Third Meeting

Tonight we will be imbibing upon stouts. Joe will not be joining us for this meeting, so that leaves Brothers Tom, Brent, Colin, and Derek. We have been waiting for stout night for many a fortnight; and we'll be sure to leave with at least a buzz and at most a hangover.

We just decided upon a new rudimentary rating system that will be in place for the duration of this fine Club. It's based on the grade point average scale of 1-4, however, we called it the BEER POINT AVERAGE!!! It's based on our personal perceptions of the beer, and not based on the official style guidelines. So deal with it bra, or stop reading teh blog.

We decided on doing the highest-rated beer first, so Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout is the initial pour. KBS comes in at 11.2% ABV, which is pretty standard for an Imperial Stout. Our first impression is that coffee flavors are noticeable. After letting it sit in your mouth for a bit, the bourbon flavors come out, but not to the extent that a lot of barrel-aged beers are. Overall, we all agreed that it's an excellent beer. And it darn well should be if it's ranked at #8 on BeerAdvocate.

BPA: 3.85

The next sample is Victory Storm King that comes in at 9.1% ABV. I immediately noticed the hops on the nose. Upon my first drink, I spontaneously composed this poem:

When it first hit my tongue
I was immediately in doubt
That Victory Storm King
Is actually a Stout

I feel that there are tons of hops in this bad boy. It certainly tastes like no stout I've tasted. But, there are some malts in there, and it's pretty tasty. Overall, I think it's alright, mostly because of how strange it tasted.

BPA: 2.7

Our third tasting is Bell's Expedition Stout. I'm sure I've sampled this before at the Food and Wine festival, but I'm sure I was far too drunk and full off of cheese to properly enjoy it. It's a Russian Imperial Stout that rocks faces at 10.5%. It smells the booziest of the three we've tried so far, but it doesn't taste that way. It's malty, a little chocolatey, and a small amount of coffee. Pretty good, and it tastes like what a non-coffee based stout should taste like.

BPA: 3.23

Fourth tasting: New Holland Dragon's Milk. It's another barrel-aged ale, but it's actually a strong ale. It comes in around 8.5%, boy. It tastes of vanilla, sugar, and caramel. Quite tasty, says I.

BPA: 3.23

On to da next.... CORKED AND CAGED, CORKED AND CAGED Brau Bros. Rainwater Stout. It's a barrel-aged stout, in which exactly 10% of it is sweet, nourishing booze. Smell = coffee-ey. Holy biscuits, we all agreed on how thin it is. It certainly doesn't feel like a stout, but it tastes a bit like one. We all agreed it tastes like a Belgian, which makes sense because it's brewed with candi sugars.

BPA: 2.25

Now that we've all got a hot buzz rocking, we're going to sample Brent's home-brewed coffee stout. It's thin and tastes of coffee, which hits the spot at a time like this.

Next pour: Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti. This be a Russian Imperial Stout that comes in at 9.5%. "That's all coffee, and I like her," -Colin. It tastes heavily of coffee, and I taste a bit of hops. However, after the beer we've had tonight, any hint of hops will melt my tongue. A tasty beer that received a solid A on BA.

BPA: 3.6

Finally, we're on our last pour. The RISK competitors are clamoring for this to end. Let's have a taste of Goose Island Night Stalker. Nosefeel: Hop Sandwich. The taste is thick and chewy, like how Sir Mix-a-Lot describes a baby who has back. Brent sez- fruit notes. Larson thinks it tastes like candied yams with some mashed potatoes mixed in. I disagree.

BPA: 3.75

This was a success! I'm boozed up because we tasted tasty RIS brewdaddies. We're all excited to welcome a new potential member, Friar Belfry. Hazing procedures are being brainstormed.

And finally, a picture of Derek asking for forgiveness after showing up late to this most-gentlemanly of clubs.

Second Meeting

Tonight we've got a mix and match set of beers with no discernible theme. As I'm writing this, we're not sure of what we're going to try yet, and the meeting starts right... now. Derek isn't here, so we'll be drinking an extra 20%. Hooray.

First, we have Boulevard's Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. Corked and caged! First impression: Joe- "It's spritzy." It's carbonated, light, and delicious. The 8% ABV is hidden by the presence of floral hops and carbonation. Shazaam, I could drink a couple bombers of this on a hot day, and end up falling asleep in the inflatable pool I'm sitting in. Overall, good saison.

The second beer we're trying is Victory's Baltic Thunder; a baltic porter. This one comes in at 8.5%. There's a story on the back of the bottle, which adds to the charm. This is quite drinkable, despite the ingredients. Mouthfeel is light, with strong coffee and chocolate flavors. We all agreed it wasn't what we were expecting. A roasted octoberfest? We'll go with that.

Our third sample is Goose Island's Demolition. It's a Belgian Style Golden Ale that features 7.2% ack-ahol. It's not yet listed on BeerAdvocate, and Alvey says they just got it in at the Firkins. Brent's first impression was "Fucking Nummy." I agree. I can taste the hops, as well as the Belgian candied sugars. Overall, a pretty good beer.

The next beer is Town Hall Brewery's Wine Barrel-Aged Wee Heavy Scotch Ale. The style is a strong Scotch Ale, but aged in Pinot Noir barrels. The smell is definitely grape-y. The taste is like nothing we expected. Heavy wine tastes, with some taste of Scotch ale that eventually shows up. Chest-feel: Similar to red wine. Overall, we're in agreement that it's really, really good.

Lastly, we have Town Hall's Wine Barrel-aged Double IPA. I've been looking forward to this since I bought the growler. It pours a dark orange, hazy color. Man-o-man, it's definitely hoppy. Wine and fruit and the beginning, tangerines fo sho, then follows with a dry, hoppy finish. Welcome to flavor country, Golden Valley.