Beer Review: Blackout Stout

August 17th, 2010

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, OH

I made a great new friend this week: Great Lakes Blackout Stout.

The only reason to visit Cleveland.

But before I tell you why Blackout Stout is the best thing that’s been exported from Cleveland since Lebron James, let me get in a quick word about imperial stouts.

Folks, we’re living through an arms race of stouts — a Cold War of Russian Imperial Stouts, if you will. Everywhere you turn, a brewer is pushing the limits of what you thought this style could be. Stouts with bourbon, maple, oak, chocolate, and coffee varieties, to name a few of the more pleasant flavors, have gained acclaim lately, in no small part because beer geeks – especially those on uber-popular sites like Beer Advocate, Rate Beer, and BarBEERians – prefer these robust, complex, and highly alcoholic beers. Concoct an imperial stout that makes it on to one of these sites’ top beer lists, and your brewery just struck black gold.

But I’m a simple man. I like long walks on the beach, documentaries, and bureaucracy. And while I love the occasional Kentucky Breakfast Stout, I also like classic imperial stouts without the overpowering whiskey, coffee, and wooden flavors.

Blackout Stout is that back-to-the-basics beer. A 9.0 percent ABV stout, Blackout is a high-octane explosion of dark roasted malt, with subtle undertones of chocolate and molasses. More importantly, it has none of those fuselage flavors that have crept into some high-ABV beers nowadays. It’s just a smooth, thick stout that beautifully rings its way down your glass.

With Blackout, Great Lakes Brewing Company proves that keeping it simple can sometimes be enough. Maybe there is hope for Cleveland after all.

Line Break

Tagged as: , , ,
Line Break

No Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Green Flash Double Stout

August 6th, 2010

Green Flash Brewing Co. in San Diego, CA

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but now that I’ve lived in Washington, D.C. for a little over six months, I can definitively say it: Thank God the East Coast beer scene is a little dull. That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of great beers out here, because there certainly are, but it means that bars in the area scrounge every corner of the globe to find beers that make up for the lack of a dominant section of the East that can exert its beer dominance. So there’s never a lack of quality beers from breweries that I’ve never heard from before, much like the Green Flash Brewing Company in San Diego, CA. Though we are far from the season here in D.C., stouts are out in greater abundance than tourists hoping to walk into Obama’s big ol’ White House. And when I found a double stout at a great local bar, Churchkey, for under an arm and a leg, I dove into the Green Flash Double Stout, even though the temperature was pressing 100. I like taking risks, you know?

Oh, and hey, everyone. I’m back!

Read the rest of this entry »

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , , ,
Line Break

No Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Bolshoi Imperial Stout

March 9th, 2010

Sixpoint Craft Ales in Brooklyn, New York

Sitting down to watch the United States vs. Canada hockey finals for the Olympics, we were left with a quandary: what beer to drink? We wanted something special, but also something we could drink during the game and not end up too drunk to pay attention to the third period. Turns out the best way to do that is to drink a smattering of different beers, which is exactly what we did. We started off with a real treat of an ale: the Bolshoi Imperial Stout from Sixpoint Craft Ales. We weren’t exactly sure what it was at the time. It was in a waxed dipped bottle without a label, but after some twittering with the folks over at Sixpoint, we discovered it was a four year aged bottle of the Bolshoi Imperial Stout! What a great surprise this was. I’m guessing it is pretty hard to get your hands on a bottle of this, but man, if the opportunity comes up, do it!

Read the rest of this entry »

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , ,
Line Break

No Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Ten Fidy Imperial Stout

March 4th, 2010

Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, CO

A stout in a can. Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a stout in a can. No, Guinness does not count. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever had a rich, fulfilling, imperial stout in a can. Right, I didn’t think so. When I came across a four-pack of cans of some wicked-sounding imperial stout in a can (we’re talking 10.5% ABV here) called Ten Fidy Imperial Stout from the Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado, I was slightly intrigued, but more a little worried and discouraged by the can. My only really good beer memories with cans hearken back to long Friday nights in college with tasteless and watered-down American domestics. I obviously don’t remember those experiences because of the beer, but the stigma attached can resonates with hangovers, beer pong, and bad decisions. Luckily, my temporary roommate decided to take the plunge and pick up the mini-pack of cans after hearing good things about the beer. Well, for any doubters about beers not named Natty Light in cans, take note–this beer is legit. Read the rest of this entry »

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,
Line Break

No Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Batch 9000

February 24th, 2010

Bell’s Brewing Company in Kalamazoo, MI

I think I’ve been too kind lately. I really can’t remember throwing two glowing reviews up on the site before now. I try to be more than a little critical when it comes to beer. After all, there are a lot of brews out there, so there’s no reason for me to waste your time with saying, “Yeah, this beer is just fine; you should drink it,” when I really think it’s bad. Mediocrity has no place in the beer tasting world. Take a look at any great beer store and count the number of beers you’ve never had. Hopefully that number is in the hundreds, and hopefully, I can pick out 10% of those that are significantly better than OK. The rest we shouldn’t have to deal with. So when I find a beer I really like, I have a need to share my love with the world in the form of an overly verbose feature on said fantastic beer. Enter Bell’s Batch 9000, the newest edition to the Bell’s x000s series correlating to the number of batches of beer they’ve made. I remember trying Bell’s Batch 8000 at Ashley’s in Ann Arbor with who would eventually become my girlfriend. She loved the Imperial Witbier; I thought it was beyond disgusting. So when I heard about Batch 9000 and how it was to be a Imperial Stout-esque beer, I was a little worried about the flavor. Was the Batch 8000 a one-off or just the norm for their Batch series? Well, after snooping out a six-pack, I can more than confidently say that Batch 9000 tops most other Bell’s beers, and many other beers that you will ever discover.

Read the rest of this entry »

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , , , , ,
Line Break

No Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Smuttynose Imperial Stout

January 14th, 2010

Smuttynose Brewing Company in Portsmouth, NH

When we first started pouring the Smuttynose Imperial Stout out of the Smuttynose Big Beer line, we were all hoping it would be slightly better than their Maibock–it was a disappointment to say the least. And since we didn’t know much about the Smuttynose company, we did a little background research on the Imperial Stout. That’s when things started to get really strange. For some reason, this company has had a run-in with the government. A couple of them, it seems. The description of the Imperial has a couple of different caveats as they relate to Uncle Sam. The strangest one is their deletion of a word related to the description of an imperial stout, the reason given being: “Since Uncle Sam won’t allow us to describe the term Imperial Stout accurately, here’s a link to the Brewers Association Style Guidelines.” So, um, that’s weird. Also odd is the note that says you can find reviews of the Imperial on RateBeer and Beer Advocate, but that federal laws bar them from linking to the sites. Seriously, Smuttynose, how did you piss off the government like this? No other brewery is freaked out like this. Do you put anthrax in your beer? If so, keep it up, because your Imperial Stout creamed the Maibock. But what are you hiding, Smutty!?

Read the rest of this entry »

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,
Line Break

1 Comment »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Black Chocolate Stout

January 7th, 2010

Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, NY

So I’d dabbled around with some thick stouts, some worldly stouts, and some odd stouts in Michigan. But occasionally, I’m in the mood for a more dessert-based stout, and when I saw the Double Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn Brewery on the menu, I couldn’t pass it up. But, as with any beer (I feel like I’m saying this a lot these days), a fine chocolate stout is hard to make correctly. I’ve had some absolute clunkers throughout the years, as has been the case with blueberry stouts and cherry stouts and vanilla stouts. No one can seem to really hammer down the flavor balance between stout and bowl of ice cream. The first chocolate stout I tried was the Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. At the time, I thought it was delicious and creamy and had a great sweet balance to it. But it wasn’t really a stout; it was a melted and then chilled candy bar. These days, I want a beer with strong booze, thick malt, and heavier emphasis on chocolate if I’m going for a double chocolate stout. Given Brooklyn Brewery’s hype and track record, it was worth a go, and I hoped they’d make a skeptic a believer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,
Line Break

No Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break
 

Beer Review: Founders Imperial Stout

December 28th, 2009

Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, MI

This beer almost made my girlfriend throw up. So we’ll start with saying that this isn’t exactly the most stout-friendly beer. This is a beer for a stout lover and a stout lover only. Sure, you might think you’re a fan of dark beer, or maybe even a fan of thick stouts. But then you give the Founders Imperial Stout a taste, and it knocks you on your ass, spits on you, and kicks your ass again just because it’s bored. Right, it’s only 10.5% ABV, but still, I dare you to take on this beer and come out unscathed. It just won’t happen.

Pouring an almost unbelievably dark, used motor oil dark of all darks, the Imperial Stout was ready for a knife fight right out of the bottle. Smelling like a bastard child of burnt coffee grounds and a thick chocolate bar, the Imperial Stout put forth a two-finger, espresso-colored head that looked more than tempting. One sip told me that this was one thick motherfucker. If you have ever thought Guinness was a dark beer, this will make you think it’s mountain-chilled bottled water. Showing a thick malty flavor, you have to swallow this one twice to get the flavor off your tongue. But if you search, and you’re hearty enough to find the intricacies, this really is a sensual, warming and a wonderfully sexy beer. Yes, it’s a hearty, beefy chunk of malty stout goodness; however, this is a sexy beer that a beer would drink. A beer’s beer, if you will.

Dessert and a light session beer is all this one would be great for. Sure, I guess you could take a chance with drinking this with a meal, but it might laugh in the face of venison or sword fight a hunk of steak. For any seasoned stout master, this is a must-have. Don’t think this beer is a tease, though. I challenge you to take on this hardy brew and push your taste buds to the limit. You’ll either be happy you did, or you’ll never touch it again. The beer’s waiting. Go for it.

Line Break

Tagged as: , , , , ,
Line Break

4 Comments »

Line Break
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
    • Line Break