Flossmoor Station - 15th Anniversary

Well gang, in the last week I celebrated yet another birthday.  Besides recounting all the blessings and accomplishments of the past year, it's also a great excuse to drink whatever the hell I want.  Today, that translates into someone else that celebrated a birthday, too.  Today's review is for Flossmoor Station's 15th Anniversary Abbey style Tripel Ale.  Flossmoor's 15th anniversary has long since past as I've been holding onto this bottle for quite some time, but today seems as good a day as any to open it.  Besides, it's my birthday.  For those unfamiliar with Flossmoor Station, they're a local brewer located in (you'll never guess) Flossmoor, IL and have had some past success at events you may have heard of like GABF and those listed here.

The bottle specifically lists the brewery's 15th anniversary as July 8th, 2011.  Looks like I've been cellaring this longer than I intended.  The bottle also tells us that this brew tips the Toledos at 15.0% ABV, utilizes magnum and crystal hops, and pilsner, carapils, & demarara sugar malts.  Also, in my neck of the woods one will hardly ever see smaller breweries using nice wax-dipped bottles, which is always a nice touch.  Let's pour!

Aroma 12/12

It's the first sentence and there's already SO much going on in this beer.  The nose begins with lots of fruity aromas like apples, green grapes, honey, and a subdued Belgian yeast.  As it warms, the Belgian notes really come on strong with a pronounced banana note and a clove-based spiciness.  Later still, it becomes dominated by a wonderful sugary smell with a little warmth and a spiced-not-sweet Belgian yeast.  Finally, it puts all these things together by toning down the larger scents (Belgian, sugar, spice) and bringing out the fruity acidity.  Now THIS is a golden ale!

Appearance 3/3

Perfect.  It pours as golden as the wax crowning its bottle, but sits in the glass as a brilliant ocher color.  Oddly, looking down at the beer from the top it shows strong ruby hues!  And no I don't have red flooring.  Because I have aged this bottle so long, any sediment remains in the bottle and the resultant beer is crystal clear and bright.  The head is as white as the snow outside my window and rose to a finger in height; an impressive feat considering that the bubbles are nearly microscopic in size.  It lasted as a ring around my glass until well into the beer.

Flavor 20/20

This is an insanely complex brew!  It begins with unadorned sugary, malty sweetness and quickly moves into fruity sweetness full of apples and golden raisins.  Things blossom widely as those two flavors combine into the flavor of caramelized fruits (this is not an exaggeration).  Belgian yeast, not far behind, adds its goodness and a strong alcohol presence is felt.  Note that it is "felt" and not "tasted."  The strong warmth never impinges on the flavor itself, but gratuitously pricks the tongue while in the mouth.  A bitter note is present when holding the beer in the mouth for an extended period and adds complexity and balance to this sweet beer.  Way back in the flavor profile is a dull sour whose origin likely lies in fruity acidity.  This makes even more sense upon swallowing where the first impression of the finish is an almost citrusy splash of said acidity and a reprise of the aforementioned bitter.  The aftertaste is surprisingly clean after such a warm, sweet, clingy beer. However, the only sensation remaining in the mouth is the lingering effects of the alcohol on the tongue.

Mouthfeel 4/5

This is a beer that absolutely coats the mouth with its sweet, sugary presence.  It borders on syrupy at times, but its lighter flavors and ABV help draw it away from that characterization.  It also possesses a halfway sneaky alcohol warmth.  Granted, at 15% ABV, it's hard to do anything sneakily.  However, the flavor is never too boozy.  To the point, I've had many bourbon barrel-aged brews with half the ABV that taste twice as hot as this brew.  While it doesn't taste hot, the alcohol is undeniable in the mouthfeel and how it pricks the tongue. A lot.

Overall Impression 10/10

This is the lightest tasting big beer you'll never try.  It's not light in flavor - anything but! - but most big beers tend to be heavy handed with the hops or a very rich stout.  This beer is a giant, but still manages to taste like an excellent golden (an Imperial golden?).  The fruits and sugars are present to keep this beer sweet and innocent, even if the ABV and heavyweight body would just as soon mug you in broad daylight.  In your own driveway.  In front of your kids.

Total 49/50

Personally, I liked this beer a lot.  It's complex, big, and captures all the essentials of the intended style.  The flavors are out-of-this-world intense an unlike anything that you'll find anytime soon.  I checked the average scores on BA and RateBeer after this review and was shocked to see them so low!  Perhaps it was a different beast when it was fresh, but as it stands currently it is an "Imperial Golden" that will be my measuring stick for some time to come.  If anyone disagrees with this point of view, please remember that it's my birthday so I am right and everyone else can go suck a potato (insert good-natured wink).  Good work Flossmoor!  Please know that we won't hold it against you if you decide to NOT limit this recipe to just a 15th anniversary beer and to brew this one again.

Brasserie d'Achouffe - La Chouffe

We made it!  The first day of spring is here!  This winter no one that I know had to resort to cannibalism or cutting open a Tauntaun to survive the much-less-than-brutal conditions.  This amazing weather makes me delay my inevitable March "Irish Beer Style" reviews and forces me to focus on something much more appropriate. The first time I had La Chouffe was on tap at Gutherie's Tavern in Chicago, IL.  We pitted it against every wit, wheat, and Belgian in the house and it still came out the winner.  At the time I did not know it was a golden and left very impressed with this beer that was unbeknownst to me until that evening.  Well, that started a search to find this beer and when I did I knew that I'd be sipping it on a beautiful sunny day and today is no exception.  Let's pour!

Note:  After coming to the realization that this beer is more classified as a Belgian Golden Strong Ale and not a true Golden ale, I adjusted the scoring accordingly.  However, I have left my initial "complaints."   You'll see my defense in the "Total" score summary.

Aroma 10/12
A wonderful blending of golden/Belgian styles that initially leans on the Belgian yeast and the usual accompaniment of spice (cloves, coriander, etc).  It doesn't begin very floral, shows a camouflaged warmth (8.0% ABV), and is almost like a witbier with the addition of a dash of warm caramel sweetness.  As it warms the Belgian notes must have been told to sit down and shut up because the aromas of the golden ale are in full effect.  The floral note is very bright and borders on a citrus astringency.  The Belgian yeast note refuses to be quieted, however, and remains in a more subtle form than its earlier incarnation.

Appearance 3/3
This looks like a Belgian should, but with much higher sediment than expected; no doubt a result from the bottle conditioning.  I mean, I like a little something in there for flavor, but dang!  I'm going to have to pour the rest of this beer very gingerly.  The color is a bright, translucent gold and topped with a nearly pure white head.  The head was nearly perfect in size (two fingers) and remained for an average time before coating the surface.

Flavor 19/20
Right off the bat, this beer squashes any qualms that it might not be a true golden ale.  The floral notes are unmistakable and delicate.  They're accompanied by the same bright, nearly astringent note as in the aroma, but thankfully that note is much lighter (and more complimentary) this time and lets the floral notes soak up the spotlight.  As you hold the beer in the mouth, the Belgian theme begins to take shape as the yeast and a particularly earthy blend of the spices grow in strength.  The spices border on becoming too spicy, especially considering the delicate floral notes from earlier that I happen to appreciate a great deal more than the spices.  Once the Belgian notes enter the picture, the golden ale elements are completely usurped.  Unfortunately, not even a good wine-taster's slurp can bring them back.  No wonder we thought this was a Belgian witbier!  The finish has the signature of the spices all over it, in both an earthy flavor and a quickly-fading prickle on the tongue.  The warmth is noticeable at this time as well and the aftertaste is more of the same, with the only notable exception being that it allows the warmth to become even more noticeable on the sides of the mouth.

Mouthfeel 4/5
The bottle conditioning in this bottle was simply too strong.  Even after prying off the bottle cap, foam slowly started to rise and overflow from the bottle top!  I'm OK with the alcohol warmth not being camouflaged; it actually goes rather well with the earthy spices, Belgian goodness, and leaves the same feel on the tongue as the busy carbonation.  I'm not OK with the carbonation.  It's actually good while in the mouth: tiny, unobtrusive, light, and delicate.  But when swallowing, it seems lightly prickly on the tongue and combines with similar prickly sensations from the warmth and spices.  The carbonation even seems to pop dryly on the tongue like a champagne!  This is not something I wanted in my delectable golden ale.  The mouthfeel is definitely that of a Belgian strong ale.

Overall Impression 9/10
While disappointed that the "golden" aspect of this beer was so brief, the Belgian strong ale that we are left with is excellent.  In fact, if I were to be evaluating this from an exclusively "Belgian strong" point of view, I could see the overall score being much higher (Note: which, of course, it ended up being).  It has everything that a Belgian strong should: good warmth, spicy, and bubbly carbonation.  I suppose I was hoping that delicate, fragile golden ale characteristics would be more present and permeate more aspects of this brew.

Total 45/50
As a Belgian strong ale, this beer is top notch and I can easily see it ranking close to a perfect score.  If you read the BJCP description, it's a virtual checklist for this beer.  It hits every single mark on the nose and does so in excellent style.  I feel like a whiny child, "But I wanted a goooolllldeeeeeen....."  According to BJCP, I should shut my mouth because this beer is right on the money and I'm essentially criticizing Cindy Crawford for having a mole.  Duh!  The mole is part of the goodness!

Anyway, I stand by my call since all the characteristics that I found were "correct" and appropriate for a Belgian Strong.  However, Brasserie d'Achouffe threw the world "golden" in there and got me all discombobulated.  I really was expecting more of a golden ale (a style that I absolutely love), but instead got a top notch Belgian Golden Strong.  I feel a little dumb having not known more about the style differences initially, but do feel a bit of solace in the fact that I will be able to better differentiate between the two in the future.

Oh, and you'll definitely want to to find this beer this spring/summer.  Just remember to leave some for me.

Avery - Salvation

Ok, so technically this isn't a winter seasonal or Christmas beer, but with a name like "Salvation" this beer may be lie nearer to the heart of the Christmas season than any other.  Avery's religion-themed beers have earned a great deal of respect from me for their hop accentuated, malt-balanced beers, so I am more than willing to pry off the top on another one and see how it drinks.  Let's pour!

Look.  It's glowing!

Aroma 12/12
No questions about this score.  If there were more points available, it would get those too.  This beer is a spot-on perfect interpretation of what a Belgian-style Golden ale should smell like.  It has a robust, muffled Belgian yeast ester, a vanilla-laced cream, a good spicy clove, and a lesser alcohol warmth that all come together into a aroma that is near floral as any beer I've experienced.  They even throw in a little apricot to keep the drinker on their toes and a brighter grassy hop note comes along to make us believe all the more that we are in some flower strewn meadow.  Salvation indeed.

Appearance 3/3
This pours like liquid gold.  Not some alloy, I'm talking a bright, shining yellow, just-came-from-the-earth, the-Aztecs-would-have-owned-this-if-they could, type gold.  I mean, look at the above picture.  This beer is borderline incandescent.  The high clarity on top of it all just seems wonderfully excessive.  The eggshell colored head was satisfying in size, retention, and enjoyed a modest amount of lacing.  To be frank, it's the first thing this beer has done modestly.

Flavor 19/20
The beer enters the mouth with a fanfare of thick, cream-flavored beer.  It rolls quickly to the backbone and shows hints of its warmth while displaying that wonderful Belgian yeast that is lessened a bit by some newly introduced caramel malts.  Held in the mouth, the caramel and warmth seem to dominate the profile, but a slurp quickly strengthens the Belgian yeast flavors.  More spices are present in the mouth than in the nose, most notably the nutmeg, but not the clove from the aroma.  The spices lend another layer of complexity to place on top of the caramel.  None of the floral esters from the aroma are present, but the finish tries to make up for that with a strong hop presence.  The finish begins with a caramel flavor that I swear I was going to have to chew first.  Thankfully the hops are there to balance by giving more bitter than one would expect in a Golden and a nice peach/apricot note which compliments this beer superbly.  The aftertaste is a fairly distinct hop bitter, a noticeable warmth, hints of the caramel, and a spiciness on the tongue.

Mouthfeel 5/5
This beer is as thick a Golden as I've had.  It's surprising it can be so hearty and still showcase so many delicate flavors!  The carbonation is a perfect match to its big body and the warmth, while never camouflaged, never threatens to overwhelm any other aspect of this beer.  It sits at 9% ABV, but tastes lower.  The hops are very drying despite the robust caramel malts.

Even the label glows!  Crikey!

Overall Impression 9/10
Sure, there is room for improvement, but not much!  The aroma was flawless as was the appearance.  The flavor did not play at quite the same level, but left little to be desired.  More of the floral notes would have been quite a treat and may be my only valid "nit-pick" about this beer.  The beer also introduces more hops than one would expect into a Golden ale.  What else would one expect from Avery?

Total 48/50
This review wrote itself for the most part.  It was all I could do to type fast enough as my mind could gush praise.  Things slowed down a bit in the flavor, but only because there is SO much going on there.  I struggled to grasp it all at once and feel that in addition to my wish of "more florals from the amazballs aroma," my only other aspect at which to nit-pick would be that of an overall theme of flavor.  Not that this beer is all over the place or that it has combined seemingly random ingredients.  Only that I had trouble picking out everything that was going on in this beer!  Each ingredient seemed to grab for my attention at a different time instead of drawing me in together.  In the end, even those grabs for attention were pretty gentle since the beer as a whole is fantastic.  What a tasty, perfume-like, full-bodied bottle of goodness!

While finishing this beer, it seems that Avery has blended the styles of Golden Ale and their big IPAs.  The golden happens in the mouth, but the finish is all about that "big malt" that Avery is so fond of mixing with a pronounced, delicious hop profile.  Very neat and something I'll look for again next year.

New Glarus - Golden Ale

Today, friends, is a bit of special bottle that I have been holding onto for a little while now.  However, as I have been offered employment today (for the first time in 8 months) it is a chance to celebrate and to crack open one of the finer things in life.

Unfortunately, this is a one shot deal.  This beer was never released by New Glarus.  It was part of their Research & Development and I happened to pick up a bottle when visiting the brewery (which is GORGEOUS, by the way).  This bottle looks nothing like any of their regular bottles, but has a great look to it with faux handwriting on the bottle and their watermarked logo on a label designed to look like antiquated paper.

The bottle reads as such:

Style: Golden Ale
Brewed: 03-23-09
Bottled: 06-18-2009
IBUs: 38

Batch: 160 BBL
OG: 15° P
ABV: 7%

Brew Master's notes:
Bold floral bouquet sweeps forward encouraged by Maris Otter Malt. Ale & Brettanomyces promote complex Brett characters - dry finish. Alive and still fermenting this bottle will continue to build carbonation. Pour w/ care.

Aroma 12/12
Sweet honey and flowers.  Flowers, flowers, and more flowers.  Literally like sticking your face in a bouquet full of Stargazer Lillies.  Nay, a greenhouse full of Stargazer Lillies.  The biscuit and straw malt flavors are present, but hard to find behind such an overwhelming force.  A slight warmth is felt, but not detected in the aroma.  This is amazing.

Appearance 3/3
This beer seems illuminated from the inside.  The colors of raw honey and ripe peach make it a golden delight.  The orange-tinted head is very generous, with large, soapy bubbles, but does not last as long as I would like.  In fact, you can watch the head dissipate before your eyes, before settling as a single finger's worth.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 20/20
First sips give you a tiny citrus bite on the tongue before turning their attentions elsewhere.  The "elsewhere" is flowers that fade in and out, barely a hint of barnyard must, suggestions of a Belgian yeast (spicy and  barely banana sweet), and a light bitter that hides in the background waiting to be paid attention.  A wine-drinker's slurp renews the honey sweetness.  The finish is quite spicy given the otherwise sweet character of this beer.  Lots of pepper, clove, and hop bitter really bring all the sweet floral esters back down to earth.  The aftertaste is a similar blend of bitter and flowers, though eventually only the bitter remains (und die Blume abgefallen...) and leaves the mouth fairly dry.  What an ale!

Mouthfeel 5/5
The light, crisp, tiny effervescence in this beer is the perfect blend of being bubbly enough to keep this beer refreshing and compliment its light flavors, but small enough to help enhance its creamy body.  It is abundant to the end, of this medium-bodied brew.  Despite its light malts, 7% ABV, and medium body, any alcohol warmth was undetectable.

Overall Impression 10/10
This beer is perfect.  It's true to style, laden with flavor, excellently crafted, highly drinkable, has perfectly camouflaged alcohol, and immensely refreshing.  I cannot make one honest suggestion for improvement to this beer.

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Total 50/50
Well, it finally happened.  To date, I have never given a beer a perfect score, but it had to come sometime.  I cannot imagine a more worthy beer.  The highly floral taste, the use of Belgian yeast, seamless hop bitter for balance, appropriately prickly carbonation, and high(er) ABV all make this beer supremely quaffable.  I have never had a light style beer with this much flavor. Pilsners, Helles, most lagers, etc... all fall away to this beer.  I just cannot get over the blend of floral sweetness, musty Belgian yeast, and light hop bitter.  Perfection!

I have had high expectations for New Glarus beer in the past and as most high expectations do, they often leave one disappointed.  Through no fault of New Glarus, other than their excellent reputation and my past experiences with said reputation, I have built them up quite a bit in my mind.  This beer left no disappointment.  It destroyed my expectations and left me wanting more.  Much more.  The only bad thing I can say about this beer is that I'll probably never have it again.  Great white buffalo.  Great white buffalo. Great white buffalo.

***If anyone has this to trade, I will make it worth your while.***


For anyone that doesn't understand the "Great White Buffalo" reference, please watch the below video.