Twenty Eighth Meeting

Here we are at Chef Belfry's house. As is his wont, he presents us various cheeses, preserves, and pretzels of pickled origin. Tonight's theme is "Brent A Beer," which is a nod to Brent never having given a beer an A in beer club. There will be a lot of offerings tonight all meant to tickle his fickle palate. Let's get this started.

Beer one: Belfry brings us North Coast Pranqster, which is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. This hazy yellow brew is 7.6% ABV. This is a really solid beer, IMHO. Mike this it's good, but not great. Same with Belf. Good drinkin'. It's rating time.

BPA: 3.36

Next up is one of my personal favorites. I knew this is an A before it was uncorked. Duchesse de Bourgogne is a Flanders Red Ale that comes in at 6.4%. Corky cagey. It pours a dark red num num num num. It smells like tart cherries. Oh boy this is good. My side beer is Deschutes Dissident, which is about the same style, and I would actually say the Duchesse is better.

BPA: 3.88

Thirdly we have Lampe's offering. He brought us a beer from Odell's Woodcut Series, which is a Double Marzen, or basically an Imperial Oktoberfest. This one is 11%, which is pretty much unheard of for a lager. It pours pretty dark for an oktoberfest. It's pretty sweet, oaky, and caramelly with an alky finish.

BPA: 3.41

Brent brings us The Bruery Rugbrod, which is a rye ale. This one is a solid 8% and is the first of 2 Bruery offerings tonight. If Brent can't bring an A beer to the "Bring a beer that you think Brent will give an A" theme, he has a horrendously low self-esteem. It's hard to describe the flavor of this. On to the ratings, stupid.

BPA: 3.09

Our first and only Double IPA of the night is Boulevard Double Wide IPA. This one is 8.5%. High alcohol seems to be a common theme tomorrow. It smells like hop syrup. A nice amount of citrus and hops. Time to rate.

BPA: 2.93

Our next beer is Odell DeConstruction Ale. It labels itself a Golden Ale, but BA lists it as an American Strong Ale. It's 10.5% and is a blend of a few types of beer. It pours a cloudy yellow color. Boy, this is tasty. It has a strong, light flavor similar to that of a Belgian Tripel. Brent just called Joe a fat slob because of his attendance. There is definitely a wild yeast presence in there. Early indications are that Brent will give an A.

BPA: 3.8

The next taste is of Delirium Tremens. It's another Belgian Strong Pale Ale comin' in at 8.5% ABV. It pours a pretty light color and smells of candi sugar. In the mid-90's, one of the earliest craft beer enthusiasts, Michael Jackson, labeled this the best beer in the world. Not this Michael Jackson, this Michael Jackson. It has elements of a tripel, but it's smoother. The 8.5% alcohol is completely undetectable.

BPA: 3.29

Last up, we have The Bruery Orchard White, which is a Witbier. This one is a meager 5.7% booze. How will I maintain my buzz? This smells like pineapple k2. This is extremely light and lemony. Very carbonated and full of lavendar. Mike loves lavendar. This is a strange beer indeed.

BPA: 2.94

Twenty Seventh Meeting

We're at Joe's place tonight for Doppelbocks. It's a high alcohol German lager that will hopefully keep us warm now that Joe's furnace went out and it's supposed to get down to 4 degrees tonight. Joe's pulled out all the stops tonight and brought out the Friendsgiving table. This is a new record for turnout. To my left and clockwise are: Turnbull, Woodpond, Colin, Joe, Derek, Belfry, Brent, Mike, Lampe, and me. This is going to take a while.

As is tradition, Joe, the host, is the first to offer. He offers to us Capital Imperial Doppelbock, which is 9%. Doppelbocks are fairly foreign to most of us. It pours a relatively transparent color for how dark it is. Caramel on the nose. This tastes quite a bit like a strongly-flavored scotch ale, and it's difficult to make out the alcohol.

BPA: 3.36

Next up we have a smoky salad sandwich. Aecht Schlenkerla Smoked Doppelbock is Derek's pick. It looks like a harmless lager after poured, but it smells like the inside of Derek's cabin when the fireplace wasn't working. This tastes like a smore that roasted on the bonfire for 2 hours too long. I would rather drink a 2.5 oz pour of Bud Light.

BPA: 1.43 (Editor's note.... Generous)

Thirdly we have Boulevard Seeyoulator Doppelbock. This one is 8 and a halfies. It pours a little cloudier and lighter than the first one. I won't use the second beer as any sort of Doppelbock benchmark. Hops are evident in this one. This really just tastes like a somewhat malty IPA.

BPA: 3.07

Brent is currently pouring us some Tucher Bajuvator Doppelbock which comes in at 7.2%. It smells like the first one. This tastes smoother than Mike Gabbert at the Shouthouse on a Wednesday night. Which is to say, SMOOOOOOOOTH. You're gonna like it, you're you're gonna like it CHEEEEESE.

BPA: 3.56

Mike brought us the Buronator Doppelbock which is 7.5% ABV. This pours a more transparent amber color. It tastes caramelly and a little sweeter than the first one. I'm ready to rate. Who ain't?

BPA: 3.04

Swingtop alert! Swingtop alert! IAAAALLLLTTOOOOO SWINGTOP!!! AWOOOOOGA! AWOOOGA! Lampe brought Sprecher Oak Aged Doppelbock. This is the darkest pour we've had yet. Also, the bottle might be 90 ounces. 9%, it is. This one is changing perceptions. Roasty, vanilla, and booze come through. Different from the rest, yet delicious.

BPA: 3.68

Next up is Paulaner Salvator Doppelbock. It's one of the original benchmark doppelbocks. Belfry spots sea monkeys. Derek just said "that pizza smells so dank." Joe- "It's just the oven, I haven't put the pizza in yet." Derek has the ability to smell potential pizza. It looks like a wheat beer in the glass.

BPA: 3.28

Turnbull brings us Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock. This shows how much range there is within this style. This one is 7.5%. It certainly smells like there's more coffee in here than any other beer. It's a pretty interesting taste- but quite good. It's heavily coffee, but it doesn't seem out of place. Out of nowhere: "So who makes the best Christmas cider." -Michael McNoobslur

BPA: 2.99

Last up is Sam Adams Imperial Doppelbock. 9.5. Oh boy, this is in there. Caramelly and similar to the first one. I'm running out of battery and we need to end of this.

BPA: 3.37

That'll do it. Stay tuned as we have some good ideas for upcoming beer clubs.

Twenty Sixth Meeting

Merry Christmas from the WTBC, Gabe, and Jeff

Merry Christmas to all! It's our 26th meeting, which is taking place at Gabbert's house with a big crowd. Tonight, Santa brings us Christmas Ales, which go under the category of Winter Warmer. They're always delicious this time of year, especially when drinking around a Christmas tree like we are now.

First up is Goose Island's Christmas Ale. This one comes in at 5.6% (like Michael!). Despite it being a Christmas Ale, it's listed as an American Brown Ale. Even CRAZIER, it tastes just like a scotch ale! It's not very spicy like most Christmas ales, but more caramelly.

BPA: 3.08

Next up is Rogue Santa's Private Reserve, which is 6%. It pours a pretty thin-looking caramel color. Goo. This has a similar mouthfeel as Brau Bros Rainwater Stout, as in tastes like rainwater is mixed with beer. This isn't good. Tough to finish. I had to grab an Expedition Stout to dance myself clean. This BPA will be similar to Joe's freshman year GPA.

BPA: 2.04

Thirdly we have Belfry's offering, which is Breckenridge Christmas Ale. I think this is the first one we've had from this brewery. This one is finally an actual winter warmer coming in at 7.4%. This one's also thin, but it's masked a little bit by the spicy spices.

BPA: 2.55

Batting cleanup is St. Bernardus, which is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale coming in at 10%. I can tell this guy is going to be good by the amount Tom J just poured on the coffee table. It pours a medium-thick brown color. It smells like fruit and spice. Mike's nose feels great. It tastes like a spicy Bernardus Quad. Very very good. A popular pick.

BPA: 3.63

Next up is Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, which is an AMERICAN IPA. This Christmas category sure is broad. Evidently they used fresh hops this year and they can be tasted. Mike: "Pine (sip)..... Hops (sip)...... Malts (sip)...... That guy sweats out smugness. "I gave my cat some turkey on Thanksgiving and now he doesn't eat his food." -Belfry. Yep, this tastes pretty much like a regular wet hop IPA.

BPA: 3.33

Lampe brought us Anchor Our Special Ale 2010, which is a 5.5% winter warmer. This pours a very dark crimson that smells like a gingerbread salad sandwich. We're wandering dangerously off-topic.

BPA: 3.13

What do we got next? Great Lakes Christmas Ale is up next. Brought by, guess who, Colin McCarty. This one is really gingerbready like the last. This is the type of Christmas Ale I imagine myself drinking with Bing Crosby on a bear skin rug in a quiet secluded cabin in Montana. Or something.

BPA: 3.34

Nextly we have Deschutes Jubelale. This one is 6.7% ABV. This one is a little hoppier than the last few, but there's still a bit of spice. Let's rate this.. we still have one left.

BPA: 2.95

Lastly we have Ridgeway Brewing's Criminally Bad Elf, which is a Barleywine comin' in at 10.5%. Pretty good barleywine. That's all I have.

BPA: 3

Welp we have one more. Goodness. This is Bell's Third Coast Ale which comes in at 10.6%. This is the last one I need. A good beer I've had many a-time. Tom J is stretching because of beer cramps. Let's end this now.

BPA: 3.19

Twenty Fifth Meeting

Welcome to the all-important 25th meeting of the Wild Turkey Beer Club. We've shared plenty of laughs and tears along the way, but we're glad to have you with us. I would first like to thank you, the reader, because without you, I couldn't afford to keep this humble blog afloat.

To celebrate our 25th, Tom B has chosen "BA Top 100" beers that we haven't tasted yet as a category. As a result, this could be our strongest lineup of beer yet. Expect some high scores (and maybe an A from Brent).

First up... the #6 beer in the world on BA, Trappist Rochefort 10. This tasty quad comes in at 11.3%. Surprisingly, we never tried this on quad night. This one pours a dark maroon with a tiny little head. The carbonation isn't absent from the mouthfeel, though. It tastes of dark fruit, like raisins, figs, and Drew's drungles. Some of us like it a lot, and the others just appreciate it as a good quad.

BPA: 3.66

Next up is probably the most anticipated beer we've had in a long time. Deschutes Abyss is #4 on Beer Advocate, however, about 1/4 of the 2009 batch is "infected." Apparently quite a bit of the beer is infected with some wild yeast, giving it a sour flavor. Some people who have tried the infected stuff go as far as to pour it down a drain. This stuff is 11%. First diagnosis...... INFECTED!! INFECTED!!! MIKE INFECTED US WITH AIDS!!! Alright, let's see if we can finish this weirdly sour stout. It tastes like a coffee saison. Not very good. Tastes and smells like testes.

BPA: (no rating given)

Rogue Shakespeare Stout is up next. This one is #66 on BA. Only 6.1%?!? Hahh Bizaahh. Smells like coffee and oats. "What do you feed him?" "Ohh, oats and hay, oats and hay." Tastes like coffee and oats as well. It has a fairly thin mouthfeel. At least thinner than Quaker Oats.

BPA: 3.12

Fourthly, we have Great Divide Oak-Aged Yeti. We've had two other derivations of this, but both of them have been aged and/or chocolated, yet not by oak. This one is #44 on BA. When we had the original Yeti, Mike and Lampe were pre-noob status, even fetus status. This pours a dark brown color, and smells exactly how it tastes. It's a solid imperial stout that tastes like oak chips have floated in it for an indeterminate amount of time. Oh yeah, 9.5%.

BPA: 3.62

Next we have the top-rated IPA in the world. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is 16 overall and very tasty. 7% alcohol is undetectable. This beer is quite hoppy, but it's followed by grapefruit and then some tender malts, so it balances the beer out. I had this side-by-side with Blind Pig last week and I thought this one was better.

BPA. 3.94 (Note: Everyone gave it a 4, and Brent was last to vote. He wouldn't give up his A V-card, so we now have a 3.94)

Last beer is Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which is 9% abv. This is a double IPA which is oddly not as hoppy as the last beer. There's definitely more of a syrupy sweetness to this one. Not as good as the last beer, but still one heck of a darn beer. Ding ding! Intoxication is knocking at my brain's door. Either that, or it's some terrible brain parasite brought on by that infected Abyss. As long as the parasite zonks me out for work tomorrow and makes me act like a drone bee, I welcome my new invader.

BPA: 3.46

Well that will do it. Right now we're engaged in very off-topic conversations and watching the Wild game. Next up: Mike's house.

Individual Stats

As we all know, beer drinking is a team game. However, sometimes you have to look beyond wins and losses to see how the team is doing. Welcome to sabermetric country.

Here are some individual stats for each drinker since we started recording individual scores at the seventh meeting.

Below is the average score given by each club member:

Joe- 3.33
Brent- 3.13
Colin- 3.08
Mike- 3.04
Tom B- 3.03
Derek- 2.99
Tom J- 2.96
Belfry- 2.85

Number of A's given out (F's)

Colin- 7(0)
Tom B- 7(0)
Joe- 6(0)
Belfry- 2(0)
Mike- 2(0)
Derek- 2(0)
Tom J- 1(1)
Brent- 0(0)

Tom J gave his F to Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti, though not as inexplicable as Brent's lack of A's

Number of meetings attended, out of 17 (Beers tasted)

Colin- 17 (117)
Mike- 16 (109)
Tom B- 14 (100)
Belfry- 13 (92)
Derek- 13 (91)
Brent- 12 (85)
Joe- 8 (54)
Tom J- 7 (47)

Congrats to Colin for perfect attendance. At the meeting tomorrow I will be unveiling a new technological advancement for beer club. The anticipation is palpable via email.

Reppin WTBC at Stone Brewery. Nobody has asked for our web address yet.

Twenty Fourth Meeting

Editor's Note: Once again, I missed beer club, but this time it was due to working late prior to my voyage to San Diego Beer Week. Guest blogster Belfry aka "Henry David" Thero wrote this post


11/9/10 WTBC - Barelywine [Unedited Freudian slip by Belfry, wine lover extraordinaire]

Rogue - Old Crustacean 2008 11.5%

Grolsh swing-top seal and capped. Strong alcohol smell and taste even after two years! Coast the throat with a nice lingering taste. The free range coastal water is very present, giving it a nice briny zing presumably from the crustaceans caught while harvesting the costal water. Booooozy and pretty darn tasty. Quality beer but a 4oz pour is about the maximum tasting in one sitting.

BPA 3.31


Anchor - Old Foghorn 8.8%

Markedly different, much more drinkable that the previous offering. Far sweeter, excellent mouthfeel(Joe would know). Reminds some people of mexican time-share vacation homes, might be the label’s flora. There’s a more pronounced hop flavor with this one. Suggested pairing: pretzels. More drinkable, yes repetitive but i was asked to write it again, but a little on the thin side for what we expected in a barleywine.

BPA 3.08


Colin’s Home Brewed Barleywine, potential name Mysterious Missale approx. 9-11% Brewed in Feb. 2010

Darker caramel color lingering head, nice lacing on the glass,very nice carbonation level. Very drinkable, nice balance of sweet and booze, This just in: Joe has never checked the blog, giving me and any other blogger for WTBC to freely comment on his character with no danger of retaliation. Colin’s beer has a nice caramel finish with a mild alcohol burn, highly regarded here tonight,for sure contends with our other tastings so far.

BPA 3.4


Avery Hog Heaven 9.2%

Lots of little sea monkeys, perhaps a new breed of mini-monkeys or a young spawn of regular sized monkeys. Very hoppy, has been a combination of all thus far, hoppy like anchor, sweet like Mysterious Missale, and slightly less boozy than the Rogue. It borders on being a strong ale to our pallets. Seems to be pretty favored.

BPA 3.47


Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale Black Barley Wine 10.2%

Pours black with some light at the edges, and a healthy amount of head. Super smooth, nice roasted malt flavor, MIke is revealing his climb to the top of Corburn’s something about starting as a bagger of tea, we didn’t ask about the details, sound like he get some great perks though. Derek saw some really nice sausage at the wedge co-op. At this point it is safe to say that the high barley content of these beers(Average Barley Volume or ABV) is affecting people’s ability to stay on topic. This doesn’t however have the pronounced caramel finish that most have had tonight, and a generally thinner mouthfeel. Everyone seems to have favorable leaning prior to ratings.

BPA 3.72


Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot 11.1%

Right up Michael’s alley as its’ name is conducive to slurring. Much stronger caramel and tastes of Belgian yeasts, alcohol is very hidden, almost undetectable for 11%. This is also our 7th tasting for whatever that’s worth. Aprecerate. That about says it all, the review of this beer has fallen victim to its’ own success as a great beer with a well disguised ABV(alcohol by volume).

BPA 3.41


Rogue - Old Crustacean 2008 11.5%

No this is not a typo, “brother” Derek has brought a duplicate which we decided to bookend for tonight’s tasting in the name of science. For some reason the alcohol is far less present than when we tried this EXACT SAME BEER at the beginning of our tasting. If ANY of you readers out there have a science background I beg you please tell us why this is there is likely a nobel prize at the end of this study, no promises.
Scores in () were given at the beginning of the evening
Derek 3.3 (3.3)
Brent 3.3 (3.0)
Colin 3.3 (3.3)
Joe 3.3 (3.3)
Dan 3.7 (3.3)
Mike 3.3 (3.3)
Ryan 3.3 (3.7)
BPA 3.35