Bent River - Jameson Oak Irish Stout & Food Pairing

Ahhh, another sign of the changing seasons... Bent River's Jameson Oak Irish Stout.  One of the many seasonal hits they create (along with their Sweet Potato beer and Jingle Java) and I wasn't about to miss out on this!  I picked up a growler one day and I've been waiting too long to crack it open.  It's a different stout than their flagship Uncommon Stout, as this stout does not use any coffee.  However, it is aged in Jameson whiskey barrels for about a month (according to a gentleman I briefly spoke with on the phone) and does not overpower the drinker with the flavor of the liquor.  I've heard enough.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12
A very dark, pleasing roast is this beer's warm welcome.  It borders on being charred, but stops just short.  Oak is also abundant and gives an almost tobacco like feel to the brew.  Those two sensations, the darkness of the roast and the smooth oak, combined with a hint of creamy sweetness (likely contributed by oatmeal), provide a subterfuge that at times give this beer wafts of chocolate.  No whiskey smell at this time, but the beer still has some warming to do.

Appearance 2/3
Very little head appears and what does dies down soon to leave a Milky Way type swirl on the surface.  However, a lesser head (and often a smoother mouthfeel) can be expected due to the barrel aging process.  The beer is a very appropriate brown/black with nice espresso brown edges

Flavor 19/20
The first sensations are that dark, dark roast and a bit of the sweet, creamy nature of what I assume is oatmeal (or another grain that evokes similar results).  The creaminess quickly fades and is replaced a very noticeable oak flavor.  The roast and oak flavors seem pretty happy together but eventually decide to allow a light whiskey note to join the party as well.  It takes a while!  Only after holding the beer in the mouth does the whiskey show, and even then ever so slightly.  You may insert your own joke about alcohol and a resultant lack of punctuality.  There's even a slight spice that goes well with the oak & whiskey.  The finish is definitely where the whiskey shines brightest!  It's full whiskey flavor without the heat or any sort of overwhelming characteristic, but with a nice earthiness added.  Wait another second and you'll get that same, barely sour, taste that you would get right after a shot of whiskey.  Very cool!

Mouthfeel  5/5
I'm quite impressed with this brew.  I bought this over a week ago in the growler and it hasn't lost a step.  The body is right for a stout; heavy and rolls along the tongue.  The carbonation isn't as low as some other barrel-aged brews I've had.  In fact, I'd have a hard time telling that this is barrel-aged at all were it not for the distinct oak aroma & flavor.  This beer also does not have any warmth that is sometimes used (and sometimes abused) in craft beers that involve spirits.  The thick, smoothness when lightly swishing it around the mouth is a fantastic sensation and Bent River should get full props for that.

Overall Impression 8/10
Definitely impressed.  While the flavor should (and would) compliment each other, these seem to come together at different times and allow the drinker to appreciate each flavor (roast, oak, whiskey) separately.  Would I like them blended into a seamless mixture?  Probably.  But that by no means makes this beer a disappointment.  The mouthfeel shows plenty of carbonation in each sip, but still allows that rich, creamy brew to slide over the tongue like mercury.

Total 44/50
This beer is tasty, an insanely appropriate choice for St. Patrick's Day (if you're not sessionability is not your aim), and allows a very easy breakdown of the flavors.  For those looking to refine their palate and being able to put into words what is happening on your tongue, this beer would be an excellent choice.  The roast, oak, and whiskey flavors come together at times, but one ingredient always seems to have the upper hand.  I suppose, in a perfect world, I would've liked a more concentrated malt and a combination of the ingredients instead of their separation.  However, often times the flavor of the liquor can override anything it comes into contact with, so perhaps this is a blessing is disguise.


Bent River Jameson Oak Irish Stout & Kerrygold Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey
This is actually a white cheddar, but it does crumble slightly along the edges to support its "aged cheddar" packaging.  The cheese itself is smooth in the mouth, but still has that almost crystalline quality in its center that is not uncommon amongst nice aged cheddars.  When I say crystalline, I do mean crystals.  I'm not a cheese afficionado, but there is the tiniest crunch as if one has bit into a grain of sugar or salt (in texture only, not flavor).  Cheddar that has been aged longer will exhibit a slightly higher amount of this characteristic.  Its flavor alone is a nice, pungent cheddar that is sharp but not intensely so.  It gives that wonderful salty, creamy, almost herb-like flavor that is in a good cheddar.  This is good cheese and well worth the dollars spent to procure it.  However, I am not getting much of the Irish Whiskey said to be within it.  There is only the finest hint of it and it lies well behind the cheddar's saltiness.

To pair it with the beer is interesting, but ultimately futile.  The roast refuses to be dominated by the cheddar, and the beer's oak notes and the cheddar's saltiness appear in that order immediately before the swallow.  Neither item compliments the other, they simply come in waves of their own flavors depending on which happens to be contacting the tongue at that particular moment.  Oddly enough, in a pairing where both food items involve whiskey in their creation, the whiskey is completely absent.  In the beer it was subtle to begin with and it was barely present in the cheddar so this should not come as a surprise.

Now is the fact that these two "don't play nice" a detriment to their pairing.  Yes.  Can good things still come out of it?  Yes.  For example, I love the salty, smooth finish that the cheddar gives to the combination as a whole.  I also enjoy that the same flavor can be completely muted by the roasted, almost-charred malts of the beer.  Ultimately, each ingredient is excellent on its own, but together this pairing is less than ideal.  Now according to a nearly ancient article on BeerAdvocate nothing really pairs with stout.  However, my dedication to stouts (& cheddars for that matter) is so strong, that I must continue the hunt.  Anybody have any suggestions?  No, seriously.  Leave a comment for a good cheese pairing to go with a stout and I'll make it a point to include that pairing in a future review, provided I have access to said recommended items.  Oh and please don't recommend that Porter cheddar, as most varieties I've had (which does not include the previous link) have virtually no porter characteristics.  Godspeed and good luck!

Fort Collins - Z Lager & Food Pairing

Once upon a time, a very nice lady named Wendy sent me some vouchers for free cheese after I wrote about Cabot cheeses when they attended a beer festival I attended last summer.  I was stoked to get them (since I always enjoy Cabot cheeses) and couldn't wait to pair them with some great craft beer.

But wait I would...

It took me a while to finally USE the coupons and another long while to actually partake of the cheese itself.  The wait is over.  I've been fascinated with beer/food pairings ever since I heard of the idea.  Wines are often limited in this arrangement by their acidity (at least this is the argument given by beer-food pairers).  Not to say that wines can't compliment a food.  On the contrary, they can and have for centuries.  However, as we all know, craft beer is truly coming into it's own, especially the last 20 years or so.  Its flavors are far from finite, its smells are sundry, and its mouthfeels are many.  It simply appears that beer would be able to pair better with foods given its range of forms and styles.  Today, I get to find out by doing my first food-beer pairing.  I elected to go with a complimentary pairing today and chose a food & beer that would be similar in taste and "compliment" each other.  Other options are a "contrasting" pairing where the items contrast, but in an interesting albeit dissonant way.  One can also choose to pair a strong beer with a milder food or vice versa.  There are also camps that endorse a "stong beer, strong food" correlation (and vice versa).  The best part is, there is no best way to do it.  It's taste!  It's flavor!  No one can tell you that you're wrong.  What works for someone else might pair terribly for you.  It's all an adventure!  Now go out there and get tasting!  Let's pour.

For the purposes of today's review, I'll score the beer as I usually do and then try to speak somewhat intelligently about how it pairs with the food.

Aroma 10/12
Being a rauchbier smoke is, of course, very prominent in the nose.  This beer manages to do it without the smoke being overwhelming or giving the sensation of covering up an inferior brew.  The smoke is far from campfire smoke, but falls just short of that sweet liquid smoke/mesquite tone.  A bready malt as well as a lighter caramel lie just underneath the smoke and the bread is the easier of the two to detect.

Appearance 2/3
The beer looks very nice.  It's as clear as a summer afternoon and pours the color of a bright orange liqueur.  The head is ivory in shade, but small even with an aggressive pour though its longevity was a bit surprising in length given the lack of size.  It even left a little lace.

Flavor 17/20
It seems right off that there are a lot of malts that aren't lending a ton of flavor on their own, but then again this is a lager and not an ale.  They are biscuity light at first and the caramel appears even lighter and fainter than in the aroma.  Thankfully, the backbone comes in strong with the tastes of a great, classic lager and a nice amber:  a light, dull sweetness, a mild bitter, and a refreshing amount of carbonation.  The smoke surprisingly takes a backseat to the lager flavors and instead rides along as a compliment to the amber notes (especially those mild bitters).  The smoke is much more present in the finish!  Still far from overwhelming, it is allowed more of a voice as it traverses the back of the tongue and leaves a dry finish.  It's smokiness blends nicely with a hint of spice and a stonger amber sweetness.  The aftertaste is a nice bitter (especially for a lager) and wisps of the smoke.

Mouthfeel 5/5
This feels like a lager should.  It has a good level of carbonation that remains throughout the bottle and foams just enough in the mouth to lend a refreshing nature, but not so much as to come off creamy.  The body is medium and feels substantial for the style.

Overall Impression 8/10
I'm conflicted.  Part of me wants the bigger flavors that I find in my ales, even though I know that this is a lager and should have lighter and more subtle notes.  I also appreciate very much that this beer did not try and hide a lesser quality product behind an overdone smoke flavor and/or aroma.  In fact, this beer showed its lager roots loud and proud!  It's a damn good lager that happens to have some smoke in it.  They just chose to have that smoke featured mostly in the aroma and in an exhale after swallowing.

Total 42/50
I really enjoyed the fact that this is a substantial lager masquerading as a rauchbier.  Not only does the smoke never come close to acting as a gimmick, but it also barely interferes with a delicious lager - instead choosing to enhance the overall experience of the beer instead of showcasing a single feature.  Does this make it complex?  No.  Does this beer go down surprisingly quick?  Yes.  Would I buy another sixer?  Sure thing.

FCB Z Lager & Cabot Smokey Bacon Cheddar
Knowing already that the beer is more substantial in body and bitter than I originally anticipated, I can hope that the creaminess of the cheese will accentuate those characteristics even more.

The cheese on its own starts out with a typical cheddar body.  Not crumbly like a 6-year cheddar, but not creamy like cheaper cheddar (and at almost $7 for the 8 oz brick, it better not!).  Suitably creamy in the mouth and mostly cheddar flavors, but with the bacon's saltiness sneaking around the palate.  The real bacon flavor comes when chewing the cheese/bacon with the back teeth and the cheese starts to fall away.  Then the bacon takes over in full swing and ends this cheese on a salty, smokey meat-filled note.

To be completely honest, this is an experiment for me.  Do I drink the beer first and then eat the cheese?  Vice versa?  Hold the beer in my mouth, and then eat?  I'll test out some different options and get back to you.  Right now, I'm going to try and not overthink it and just eat like I (or anybody else) would eat.

When tasting them together the smoke in the beer's aroma is definitely stronger than the bacon in the cheese.  It takes over at first, along with the lager flavors.  After trying some different tasting methods, I have found one that works well:  cheese, few chews, sip of beer, continue chewing.  The cheddar starts out lightly crumbly and creamy plus nice cheddar flavors, with a bit of sharpness to it despite not being indicated on the packaging.  A sip of the beer adds an amber sweetness and the smoke.  However, continuing to chew allows the smoke and bitter of the rauchbier to transition beautifully to the salty bacon goodness inside the cheese.  I couldn't have planned a better transition if I tried.

How else better to wrap this up than to state the obvious?  "Smokey beers go with smokey bacon cheeses."  Not the most complex pairing in the world, but definitely involves some of my favorites:  a good lager, bacon, smoke, and a nice cheddar.  That's a darn good afternoon kids.  I'd even try either of these foods with steak, pulled pork, baked beans, and definitely a burger.  This combo receives my official endorsement and my strong recommendation to try it.  I wouldn't even wait til summer.  This type of deliciousness knows no season.

Two last thoughts.
1.  Thanks for reading!
2.  It's a bit of a new style/format of review.  Let me know what you think.  I'm more than receptive to feedback.