The more I drink Imperial stouts, I have found in the weeks that I have been reviewing stored and aged bottles from my cellar, that I'm not as big a fan of Imperial stouts as I am of regular stouts and porters.
They're serious ales, and I'm not a serious guy.
An Imperial stout is something that should be enjoyed once in a while: I don't think it's something that you should drink on a regular basis, unless you enjoy having your taste buds blown away and like a lot of alcohol. For myself, it takes at least an hour to drink one of these bad boys, more, if the bottle is a big one.
But as I go through my cellar, I'm depleting my collection, all in the interest of seeing what it's like to age some heavy ales. This week, I opened two bottles: one, that I purchased late last fall; the other, that my wife brought home for me in the autumn of 2013. Let's see how they drank.
Dragonslayer Imperial Stout (9.5% ABV)
Middle Ages Brewing Company
Syracuse, NY
Appearance: cavernous black with a deep-taupe head that quickly forms to a full lace.
Nose: espresso and chocolate malt that is as rich as a dragon's lair; bits of cedar.
Palate: dark chocolate and rich, full-bodied coffee. The alcohol comes through in the finish and leaves you with a fire-breathing dragon's breath.
Overall impression: this is a classic Imperial stout—neither dull nor spell-binding. I enjoyed drinking it but wouldn't want it all the time. After all, a dragon is fascinating to see, but you wouldn't want one roaming your neighbourhood. I bought this bottle last fall, directly from the brewery. I tried a couple of their brews once I got them home: I'm glad I hung onto this one.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
The next beer is something that I almost forgot I had. When my wife went to Toronto, to enjoy a ladies' weekend with her closest friends, I asked her to visit one of the city's newest breweries (at the time). I had never been, and only knew of their beer by reputation, from the opinions of other Ottawa beer bloggers. I didn't know what would be available, but I asked my wife to grab a sample.
When she included an Imperial stout in the awesome mix, I thought I would lay it down for a year or so and see how it would fare. And over that year, as I enjoyed all of the other brews she had given me, I had great expectations.
I had a devil of a time with it.
Hellwoods Imperial Stout 2013 (10% ABV)
Bellwoods Brewery
Toronto, ON
Appearance: black as Hell with toffee-like sediment that sank to the bottom of the glass. A dark-taupe head quickly settled to a thin cap.
Nose: alcohol, chocolate, and a sinfully sweet caramel.
Palate: burnt wood, espresso beans (the beans, not the coffee), alcohol. The initial sipping experience had me feeling like I was being tormented, punished for the life I had lived so far. Perhaps, I had resisted the temptation of drinking it right away, and now I was paying for that sin. It went down as though I had swallowed a pitchfork: over time, however, the ale opened up and was more drinkable.
Overall impression: it's hard to tell if I was drinking this Imperial stout too early, too late, or during some awkward transitional phase. At one point, I was tempted to dump the remaining contents down the drain. But, because I was sipping it over several hours, I became accustomed to it's flavours. They lulled me—one sip called for another. I even swallowed the dregs.
This was the ale that made me think that perhaps an Imperial stout should be taken less regularly. Like, once a month. To be savoured for what it is, and then to move on to a pale ale, or a session ale.
Beer O'Clock rating: 1.5 (at first); 2.5 (overall)
I have two more of these beers to sample, and then I think I'll declare Imperial-stout season over.
For me, at least.
Cheers!
I've been incredibly negligent in my beer reviewing, since Christmas. After reviewing a stellar chocolate milk stout, I had a Belgian IPA that did very little for me (and so, I didn't review it), then overindulged on one of my favourite beers, and then settled right down, drinking only three wee bottles of beer for the rest of the holidays.
I did have some amazing wine with friends, as we celebrated the new year, and a spectacular 1991 Tokaji Aszú (pronounced toke-eye ah-zoo, it's a sweet Hungarian dessert wine) that my wife and I had stashed in our cellar but finally opened and shared, with family, on Christmas Day.
But I digress.
All this to say I didn't have much in the way of beer over the past couple of weeks. But, last night, I decided that a review was overdue. And I had two good reasons to break out a bottle: two friends were celebrating birthdays, so I promised that I would raise a glass to one and dedicate a beer review to the other.
Cheers to you both! To Miriam, The Merry Runner, and Marissa, The Beer Gypsy!
As it turned out, the beer that I chose to review is a favourite of Marissa's, so there's an added bonus to opening it. Actually, I should have suspected as much, because I believe it was Marissa who brought a bottle of this Baltic porter to the last Ottawa Bottle Share. At that time, I only had a small sip of it: this time, I had an entire bottle to savour for myself.
Let's take a look:
Lost River Baltic Porter (ABV 8.5%)
Bellwoods Brewery
Toronto ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Appearance: deep walnut with a creamy, dark taupe head that settles to a full cap.
Nose: dark chocolate, fresh, ground walnuts, and prunes.
Palate: dark-roasted coffee, prunes, and cedar, with a bitter, slightly alcoholic but well-balanced finish. As the porter opens up, the alcohol becomes less-defined.
Overall impression: this is a bold and bitter porter with distinct, roasted notes. It's a celebratory ale that would pair well with a good cigar—which is appropriate for my tasting.
For me, Baltic porters have larger-than-life flavours and come off as being boozy. The Porter Baltique Grande Cuvée by Les Trois Mousquetaires is a classic example of a heady porter. But while Lost River is big in flavour, it lacks in the boozy characteristic.
And, for me, that puts it heads above the other Baltic porters.
While this brew is not available through the LCBO, you can get it directly from the brewery. And because I don't live in Toronto, that makes me sad. I can only hope that Bellwoods gets its product in the stores and in Ottawa.
Because, when I want to toast my friends on their birthday, I want easy access to good beer.
Cheers!
My first official foray into the world of craft beer happened when my friend, Perry Mason, introduced me to the first beer he made for his brewery, The Scotch-Irish Brewing Company. It was simply called Session Ale and was modeled after the British ales that where light in alcohol but still maintained a full flavour and good balance between malt and hops.
In Perry's words, his Session Ale was "the best beer the British never made."
I loved that ale and drank it every chance I got, which meant that I spent a lot of time at the Arrow & Loon pub.
I miss that beer.
As I became more and more familiar with various styles of beer, my preference leaned towards stouts and porters, one of my favourites again being Perry's porter (pee-pee, for short), Black Irish Porter.
While I've never wondered what a beer would taste like if a session ale and a stout were combined, I now never have to wonder, because I've now tried one.
Grognard Session Stout (3.8% ABV)
Bellwoods Brewery
Toronto ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Appearance: dark brown—almost black, with a lush, creamy taupe head that creates peaks as it settles.
Nose: coffee, tobacco, and is slightly herbal.
Palate: rich coffee and cedar; definite hops that come to a clean finish.
Overall impression: I'm surprised at the body, given the low alcohol level. It's a good, well-balanced session ale mixed with a light stout.
This is the first beer that I've had from Bellwoods. Sadly, it's not available in the LCBO. It's availability seems limited to the Toronto area: specifically, the brewery. Luckily, my wife was in TO last weekend and brought me back five different offerings from the brewery.
My first "session" was a success and I can't wait to try the others. And, if this brewery gets its ales in the LCBO, I will surely be a regular customer.
I also give points on it bringing my memories back to my early days of enjoying craft beer.
Cheers!
