweries, Kiuchi Brewery, who has been brewing beer in Naka-shi, Japan since 1996.

I had this bottle around for several months and I was waiting for the right moment to decide to open it. When I read and reported that California Assemby Bill 1958 is in committee and might outlaw beer that contains coffee, I thought it was just the right moment to not only open my bottle of Espresso Stout but also encourage you to crack open a bottle of coffee infused craft beer.

Date Reviewed. March 12, 2010

Where I Found It. City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA.

Serving Type. Bottle into an imperial pint glass.

Appearance. Hitachino Espresso Stout has a dark black color but when you pour it out you can see that the beer is crystal clear. The head has a spot on espresso crema color. In fact, had I poured of this beer into a shot glass (and let the head settle a little) it would look exactly like a shot of espresso. The head of this beer is foamy, frothy, and quite nearly permanent. It took a very long time for the head to settle and left plenty of lacing on the side of the glass. It is quite the sight.

Smell. This beer has a chocolate, coffee, and mocha aroma. The chocolate aspect of the aroma is almost like chocolate syrup which further reminds me a a sweet dark chocolate mocha. The smell also has a nice espresso roast quality to it. There is also a hint of a fruity smell like pears.

Taste. The flavor of Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout really lives up to its name but is not quite as interesting as the smell and appearance. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a very tasty beer and there is no denying the coffee flavors. The bitterness of the hops and roasted malt combined with the coffee make this beer taste like a shot of espresso with a touch of dark brown sugar added to it. Add the silky texture to the mix and it is almost like an espresso con panna but not quite as sweet. There is an earthy spiciness to this beer like cola and anise or maybe just a touch of each. Finally, this beer is also a bit boozy, which might be expected at 7.5%, and slightly yeasty.

Mouthfeel. This beer is full bodied and moderately carbonated. Despite the foamy and frothy head, this beer is by no means over carbonated. It is just shy of a syrupy texture.

Drinkability. The bitterness of the roasted malt and/or coffee in Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout is a little distracting to the overall taste. Combine that bitter coffee flavor with 7.5% alcohol by volume and this is not a session beer but definitely a unique brew that very enjoyable.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 3.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 3.5
• Overall: 3.95
  

Information

• Style: Imperial stout
• Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 7.5%
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.04 (as of March 11, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Frosty Goodness – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout. Coffee + Beer = Sink.
• Thom’s Beer Blog – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Good Beer and Country Boys – Hitachino Nest Beer Espresso Stout
• Enkidu Brew - Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Beer Geek Heaven – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Beer Advocate - Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• 97 Bottles – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Draft Mag – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• The Full Pint – Review – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

A few days ago I posted an article about California Assembly Bill 1598, which is currently in committee and will, as currently written, potentially outlaw any malt beverage that contains caffeine, including the beloved craft beer styles that include coffee such as espresso stouts, coffee porters, and more. [Updated March 12 at 10:21am] In my previous post, I mentioned that, yes, Beall’s office is working with the Craft Brewers Association to clarify this bill. This does not mean, however, that we should not sit by idly and wait. We need to express our discontent to the California Assembly regarding this bill and the slippery slope that it creates. Don’t let coffee stout be outlawed by a technicality!

Since writing that article, I have seen much support against this bill on twitter and from readers of this blog. I also wrote letters to both the committee chair, Joe Coto, of Governmental Organization (G.O.) as well as Assemblyperson Jim Beall, who introduced the bill. I have not received a response, personally, until this morning.

This weekend I would like you to help out and protest this horribly written piece of legislation in the following manner:

• Find a craft beer made with coffee and enjoy it. Use Twitter to announce what coffee beer you are drinking and use the hashtags #noab1598 #iheartcoffeestout
• If you do not use Twitter, then announce what beer you had in the comments of this post.
• Write an email to Jim Beall, Joe Coto, or your California Assembly representative expressing your displeasure will AB 1598 and that you think it needs to be either completely re-written or, better, stopped altogether.
  • Jim Beall: Assemblymember.Beall@assembly.ca.gov
  • Joe Coto: Assemblymember.coto@assembly.ca.gov
• Put a this badge on your blog or website. A link back to this blog post is not mandatory but would be useful.

<a href=”http://beer47.com/2010/03/protest-the-california-bill-to-outlaw-coffee-stout-ab-1598/” mce_href=”http://beer47.com/2010/03/protest-the-california-bill-to-outlaw-coffee-stout-ab-1598/”><img src=”http://beer47.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/no-ab1598-badge.png” mce_src=”http://beer47.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/no-ab1598-badge.png” border=”0″ alt=”I heart coffee stout. No AB 1598.”></a>

With enough people involved, I’m sure we can all make a difference together and squash this frivolous law that would prevent us from drinking some great craft beer made with coffee.

Update: March 12, 2010 at 10:25am

I received a comment from Assemblymember Beall’s office below. They misunderstood that they had not replied to my message. So that everybody know what I sent to Beall and Coto, I will post my message here:

Assembly Member Beall,

I am writing to ask you to withdraw AB 1598.

I understand that the intent of AB 1598 is to outlaw caffeinated malt beverages that might be popular by young and underage drinkers. The desire to protect our youth is laudable but this bill serves to remove more liberties. There are several problems with the law in its current form:

1. It will also outlaw a niche in the craft beer market, which is coffee stouts, coffee porters, and yerba mate beer. There is wonderful roasty and mocha quality that coffee or espresso adds to these styles of beer that can not be reproduced otherwise. Furthermore, the coffee is naturally brewed and added to the beer during the standard brewing process.

2. There is already an FDA investigation with regard to caffeine and stimulant additions to malt beverages. My understand is that there are also already regulations and guidelines governing caffeine in beer. Why does California need another bill on the books when there are already Federal guidelines?

3. There are a few sections of the bill that state facts and make assertions with out the proof of the research behind those assertions. With out the research they are merely opinions. There is even a misguided assertion that social networks are comprised only of young people but the fact is that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is 35+ and 18-25 is shrinking percentage-wise.

4. Finally, if the issue is marketing these soda-pop alcohol drinks to minors and young people, then write a new bill to outlaw the practice of marketing alcohol to underage drinkers. If you make it difficult or impossible for big alcohol to reach the underage demographic, then there will be no need for those products.

Finally, I also understand that you or the committee are already in talks with craft brewers about this bill. I’m writing to let you know that it is not only the craft brewers that are concerned with this bill but also consumers such as myself and the readers of my blog.

Thank you,
David Jensen
San Mateo, CA

Update: March 12, 2010 at 2:30pm

In addition to the comment below, I also received an email from Cris from Assemblymember Beall’s office. Cris did mention that the intent of the bill is to prevent manufacture of an unsafe product. Fair enough but I still have not seen the research (waiting on a reply for that) that explains what the unsafe levels are. Cris also provided a link to the FDA regulations on the matter:

FDA To Look Into Safety of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages

From reading that it seems to me that the manufacturers of the beverages have to prove that it is safe but what is considered safe has not been defined. In its current form AB 1598 does assist in creating the definition of what is safe. It takes broad strokes that could be applied to your favorite coffee stout. Intention or not, it’s a bill that could become law, if how it is written does not reflect this supposed intention, then we have a problem.

Finally, here is my response to the email that I received from Jim Beall’s office.

Cris,

Can you forward references to the studies that caffeinated alcoholic drinks are unsafe? I’m curious about the unsafe levels and the circumstances studied. I’m also not sure what the problem is with this FDA regulation, the manufacturer has the burden of proof that the product is safe. I know one brewery that uses licorice in their beer and had to get FDA approval. The resulting product has safer levels of licorice than licorice candy. (Note: licorice can increase blood pressure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquorice). If the problem with the FDA regulation is the ambiguity of what is considered safe, then AB 1598 also does not address that. If any caffeine plus 0.5% alcohol is what is considered unsafe, then that is much much to board and I’m very skeptical of those numbers.

I also agree that the government needs to intercede on behalf of the public to protect the public from dangerous products. We should not have lead in toys. But it has not been proven to me, yet, what amounts are considered dangerous. Over short (or prolonged) periods of time alcohol in large quantities is dangerous and caffeine in large quantities is dangerous. But we don’t ban alcohol and we don’t ban caffeine, we regulate the amount that is considered safe and even then, it can still be abused so we encourage moderation and provide warning labels.

I’ve tried rum and coke, red bull vodka, jack and coke, espresso stout, coffee porter, and so on. At what point are these beverages unsafe? If we use scientific research to set limits on what is considered safe amounts of alcohol and caffeine that can be combined it and sold as a single unit, then I might be willing to accept that.

We don’t have to wait for the FDA to “catch-up” but we should not be so quick to jump the gun without the proper research (again, I’d like to see the research). Furthermore, the bill as it stands still it too broad and still make unsubstantiated or absurd statements. The whole thing about Facebook and MySapce still bothers me.

If the intent of the law is to regulate safe levels of alcohol plus caffeine, then keep it simple and word it as such.

I suggest writing the law as if it were an FDA regulation. Keep to the facts and keep the crap out.

You have a good weekend too.

Cheers!
David Jensen
San Mateo, CA

Normally, I only post articles about beer reviews, beer events, home brewing, and cooking with beer but something a little more political and beer related recently caught my attention. I was reading a post by @DevilsCanyon that linked to California bill AB 1598, which outlaws malt beverages that contain caffeine. I’m not lawyer or legislator but there seems to be some issues with this bill that could lead to outlawing coffee stout.

The bill language and some reference links can be found at the following locations:

• AB 1598
• AB 1598 Status
• Subpart F of Section 25.55 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations
• Chapter 51 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations

Below are the questions and concerns that I have about the bill:

• Does it or does it not outlaw beverages such as coffee stouts?
  • This is my biggest concern. Will it prevent me from home brewing my own coffee porter or stouts?
  • There seems to be a section that exempts beer such as stout, porter, ale, lager, etc. but to me it is not that obvious.
• It leaves the terminology for “stimulants” open ended.
  • I interpret (or misinterpret) a situation where somebody like Uncommon Brewers might have to cease producing some of there beer if somebody considers anise or licorice or something else a stimulant, despite the fact that they have received FDA approval for their beer.
• It makes a bunch of assertions to justify the existence of this bill, some of which are hokey, false, or without proof.
  • For instance, according to the bill, social networking sites, like Facebook and MySapce, are used to market to, specifically, young people. I guess the California legislature knows the Facebook demographics better than Facebook. The truth is the 18-25 demographic on Facebook is shrinking percentage-wise. In March 2009, it was down to 35%.
  • Does caffeine and alcohol really impair you ability to know how drunk you are? Maybe there is a study for this but I’d like to read the study before it gets jammed into law as fact.
• The law outlaws caffeinated malt beverages but doesn’t touch Red Bull vodka. This is also a slippery slope, will Red Bull vodka be next? What about rum and coke?
• I was looking for Title 26 Section 5092 for the definition of “brewer” but could not find it and it seems that 5052(d) has replaced 5092 but I’m not certain.

What do you think of this AB 1598? Does it outlaw coffee stout and porter?

Update: March 9, 2010 9:20am

Mario from Brewed For Thought contacted and received a response from Tom McCormick of the California Small Brewers Assoc. which indicates that there should be no concern, yet, about this bill.

Mario,
Currently we are in direct talks with the bill’s author, Assemblyman Jim Beall (Santa Clara). We expect to amend this bill fully so that it has no impact on craft brewers. If that changes for any reason, we will certainly look at a letter writing campaign etc.
Thanks for your support!
Tom

Tom McCormick
Executive Director
California Small Brewers Assoc.

Personally, I won’t be unconcerned until the bill is dead. This bill has a slippery slope down which we should not slide.

I also found a few more links this morning:

• Beer Advocate Forums: Coffee Brews Threatened in California (Assembly Bill 1598)
• Coffee ales and lagers threatened in California by Charlie Papazian

Update: March 9, 2010 at 11:22am

Read the comments below. One read received a response from Jim Beall’s office as follows:

The Assemblymember is working with the craftsbrewer association to attempt to clarify the legislation. The intent of AB 1598 is to enforce federal legislation that prohibits alcoholic beverages that are spiked with stimulants.

Sincerely,

Frances Grammer

Senior Field Representative

If this is the case and the reason is to comply with federal regulations, then why is there all of that mumbo-jumbo in sections (a) through (j) of the bill? This bill needs a lot of work. They need to remove (a) through (j) and simply state it that the intent of this bill is to comply with the enforcement of federal regulations.

But now I ask, if there is already a federal regulation, why does California need a law on the books?

Update: March 10, 2010

FDA Investigation

I received a message on Twitter from @beerwars that this issue is similar to an ongoing investigation by the FDA. Here’s some details about that investigation: http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/blog/whats-in-your-kids-favorite-drink-big-brother-wants-to-know-01896.html

Jim Beall, California Assembly District 24

This bill was introduced by Jim Beall from District 24, which covers Santa Clara and parts of San Jose. Here is some information about Jim Beall:

• California Assembly web page on Jim Beall Jr.
• Jim Beall’s Assembly member home page
• Jim Beall for State Assembly 2010
• Jim Beall for State Senate 2012
• Campaign contributions for 2010 campaign
• Campaign contributions for 2012 campaign
• Email: Assemblymember.Beall@assembly.ca.gov

California Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization

This bill is currently in committee with the Committee on Governmental Organization. If your representative is on this list, then please send them an email with your displeasure about this bill. If you representative is not on the list, then send an email to Jim Beall or the committee chair, Joe Coto, District 23.

• Members of the Committee on Governmental Organization
• Joe Coto, committee chair: Assemblymember.coto@assembly.ca.gov

Shmaltz Brewing Company started out 13 years ago in San Francisco and although they are now based out of New York, they came back for SF Beer Week to celebrate their 13th Anniversary with this event and the release of Jewbelation 13. This event, appropriately named as their Bar Mitzvah (also the subtitle for Jewbelation 13), featured all of their Hebrew beer brands including two limited edition brews: Jewbelation 12 (2008) and Jewbelation 13 (2009). The party also included 2 live bands and cake. Although Amnesia was extremely crowded, this was a great event and a wonderful opportunity to have a vertical tasting of of the Jewbelation beer.

The following are some notes that I took for the Jewbelation beers.

Jewbelation 12 is the Shmaltz anniversary beer from 2008 made with 12 malts, 12 hops, and 12% alcohol by volume. Although it was a dark bar, it was still apparent that this beer has a deep dark color. It has a dark-roasted malty-sweet aroma and scents of bittersweet molasses. The flavor follows the aroma with a not-quite barley wine molasses flavor and astrong roasted malt flavor coupled with some pure cocao flavors. Jewbelation 12 also has notes of prunes and dark dried fruits. The smooth bitterness of this beer brings out molasses and coffee flavors. Smooth bitterness. Despite being 12% abv, this beer is not very boozy. The mouthfeel was syrupy and lightly carbonated.

Jewbelation 13 is the 13th anniversary beer made with, you guessed it, 13 malts, 13 hops, and 13% alcohol by volume. It has a similar color and mouthfeel to 12 but it has much different flavors. Since this beer has not been aged for a year, it is greener in both age, flavor, and hops. The flavor comes off much less like molasses and much more more like beer brittle. The hop bouquet is much more apparent and is spicy and earthy. It is clearly more bitter, with a more harsh bitterness, and more hoppy than Jewbelation 12. The hop flavor makes me think of a very hoppy stout with an enhanced dark chocolate flavor. It is roasty and sweet and balanced by the hops. The beer was good to drink “fresh” and will certain age well. I will definitely wait for about a year to try the bottle that I have in my beer cellar.

Thirsty Bear Brewing hosted their second annual Casks & Quesos event for SF Beer Week at their brew pub restaurant in San Francisco on Saturday, February 6, 2010. I missed this even last year for SF Beer Week but after talking to the Thirsty Bear brew master, Brenden Dobel, at the Gala on the previous night, I decided that I was not going to miss this event and I’m very glad that I attended. The focus of this event was cask conditioned beer and cheese with unlimited samples of beer and as much cheese as you could eat. No wonder the event was sold out!

Casks were brought in from several California breweries with most of them from the San Francisco Bay Area. There were 12 selections of beer from Thirsty Bear, Magnolia, 21st Amendment, Half Moon Bay, Firestone-Walker, Gordon-Biersch, Beach Chalet, Speakeasy, Sierra Nevada, Mayfield, and Triple Rock. I believe that I tried all but one. The three beers that I heard mentioned frequently as “the beers you have to try” were the 21st Amendment Imperial ESB, Thirsty Bear Bearly Legal Barleywine, and Triple Rock Hi-Top IPA. All of the beer was quite fantastic and all three of those were certainly also among my 11 favorites of the evening.

The following are some tasting notes of the beer that I tried that evening.

Thirsty Bear Bearly Legal Barleywine is a cloudy yellow-orange amber hued beer with an off-white not-quite-tan head and it a bit lighter than I expected. The hop bouquet is leafy, spicy, and noble with a hint of citrus and is likely due to dry hopping with Mt. Hood hops. There is also a subtle sweet malt and biscuit aroma. This beer has a pleasant malty sweetness but is just a bit drier than other barleywines that I’ve had. It also does not have a molasses quality to it. The bitterness from the hops is smooth and complements the sweetness very well. Despite being 10% abv, Bearly Legal Barleywine does not smell nor taste boozy. This is a full bodied beer which is surprisingly easy to drink and is an overall delicious and well made beer.

Triple Rock Hi-Top IPA is cloudy and amber colored with a sizeable head for a cask conditioned ale. The Cascade and Centennial hops provide for a wonderfully strong hoppy nose of pine, citrus, grapefruit, spiciness, and floral notes. This beer is a bit sweet and contrasts well against smooth bitter hop flavors and grapefruit. The grapefruit flavors manifest more like a sweet grapefruit juice than a the sour and bitter fruit. This medium-full bodied beer is an easy to consume session beer that is full of flavor.

Magnolia Prescription Pale Ale. I really enjoyed this ale and I thought it captured the English inspiration of both being pale and a cask ale while still having some California influence. The color was a clear amber color with not much head (as most casks ales are). The hops bouquet has a gentle hoppy, citrus, and floral quality with some malty biscuit qualities. The flavor was malty sweet balanced smoothy by some hop bitterness. On cask this is quite an enjoyable medium-bodied and low-carbonation.

Speakeasy Paypack Porter is a robust and full flavored porter. It has a dark black color with a mocha colored head. The aroma exudes copious amounts of chocolate with a hint of caramel and a bit like fresh baked brownies. There are also hints of vanilla which enhances the chocolate aromas. This beer is sweet and chocolaty almost to the point of tasting like chocolate syrup due to the thick mouthfeel. Tasting this beer reveals a roasty and caramel malty sweetness. It is a full bodied beer with the slightest hint of chalkiness, which for some reason I tend to detect in many if not all porters. It is delectable and drinkable.

Serra Nevada Stout from a cask, in my opinion, is much tastier than out of the bottle. The hoppy aromas and flavors seem a little more subdued from the cask stout allowing the dark roasty flavors to dominate. The hops still manifest bitterness which contrasts nicely against the roasty malt sweetness to produce some great coffee an espresso flavors and aromas.

Half Moon Bay Bootlegger Brown. I found this brown colored ale to have just the right amount of maltiness with a subtle hop bitterness. It smelled of toasty and roasted malts. It was a struggle to not grab another glass of this delicious brown ale.

I felt that the Gordon-Biersch Dampfbier was much better and more flavorful out of the cask than out of the keg.

On Monday, Feb. 8, 21st Amendment (21A) hosted an SF Beer Week event called Can-a-palooza featuring craft beer in a can from a number of different breweries. When I showed up, about three hours after the event started, they were out of everything except Fat Tire, 21A IPA, and 21A Watermelon Wheat. This is likely due to the fact that the cans were only $2, you just can’t beat that price.

The event had great attendance and was hosted on the second level, which had a nice view of the brewery where the disco ball was out (see photo below).

Breweries that were featured at this event were Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Uncommon Brewers, Oskar Blues, Buckbean, New Belgium, Big Sky, and 21st Amendment. Next time I’ll be sure to get there earlier, a piece of advice that I recommend for all of the events for SF Beer Week 10.

SF Beer Week is finally here an on Friday, festivities were kicked off with the SF Brewer’s Guild Opening Gala at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The format of this event was basically a beer festival, complete with souvenir glasses, 20 or so craft breweries, live music, food, tons of people, and unlimited pours. Early in the evening there were toasts to commemorate the festivities and special release beers abound.

The following are only a few of the great beers that I sampled at this event.

SF Brewer’s Guild Imperial Common. This is the official beer of SF Beer Week 10 and is a collaborative brew by the SF Brewer’s Guild. It looks like the plan is to make it available at several events throughout the week until it is gone. It has a nice malty and caramel sweet aroma with a woody, green hops bouquet and a touch of citrus. It doesn’t really taste like a stronger version of Anchor Steam but is not also a complete surprise. It has a nice malty flavor, slightly toasty, and a noticeable hop bitterness. Although the hop bitterness is pronounced it is nicely balanced against the malt sweetness. The Imperial common is medium bodied with a smooth bitter taste and is more sweet than dry while not being boozy at all. I find this to be an enjoyable and well craft beer made with Northern Brewer hops and St. George Spirits whiskey barrels.

Sierra Nevada Weizenbock. This was quite a surprising special release beer from Sierra Nevada. This is by far one of the cloudiest beers I’ve experienced with a wonderful yellow-orange hue. The smell has a nice fruity fresh ripe bananas and rich maltiness and lacks cloves. It might have just a touch of vanilla, enhancing the banana-split-like smell. This beer is rich with flavor. It is malty with some grainy qualities accompanied by a hint of banana and a touch of lemon zest. The Perle hops in this beer give it a noticeable but smooth bitterness and some earthy notes. It is full bodied, nicely carbonated, tasty, and delicious.

Black Diamond Tenzing Imperial Porter. This  dark, rich, and delicious beer is named after Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa that climbed Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary.This beer has a lot of clarity but nearly opaque due to the dark brown color. The head is like chocolate milk. The predominant smell is that of a high quality dark chocolate bar which is, in part, likely due to the presence of vanilla and cocoa nibs in the beer. The flavor has chocolate but also has a rich roasty flavor with a hint of espresso. The mouthfeel is full bodied and this beer has a richness to it that in some ways makes it seem more like a stout.

Black Diamond Quadrupel. This is a high gravity ale that is dark amber in color with an off-white, tan head. It smells very malty and somewhat like molasses and just a bit fruity without much in the way Belgian yeast characteristics. The flavor was sweet, roasted malts, and just a little boozy. It is a full bodied beer which is a pleasure to drink.

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball. This is a high gravity beer that is malty sweet balanced with spicy hops and quite drinkable for such a strong beer.

Drakes 1500 Pale Ale. This crystal clear amber-orange colored beer is quite a hoppy pale ale made. It is made with Simcoe and Amarillo hops which is quite apparent in the nose with notes of citrus, fresh grapefruit, pomelo, grass, and earth. The taste has a smooth bitterness and the grapefruit and pomelo flavors are present. It is not too bitter but the bitterness and the flavor of the hops dominates the maltiness. This is another great California hoppy pal ale.

Valley Brewing Bill Brand Brett. This sour beer is a tribute to the departed beer writer Bill Brand. It has a cloudy straw color and a sour ale aroma with just a nice hint of bready yeast. The sourness in the flavor is prevailing but combines well with a touch of sweetness from the malt. The sourness is fruity, not like vinegar, and quite refreshing. It is a medium bodied beer and quite drinkable for a sour ale.

Valley Brewing Pomegranate Saison. Valley has made a wonderful fruity, Belgian-style farmhouse ale with a nice orange amber hue. The flavor is a little sour and fruity with just the right amount of pomegranate flavor. The sweetness balances the sour for a pleasant drinkable medium-bodied beer.

Other notable beers that I tried were Gordon-Biersch Dampfbier, a German steam beer, Shmaltz Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah with 13% abv, 13 malts, 13 hops, Devil’s Canyon Bill Brand Brown, Thirsty Bear Winter Warmer, NapaSmith Lost Dog Red Ale, and Firestone Velvet Merkin.

Bison Brewing is a small brewery, headquartered out of Berkeley, California that brews USDA certified organic beer and sells it to 12 states (as of writing). The history of the brewery was a little turbulent but the excellence of their product has prevailed as exemplified by beers such as Chocolate Stout, Honey Basil Ale, and, the beer we’re focusing on today, Gingerbread Ale.

Bison describes Gingerbread Ale on their website and on the bottle as follows:

Our Spiced holiday porter is brewed with ginger, nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon, yielding the aroma of fresh backed gingerbread men! The chewy dark malt flavors are sure to smooth out that dinner with the in-laws.

Date Reviewed. December 13, 2009

Where I Found It. City Beer Store in San Francisco.

Serving Type. Bottle to pint glass.

Appearance. Bison Gingerbread Ale is deep dark brown, nearly black, and opaque. You can see a little light through the corners of the glass, which gives the beer a deep dark red-brown glow. The head is cola-fizz color. Poured about 0.75 inch of head which did not last long. However, a nice thin layer of foam remained throughout consumption.

Smell. This beer has wonderful holiday spice bouquet of ginger and cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg. It also has the perception of cloves, even though cloves are not listed an ingredient. The spices do not overwhelm and contribute to a good balance of beer and spice. It also has a hint of brown sugar and a nice roasty malt aroma. The roasted and black malts contribute the a hint of coffee aroma.

Taste. Gingerbread Ale is balanced and not excessively sweet. It has a toasty and roasty malt taste with a dark sugar flavor lacking the bitterness of molasses. The dry sugar flavor combines well with the ginger and cinnamon to have just enough spice without being overwhelming. The spice is more subtle in the taste than the smell, which is good thing. This beer tastes better at cellar temperatures than ice cold.

Mouthfeel. Medium-light bodied and nicely carbonated. Like many porters this one has a ever so slightly chalky mouthfeel that smooths out at a warmer temperature.

Drinkability. As a holiday beer this is very tasty and, despite being a spiced beer, I could drink two of these in one session. This beer is great to sip and savor slowly.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.5
• Drinkability (10%): 4.0
• Overall: 4.05

Information

• Style: herb spice beer
• Brewery: Bison Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 6.0%
• Original Gravity: 1.054
• Final Gravity: 1.009 (calculated)
• Bitterness: 21 IBU
• Malts: (all organic) 2-row, caramel, chocolate, roast barley, black
• Other ingredients: (all organic) ginger, nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.6 (as of December 26, 2009).

Other Reviews

• Drink with the Wench – Gingerbread Ale & Butternut Squash Soup
• Mike Loves Beer – Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale
  
• Brewed for Thought – Beer of the Week: Bison Brewing Gingerbread Ale
• Daily Beer Review – Gingerbread Ale
• Beer Advocate – Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale

On a recent trip to City Beer Store in San Francisco I was browsing the beer fridge, after having tried De Ranke’s Père Noel, trying to figure out what other winter season beer to try. As soon as I spotted 2 Turtle Doves by The Bruery, I grabbed a 750ml to try. I first heard about 2 Turtle Doves (or sometimes Two Turtle Doves) on twitter from @aircoleman who recommended it with this tweet: “2 Turtle Doves” is a Belgian-style Dark Ale brewed with cocoa nibs and toasted pecans. A very nice 12% winter beer!”

2 Turtle Doves is crafted by a brewery in Orange County, CA called The Bruery, who specialize mostly in Belgian-style ales found either in 750ml bottles or on tap. This beer is the second winter seasonal beer they have produced in their series of the “Twelve Beers of Christmas” with the first being “Partridge in a Pear Tree.”

This is truly a wonderful winter beer which I initially described on Twitter as “like chocolate syrup muddled with a sweet stout with a little cola, gourmet coffee, and spices.” These flavors are not on accident. The bottle caption describes 2 Turtle Doves as follows:

Belgian-Style Dark Ale Brewed with Cocoa Nibs & Toasted Pecans

The second verse of our “Twelves Beers of Christmas” saga begins with caramel and toasty, nutty malt with a luscious layer of chocolate. Happy Holidays!

Date Reviewed. December 11, 2009

Where I Found It. City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA

Serving Type. Served from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance. 2 Turtle Doves has a dark black or very dark brown color with a pleasant mocha colored head. Head didn’t last to long in the tulip glass.

Smell. The aroma of this beer is heavily like dark chocolate syrup. It also has hints of cola, rum, with a dash of holiday spices like cloves or nutmeg. The spicy quality plus the cola undertones give it a smell like an artisan root beer or sassafras. The aroma also has hints of gourmet coffee. Finally, as the beer warms it reveals a bouquet of caramel, nutty pecans, and toasty malt.

Taste. I originally described 2 Turtle Doves on Twitter as follows, “it’s like chocolate syrup muddled with a sweet stout with a little cola, gourmet coffee, and spices.” The dark roasted malt flavor comes through like an iced coffee made with gourmet coffee and artisan dark chocolate bittersweet syrup. The sweetness and the alcohol come through like a 18-year aged rum while not being boozy. The hints of cola flavor complement all of the other flavors. Also picy cloves. Finally, the malt has a nice roasty and caramel flavor. 2 Turtles Does is a delectable dessert in a bottle.

Mouthfeel. This beer is full boded, thick, and smooth but there may be a few tannins, that come through, giving it a hint of chalkiness.

Drinkability. 2 Turtle Doves is pure liquid dessert, a treat, and delicious. Although it is 12% alcohol by volume, it drinks smoothly and easily.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 5.0
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.45

Information

• Style: Belgian-style dark strong ale.
• Brewery: The Bruery
• Alcohol by volume: 12% abv
• Other ingredients: cocoa nibs and toasted pecans
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.1 (as of Dec. 21, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Westworld Denver Food Blog – Beer and Cheer: The Bruery’s 2 Turtle Doves
• Hoosier Beer Geek – KOTBR #92 – Knights of the Thanksgiving Table 2
• The Full Pint – The Bruery 2 Turtle Doves
• Beer Advocate – 2 Turtle Doves
• 97 Bottles – 2 Turtle Doves