Thirty First Meeting

We're at Derek's house for our 31st meeting with a grab bag of beers. There are some interesting options tonight that can't be obtained in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul/Golden Valley metroplex. Let us begin.

First up, we have a brand new style unseen in this beer club. Dogfish Head's Theobroma is a Chile beer. A chile beer that comes in at 9%. It pours pretty transparent, but it has a lot of flavor. It's relatively flat but has a full mouthfeel. Sweet, with a slight chili pepper taste at the end. I guess it's pretty good. The cocoa powder is the most notable flavor in this thing. PS- we're drinking out of Northwest Airlines cups served in an NWA tray.

BPA: 2.89

Nextly we have Avery The Czar. This is a repeat offender, but we haven't had the newest vintage. This is a hoppy imperial stout. Let's see how this rates compared to the last time we had it.

BPA: 3

Third up is Dogfish Head Bitches Brew. This is a much-coveted Imperial Stout that nobody here has tasted yet. This is another 9 percenter. Belfry is reading the story on the bottle, yet people keep interrupting. This pours like a standard RIS. It has a little bitter chocolate taste in it, as well as a little coffee. It has a slightly thinner mouthfeel than most of the big RIS's that we've tasted. A pretty smooth, well-rounded beer.

BPA: 3.56

Batting fourth is Half Acre Big Hugs. That sure is a silly name for an imperial stout! This one is 9.5%. It sounds like the theme is catch-a-buzz night. The picture on the bottle tittilates me. Oh boy, THAT'S-A COFFEE MEAT-A-BALL!! There's a lot of coffee and a little bitter chocolate. Let's rate.

BPA: 3.09

Next up is Bell's Double Cream Stout. It's milky millky riiiiiiiiiight. This one is an American Stout, which comes in at 6.1%. The cream refers to the mouthfeel, not the ingredients. That's what BA says, folks, and I'm sticking to it. It's way less flavorful than the previous stouts we've had.

BPA: 2.93

Mike brought a beer that I've never heard of from a brewery I've never seen before, yet it pours a beutiful orange. It's Gandhi Bot DIPA from New England Brewing Co! C Everett Koop, that's hoppy smelling! It's a bitter ale, that's for sho. Not a lot of citrus hops, though.

BPA: 3.4

Brent brings to us Lagunitas Sumpin' Wild. This is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale that comes in 8.8%. Tastes a little bit like Cynic. A very tasty Belgian Ale, indeed.

BPA: 3.54

Last up, we have Lampe's signature beer. It's Trader Joe's Vintage 2010 Ale, which they release around Christmas. Meeeeeerry Christmas, WTBC! This stuff tastes like cinnamon. It's a dark plum color. I'm running out of words to write about things. There are far too many distractions- Mount K2 debates, banjos, Gophers basketball, and Jimmer Fredette. Let's rate this before we have to pull out sleeping bags.

BPA: 3.05

Thirtieth Meeting

We're celebrating our 30th meeting in South Minneapolis by drinking South of the Border beers. That's right, it's Mexican night. We have homemade guacamole and American Adjunct Ale for all!

Arrrrrriba!!! First up is Pacifico. This fine American Adjunct Lager rolls in at 4.8%. It pours a transparent, light golden color with no carbonation to behold. It has kind of a sweet, corny... ahem... MAIZE taste. Pretty drinkable, I guess. Just light and smooth. If I wasn't drinking a double IPA on the side I might get really sick of this.

BPA: 1.62

Next up: the beer I would buy in college right after Christmas break because I could afford $10 6 packs for a couple weeks. Corona Extra! I picked up some Coronitas at Liquor Barrel, so we each get our own 7 oz. bottle. This stuff is 4.6%, BUT IT'S MASKED WELL BY THE COMPLEX FLAVOURS! Cool, Turnbull just did the straw-in-the-bottle trick. "This has gotten me laid on more than one occasion," Turnbull. This stuff is basically the same as the last, except less flavorful, if that makes any sense.

BPA: 1.06

Thirdly we have Dos Equis Lager Especial, senor. This comes in at a strong 5%, which surprises me. I assumed this would be like drinking a bunch of O'Doul's. It looks, smells and tastes almost the same as the last 2. Bienvenidos Miguel! A bit late, aren't we? I guess there's not a lot to say about this that hasn't been said about the last. A fine beer to drink at 2 in the afternoon in 90 degree heat.

BPA: 1.22

This next beer was picked up by Belfry next to the Home Depot. He told it to get in his truck to help him with a project in his yard. This one is the Dos Equis Amber, and it actually is dark. It's a darker amber color, yet it has no carbonation either. It definitely tastes the same as the others, but there's a faint hint of the amber malts. "There's a time and a place for Dos Equis Lager, but this stuff just tastes like Mexico trying to do a craft beer," Tom B.

BPA: 1

Last Mexican beer of the night is Negra Modelo. This is considered a Munich Dunkel Lager. Fun fact: Mexican ranchero music has a polka element in it because of the German immigrants in the 1800s. They started all of the Mexican breweries and combined polka with Mexican folk music. All of these beers smell like water.

BPA: 1.38

Lastly we have something as off-topic as possible. Mike brought "The Most Mexican Beer At His House." Being part of the white upper-class, this was a 3 Floyd's Double IPA. Although I will not complain. First taste: ellicited a wolf howl from Baron von Turnbull. 9.5%, this one is!

BPA: 3.53

That'll do it. Adios MUCHACHOS!

Beer Stats

We've hit the 200 beer mark, so it's time for another epic beer stat breakdown.

By country:

US- 153
Belgium- 24
Germany- 15
Japan- 7
Canada- 2
Austria- 2
China- 1
Czech Republic- 1
England- 1
France- 1
Norway- 1
Scotland- 1
Thailand- 1


By State:

California- 36
Colorado- 23
Michigan- 15
Minnesota- 15
Oregon- 11
Wisconsin- 10
New York- 8
Ohio- 8
Missouri- 6
Pennsylvania- 6
Illinois- 5
Massachusetts- 4
Delaware- 1
Idaho- 1
Maryland- 1
Maine- 1
Montana- 1

By brewery (min. 4):

Stone- 7
Town Hall- 6
Great Lakes- 6
Rogue- 6
Goose Island- 5
Sierra Nevada- 4
Great Divide- 4
Odell- 4
Bell's- 4
Founders- 4
Ommegang- 4
Southern Tier- 4
Victory- 4
Kiuchi- 4

# of beers we've tried in BA's top 100:

37

Our top rated beer:

Russian River Supplication- 4.0

Our lowest rated beer:

Miller Lite- .67

Twenty Ninth Meeting

Our 29th meeting takes us to Blent's prace, located deeeep in the Far East. The Missionary, Friar Belfry, was brave enough to take over blogging duties because I came down with a nasty case of SARS. If you can't tell, the theme is Asian beers.

Asian Beer Club

Tsingtao ABV – 4.8% Actually brewed in China
Uuuuuuggggh this is awful, says Colin. Tastes like fresh mountain water with a hint of hops and barley.

Mountain Water makes
Fresh beer diluted malt, hops
Finest Chinese beer

BPA: 1.75


Sapporo ABV – 5.0% brewed in Ontario

Pairs well with sushi says I.

Starting now and retroactively I’m putting the reviews into haiku

Sweeter than the last
Brings honor to Japan (goooong)
Nice job Canada

BPA: 2.01


Hitachino XH ABV- 8% Brewed in Japan

Legit brew hoppy yum
Malt and spice saki present
Sea Shepherd saves whales

BPA: 3.04


Hitachino Japanese Classic Ale ABV 7%

Cedar taste lingers
Light and crisp finishes clean
Tradition fulfilled

BPA: 2.8


Hitachino Espresso Stout ABV – 7.5%

Not from Kentucky
Breakfast worthy coffee taste
Supplies! no legumes

BPA: 2.85


Carpenter’s Mikan Ale ABV 6.5% Brewed in Japan

Saison from Japan
From Mt. Fuji snow monkey
The Shokunin spirit

BPA: 2.96


Hitachino Nest Real ginger brew ABV 7%

Spicy ginger nose
Bubbly ginger on my tongue
small owl respect

BPA: 3.15


Asahi Super Dry ABV5% Brewed in Toronto

Mountain water none
Uneventful to the max
f-ing Canada

BPA: 1.5


Chang ABV 5% Brewed in Thailand

Elephant Ass Chang
Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang
Angry Birds Alert

BPA: 1.45


Morimoto Black Soba Ale ABV 4.8% Brewed in NYC!?!?! j/k Portland but same difference for asian beer club

Confused global theme
Continental mishap, JOE
disORIENTed

BPA: 2.89

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