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.