A quick note on my numerical scoring

My scores are not meant to be comparable to those on BeerAdvocate, or any other site that ranks beer. When I score, the following are taken into account:

• I am only judging this beer against other craft beers, so even my lower scored beers will almost certainly outclass macrobrews
• Style is given some consideration, i.e., how does this IPA stack up against other IPAs? I try to think this way because I obviously have styles that I prefer and would tend to rank higher overall. I don't review beers that I suspect I don't like simply because of the style. Before giving a final score, though, I still do think about the rank of the beer in general amongst all of the beers I enjoy, so style isn't everything. I wouldn't give a 5 to a beer just for being among the best of its style; I would have to enjoy it that much to warrant its 5. It is my blog after all, and at the end of the day I don't really want my scores to speak for anyone's taste other than my own.
• I don't grade on a curve, so while a score of 3 appears harsh on several other sites, it's not intended to be here. Beers that receive a 3 or 3.5 are still beers that I liked and would happily drink again. 

I hope that clears some things up.

Stone Brewing Co - Double Bastard Ale (2007)

Stone tends to write a lot about their beers, so instead of grabbing the blurb from their website this time I'll go back to describing it myself. How old-fashioned! Double Bastard is another American Strong Ale, ranging anywhere from 10%-11.5% ABV depending on the vintage. It's released seasonally in the winter, and since Stone's distribution is extremely widespread, it's pretty easy to come by. The bottle I'm tasting tonight was recently re-released at Stone -- on a weekly basis, they do "special" bottle releases or growler fills, and the 2007 Double Bastard was one such release. This was a nice grab, since I feel I can trust Stone to age their beers properly, not like sticking a box in some guy's hot garage or something. So, happy 5th birthday to this beer!

  

Appearance: Clear, dark copper-brown, with a modest head that recedes quickly to a paper-thin foam layer and leaves no lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Raisin, brown sugar, chocolate, a touch of spice, and slight alcohol. There is even a slight piney character that appears to be residual from the hops, even after 5 years. Very cool, and very Stone, since they hop the crap out of their beers.

Taste: The taste is not quite as complex as the smell, but it's still warm, sweet, and tasty. More strong notes of brown sugar and dark fruit, and yes! There is still a bit of earthy, resiny bitterness there on the finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is very smooth, and the carbonation seems pretty upfront when I first take a sip. After a second, though, it dissipates and leaves the beer with a rich, thick, viscous quality that is definitely strong, but not in an off-putting way.

Overall: This beer holds up really nicely, and is in fact a very different beer from how it is fresh. After it's first released, it comes across like an imperial IPA, albeit one with a stronger malt profile. Now, though, the hops have obviously faded, but they still contribute some pine bitterness that makes this different from many other malt-forward strong ales. In general, whether aged or not, I've always thought Double Bastard is a great "bang for your buck" beer, and especially considering that it's not barrel-aged, it packs a considerable flavor punch.

3.5/5

Deschutes Brewery and Hair of the Dog - Collage (Conflux Series #1)

Deschutes website: "Deschutes Brewery and Hair of The Dog Brewing Company join forces to weave The Dissident and The Stoic and Fred and Adam into an artistic collage of cask-aging alchemy. Damn, beer is fun.
Barrel Aging: Rye Whiskey, Cognac, Sherry, Pinot Noir, Bourbon, new American Oak, and new Oregon Oak
Twelve-ounce bottles available in limited quantities starting May 15, 2012."

This is categorized as an "American Strong Ale" at 11.2% ABV. ASA is kind of a catch-all category for higher ABV beers that don't belong to a particular style, and that is definitely the case here, since this is a blend of 4 different beers of a few different styles. Deschutes' beers, The Dissident and The Stoic are a flanders brown and Belgian-style quad, respectively; Hair of the Dog's Adam is an old ale, and Fred is itself an ASA. I haven't had Fred, so I can't elaborate any further on what it is like. Nonetheless, the point is that all of these different beers have been blended together and aged to create Collage.

Appearance: Dark copper, fairly clear, with a somewhat reddish hue. Not much head, and no lacing or foam layer on top of the beer.

Smell: Strong scents of vanilla, sour cherry, and oak, with lesser hints of brown sugar, leather, and floral notes.

Taste: The Dissident seems pretty dominant at first, contributing major sour fruit notes. Then, though, many other flavors come into play, and the pinot noir barrels in particular lend the beer their characteristic tannin and oak flavors. I also taste maple and brown sugar, which contrast nicely with the upfront sour flavors. Honestly, this is a beer that is so complex that I am almost at a loss as to how to fully review it. There are so many flavors here, and those flavors mingle with each other so seamlessly that it's diffuclt for me to actually pick them all out individually. It's really unlike any beer I've ever had.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, very low in carbonation, with a moderately dry finish.

Overall: This is a very special, delicious beer that, again, if it weren't for the price (it's about $13 for a 12oz bottle) I'd want to grab tons of it. I highly recommend trying it if you see it, though, as it's unquestionably worth purchasing at least one bottle. The flavors are unique and expertly balanced and blended, and even with its higher ABV, it doesn't drink hot or heavy. Great beer.

5/5

Hill Farmstead Brewery - E.

E is "a funky version of Edward (american pale ale) - fermented with brettanomyces, dry hopped with galaxy, and aged on stainless for four months. Basically, we refer to it as a farmhouse pale ale - a cross between a saison and an american pale."

This beer is a 7% ABV limited release from Hill Farmstead that was available in bottles. Despite brett-fermented beers aging well, I still wanted to take the opportunity to try this somewhat fresh, as I only have one bottle and I want to try it how the brewers intended it to taste at release. I've mentioned before, but it's worth repeating, that Hill Farmstead's distribution is basically non-existent, and their bottles are brewery-only, as far as I know. California people like myself need friends to go to the brewery for them, so it's through that connection that I was able to acquire this bottle.

Appearance: Hazy dull orange, with a spectacular head that fills up the glass instantly, takes a long while to recede, and leaves dense lacing all around the sides of the glass. Head remains as a foam layer on top of the beer all throughout drinking.

Smell: Definite huge funky brett character in the nose! Sour apple, lemon, and honey, all topped off with a huge whiff of sweat and sourdough. There is a hint of bitterness from the hops, remnants of the pale ale base, but by this time that has mostly mellowed out and the fruit is predominantly mixed with barnyard.

Taste: More massive funk atop citrus and grassy earth character. The hops are more prevalent in the taste, but the brett has worked some absolute magic here as well. This is labeled "Rustic Farmhouse Ale" on the bottle, and that's exactly what this tastes like -- eating an orange or apple, laying in a bale of hay, covered with a horse blanket.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, with that characteristic dry brett finish. Delicious.

Overall: A really excellent saison-ish beer from Hill Farmstead. I love every aspect of it; it's juicy and flavorful, with an inviting aroma, and a great, refreshing mouthfeel. I don't really know how often this is brewed and/or bottled, but I'd love another chance to get some of this one day!

5/5

Sierra Nevada and Russian River - BRUX

BRUX is, as Russian River says: "...our collaboration with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company! This 2 year, 2 brewery, 2 family project is about to hit the streets and hopefully make it to a bottle shop near you! Set for National Release in July (I bet you thought you would never hear me say something like that!), BRUX was brewed in Chico (at Sierra Nevada) and will go through their distribution channels, which will, of course, greatly increase your chances of getting a couple of bottles. BRUX is a "domesticated wild ale", or an ale fermented with Belgian yeast, finished by a secondary bottle fermentation with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. It's a little more than 8% alcohol, very dry, earthy, spicy, and tasty."

So that's that! Not much 'splaining left for me to do here, I don't think...

Appearance: The photo makes it look much more red than it actually is, which in person is a hazy medium amber color. The head pours to about 1.5 fingers worth in height and eventually recedes to nothing -- no lacing, no foam layer, nada.

Smell: Predominantly Belgian spice from the yeast, including clove and allspice, with a definite funky overtone from the Brett fermentation. It contributes a bit of leather and rubber tire (here, again, is where I laugh at the seemingly unflattering ways to describe Brett character despite it not being off-putting at all.) There is also a sharp note, like vinegar, or acidic fruit.

Taste: This falls in the tradition of the Brett-ed saisons, like those from The Bruery: Saison Rue and Saison de Lenthe. It's earthy and spicy, with notes of peppercorn, citrus zest, and clove, then the funk comes in with sourdough and sour apple. The funk is there, but it's not quite as strong on the palate as it was on the nose.

Mouthfeel: Light and airy, and then dry. There isn't much to describe, but I love it. It feels totally refreshing.

Overall: I'm drinking this very fresh, within the month of its release. Beers like this are usually pretty ageable, due to the character of the Belgian yeast, the alcohol content, and the fact that Brett-fermented beers change so much in character over time. I have another bottle that I want to hold onto for at least another year to see how that funk develops; at the moment it's fairly mild. I would say that this is definitely a solid, tasty beer, but the most outstanding aspect of it is actually the mouthfeel. If this were less expensive (prices have ranged between $14-19 from what I've seen) I'd be motivated to get more, but based on the way it's drinking right now, I don't think it's really worth it. Of course, I could try it again in a year and be kicking myself that I didn't get more, but that's the risk one takes, I suppose.

3.5/5