Anchorage Brewing Company - Galaxy White IPA

Anchorage says: "One of the new trails being blazed on the frontier of beer is the style known as White India Pale Ales. Galaxy White IPA represents a significant new landmark on that trail. With its use of fresh kumquats, Indian coriander, and black peppercorns, Galaxy pays homage to the early explorers, who sailed unknown seas in search of rare spices and exotic fruits. Captain Cook travelled from Australia to Alaska, and so have the Galaxy hops used to create this adventurous brew. Just as a true explorer never stands still, the presence of brettanomyces guarantees that Galaxy White IPA will keep evolving in the bottle for years to come."

So, there you (almost) have it. The bottle I'm drinking from is labeled Batch 1/Jan 2012, so while I don't know what the future of this beer is exactly, I'd guess they plan to make it again eventually. I was able to get it here in Los Angeles, but I don't really know what the distribution pattern for this one was like, since we see Anchorage only very sporadically as well. This IPA is 7% ABV and was aged for a spell in oak barrels.

Appearance: Light honey or straw colored, slightly cloudy, with a tall head that is about 3-4 fingers in height. The head recedes and leaves a fairly thick layer of foam on the beer, as well as some sparce lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Caramel malt, faint piney hop character, and a huge blast of funk. Rubber tire, horse blanket, all the good stuff.

Taste: It's a quandary with these oak-aged IPAs, that the hop character is really diminished, leaving mostly the notes from the malt backbone along with whatever character is acquired from the barrel. Interestingly, I don't mind that with this beer, since it has the Belgian white characteristics as well as definite funk from the Brett fermentation. Coriander, grass, oak, musk, pepper, a bit of sweetness from the malt, light orange, and just a bit of funky band-aid (and I feel like I have to say this every time I review a beer with Brett, that these flavors are not for everybody, but I really don't mean things like 'horse blanket' and 'band-aid' in a bad way!)

Mouthfeel: Thick, dense, and creamy. Not a completely dry finish as I might have expected from a Brett beer, but considering how heavy the mouthfeel is otherwise I suppose it is pretty clean.

Overall: Anchorage's blurb was all about adventure and bending genres and exploration, and I definitely think they've accomplished something unique, special, and interesting here. Is it the most outright tasty beer I've ever had? No. But for all of the wanking in the beer community about being bold and different, this beer actually lives up to the promise. If they brew it again, I would love to have the opportunity to drink a bottle super fresh so that I can get more of the hop character. 6 months isn't a very long time to sit on a bottle of "age-able" beer, but the purpose of ageing here is to let the Brett develop, and I definitely did get some Brett characteristics that I don't think I would have needed much more time to reach peak. Overall then this is a pretty solid beer that gets points for actually being creative.

4/5

Firestone Walker - Wookey Jack

Wookey Jack is Firestone's black rye IPA, which is made periodically, and it is 8.3% ABV. Firestone has good national distribution, and my understanding is that everyone in their normal distribution areas had access to this beer.

Appearance: This beer is dark brown, very nearly black, but not completely opaque. It pours off a tall, light tan head, that leaves dense lacing around the sides of the glass.

Smell: Floral and earthy hops, a touch of rye, slight hint of roasted character and chocolate.

Taste: The taste is primarily roast and rye at the foreground, but a grassy hop bitterness washes through in the mid-palate and persists in the finish. As the beer warms, the rye becomes more and more dominant throughout the whole body of flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied, and smooth. The bitterness from the hops adds a bit of perceived prickliness to cut the overall thickness.

Overall: This was a really tasty beer, and another really nice black IPA (with rye, which is a nice touch.) For some reason, this didn't really light my fire, but I certainly liked it, and it is definitely a solid beer I would recommend (particularly if you like black IPAs.)

3.5/5

Russian River - Beatification (Batch 5)

Beatification is a 6% American Wild Ale, aka a "sour beer," and specifically the type of sour beer that is spontaneously fermented (more on that below.) It's an incredibly complex process to create these, and Beatification is a rare offering from Russian River that only comes out every few years. It's a brewery-only release, so you (or someone you know) need(s) to go up to Santa Rosa, CA to get it.

You may be able to read from the label that this beer is 100% spontaneously fermented. This basically means that they didn't rely on controlled amounts or strains of brewers yeast (typically S. cerevisiae) to ferment this beer. Instead, the brewed wort (pre-beer) is left to the open air, so any old kind of bacteria or yeast can get at it. A particularly infamous type of yeast, Brettanomyces, flourishes in these conditions, and this yeast, along with bacteria Lactobacillus and Acetobacter, will create sour flavors as byproducts of their fermentations. What is usually a kind of scary thing is, in this case, encouraged, and many batches of these soured beers will usually be aged for many months, and then blended together until the brewers find a mixture they like. It's an acquired taste for many, but these beers often take on characteristics closer to wine (minus wine being sour) and as such have become lauded for their complexity -- and deliciousness!

Appearance: Light, clear honey caramel, with tons of active, visible carbonation. The head is small and pours initially about 2 fingers tall but recedes quickly to a thin layer of foam that is kept continuously active by the ever flowing carbonation.

Smell: Oak, vinegar, funky leather/tannic quality from the Brett, some lemon and grass.

Taste: Definite tart, sour funkiness from the Brett! Some acidic qualities as well, with lemon, a distinct woodiness, and some smoothing herbal flavors on the back end. Overall, the taste has a lot more kind of straightforward, clean sour flavors, while the nose carries a bit more of the barnyard funk.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is intense and noticeable, but the beer on the whole is very light-bodied and has a wonderful, dry finish. LOVE that dry finish.

Overall: This is a sour lover's sour. It's SUPER tart, but with some great citrus and earthy notes. I love how it feels to drink -- so light and refreshing, but there is such power in the taste. I'm drinking this bottle somewhat fresh, but this will be a fun one to hang onto for a bit to see how it continues to develop in the bottle. What a great beer!

4.5/5

Alpine - Nelson

Alpine says: "This golden IPA has the addition of rye to enhance the flavor profile and gives it that 'something special.' We use Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand, prized for their white wine, fruity flavor. The scent of fresh grapefruit greets you each time you lift your glass." Nelson is a "single" 7% ABV IPA.

I've written about Alpine IPAs before, but it's worth mentioning again that this brewery really excels at their hoppy offerings. Every Alpine IPA I've tried has been complex, balanced, and overall delicious. This is, actually, the first time I've ever tried Nelson! Being the small brewery that they are, Alpine's distribution is very limited, even in southern California, and it's become even more limited since the infamous "Expo incident" (essentially, the people at Alpine think that people from LA like to go out to Alpine, buy their beer, and put it on ebay, so they don't let too much of their beer go to LA or leave the brewery in general anymore.) I'm frustrated by their proclamation, myself, but who am I to tell them what to do with their beer?

Appearance: Nelson is golden orange, with an extremely dense, tall head that leaves tons of tightly-webbed lacing on the sides of the glass and a thin foam layer on top of the beer. The carbonation is visible, and the beer is mostly clear.

Smell: The scents of rye and citrus are front and center, and there is a sweetness present, but it seems to come more from the fruit and floral aromas than from any noticeable malt.

Taste: The first wave of flavor includes a pleasantly sharp punch from the hops, which contribute floral characteristics as well as orange and grapefruit flavors. Then the rye comes in and while the rye flavor is unmistakable, the immediate effect of the flavor is to "round the edges" on the hop profile, so to speak. If the hops are sharp or biting, the rye is smooth and creamy. The notes play together so well. Though flavors from the malt backbone never come to the forefront, there is a sturdiness behind the hops and the rye that comes from a perfect malt balance.

Mouthfeel: Nelson is medium bodied and very creamy, but not slick. I wouldn't say the beer has a dry finish, but a mild spiciness on the back of the palate cuts through the creamy feeling and prevents it from being overpowering or too rich.

Overall: I expect greatness when I'm drinking an Alpine IPA, and Nelson delivered. This is truly a great beer, particularly if you're a fan of rye. My one complaint would be that I would have liked a slightly brighter nose, but the taste and mouthfeel are dead-on. This is excellent.

4.5/5

Goose Island - Bourbon County Brand Stout

From Goose Island's website: "A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer."

Goose Island is located in Chicago, and does limited distribution to California. We used to see bottles of the Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) out here, but in recent years they've cut back on their distro to provide more of it locally. This beer has seen an immense surge in popularity, and though Goose Island produces reasonably large quantities of it once a year, it is becoming less easy for locals to get much of, and even more difficult to get as a trader. Still, some friendly Chicagoland folks have come through for me, so my first birthday beer today is going to be this 14.5% ABV monster.

Appearance: Completely dark, opaque black, with a thin layer of brown head that recedes very quickly. There is no lingering lacing, but you can definitely see the legs on the side of the glass that the alcohol leaves behind with every sip.

Smell: Wow -- huge bourbon notes upfront: spice, vanilla, dark fruit, oak. There are also hints of dark chocolate. It's such an incredibly huge nose, so bold and full, but no hint of the huge amount of alcohol.

Taste: Just like on those, the alcohol is remarkably absent from the taste here. Vanilla, molasses, fig, spicy wood/oak, and cranberry hit hard in the first wave of flavor. Dark chocolate, very rich, comes in toward the middle of the palate and remains as a lingering flavor. The notes from the bourbon are melded together with the base flavors from the beer so well -- nothing dominates, and each note has its time to shine.

Mouthfeel: Thick, rich, and creamy. Between the heavy mouthfeel and the powerful flavors, this beer is definitely a sipper. It's meant to be savored and shared.

Overall: This is a favorite of many. Barrel-aged stouts are often treated like the kings of beers, because of the absolutely knockout flavors and the craftsmanship involved in the barrel-aging process. Much like with sours, it took me awhile to warm up to bourbon barrel aged beers, because the taste of the bourbon was always strong and not very pleasing to me. Now, after trying so many, I've definitely grown used to these flavors. My first love will always be IPAs, but this is a style I can certainly appreciate as a craft beer lover. Admittedly, my overall score for this one is partially influenced by what this beer means to other people -- I can absolutely appreciate the balance and complexity here, particularly at the production level that Goose Island is always operating under in order to manufacture this. It's not at the very top of my list, but it's truly an excellent beer.

4.5/5

Lawson's Finest Liquids - Triple Play IPA

From the label: "A trifecta of hop varieties deliver a symphony of juicy tropical hop flavors and a wonderful bouquet of aromas. Brewed and dry hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Centennial. 7% ABV. Brewing News 2011 National IPA Champion."

Lawson's Finest Liquids is another teeny, out of the way Vermont Brewery, though it's not so much 1 Where Am I? Avenue as Hill Farmstead is. It's definitely not super easy to get a Lawson's brew if you're outside of their small region of distribution; fortunately for me the same angelic chap who provided Hill Farmstead in the past has passed this IPA along to me as well.

Appearance: It looks pretty nice in the photo, but in person this is really something special to look at. A deep, bright orange, with a clean short (~1 finger) of head, and some sparse lacing. It's a bit murky, but catches the light in a warming way.

Smell: All kinds of great fruit aromas, like citrus: grapefuit and pineapple; and tropical: mango and, well, doesn't pineapple also apply here? Such a rich, hop-forward smell.

Taste: The same great fruit notes that come through in the nose are present on the palate, with the grapefruit being a bit more dominant. I can also taste a bit of the grain toward the back of the palate. As it is so hop-forward, it's bitter, but the actual flavor profile from the fruit (not the malt, which is so nice) is sweet.

Mouthfeel: The body is nice -- medium, perfectly carbonated, and a pretty dry finish.

Overall: Surprise! I like an IPA with Citra hops! No, really though, that's not a surprise. This is a really bright, fresh, fruity, delicious, and clean-tasting IPA. The aroma is also wonderful. I definitely recommend grabbing this if anyone happens to be in Vermont at the right time. I'm very lucky to have been able to try this one.

4.5/5