Avery - Eighteen 2011

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Eighteen 2011 Dry Hopped Rye Saison
Avery Brewing
5763 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, Colorado USA
Est. 1993
www.averybrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.12 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 (4 oz. sample) 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber to orange in color.
Roasted malt and spice nose. Wet grassy aromas and orange peel/zest.
Fairly long lasting near-white head.
Some spotty lace on glass.
Malt taste, some chocolate hits. Has a dry, rye finish.
Light mouth feel. Subtle complexities throughout. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I was treated to a sample of this recently. It is interestingly complex. Lots going on, since it is a Saison by nature and then it has rye and hops additions. The eight percent alcohol is barely noticeable and makes for a fairly easy to approach, higher alcohol brew. If you get a chance, give it a try.

I am now looking to dig up more of this anniversary ale in my local stores.

Samuel Adams - Rustic Saison

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Samuel Adams Rustic Saison

Boston Beer Company

Boston, MA USA

Est.1985

www.samueladams.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.35 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Clear, light yellow color.

Spice, and yeast funk with some citrusy aromas.

Two finger, creamy white head. Tight bubbles leaves some nice lacing.

Taste is not as intense as in the aroma. It is sweet and not as funky as most saisons.
Lightly carbonation and softly nucleated.

Light and tart and dry mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Rustic Saison showed up in a 12 pack mixer of Sam Adams. This one was hiding out in the back of the crypt's fridge, next to the butter and eggs. Must have felt right at home.

As far as Saison or Farmhouse Ales go, this is not a home run, but it is easily a hit. I found the dryness was a little too astringent but not overly puckery. The head dissapates into a yeasty skim and as it warms in my tulip glass.  There do not seem to be any pronounces esters common in Belgian Saisons. The citrus, yeast and floral components are all there, but without a lot of depth or complexity. A good effort, and all the same, I still enjoyed drinking it on a hot and humid day.

Refreshingly light and easy to drink at 4.35% ABV, those are characteristics of a Farmhouse Ale.

Jolly Pumpkin - Bam Noire Dark Farmhouse Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Bam Noire Dark Farmhouse Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales LLC

Dexter, MI USA

Est. 2004

www.jollypumpkin.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.3 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review

Mostly brown in color with some plum tones.

Yeast and spice aromas with some tart vinegary notes.

One finger, fluffy white head. Foam leaves some spotted lacing.

Coffee and cocoa with some dark fruity plum notes.
Slightest hint of brettomyces funkiness to the taste.

Light to medium mouth feel. A bit thin, but smooth bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Here's a pick from my son. He found this on our excursion to a natural foods store. While neither of us raved about it, the ale did slowly grow on me. It is very low in alcohol at only 4.3% ABV, however, there was the most tantalizing aftertaste that kept me coming back for more.

Unusual. Curious. Would I buy it again? Possibly, but there are other Jolly Pumpkin Ales that I would like to explore first. Tip of the hat to Jolly Pumpkin for their informative and interesting website.

We'll be back for more.

Saint Somewhere - Pays du Soleil

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Saint Somewhere - Pays du Soleil
Saint Somewhere Brewing Company
1441 Savannah Avenue Unit E
Tarpon Springs, FL USA
Est. 2007
www.saintsomewherebrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber/brown to orange in color with some reddish hues.
Citrus tart, peppery and yeasty smells in the nose.
Big foamy off-white, clumpy head that leaves strings and spots of lace.
The taste hints of apples along with a funky almost brett like taste.
Dry spice finish.Taste really shines as it warms in the glass.
Carbonation is modest, but not overpowering.
Medium body. Crisp. Complex in flavor and aromas. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Pays du Soleil loosely translates into "Rays of the Sun".  Notice the bottle label as the beer fairies try to harness the sun's rays into flowers.  Here's the ale that we helped bottle back in the summer with Bob Sylvester, owner of Saint Somewhere.  He has a small operation in Tarpon Springs with a big heart for Belgian brews, this brewery is basically a one man operation, save when it comes to bottling days.  Then an army of beer lovers volunteer to descend upon his tiny shop to help put all that flavorful stuff in the 'cork and cage' champagne style bottles.

You can read more about the bottling process at (shameless plug) my alternate website, Firkin Around. Also on hand were reporters from The Florida Alligator to capture the story.  When you check out their page, note the fellow in the middle with the white golf hat on his head. Yours truly, The Reaper.

Now on to the ale. The volunteers got to leave with some of the freshly bottled stuff for our efforts. We sampled some from another batch on bottling day but were told to let ours age for several weeks.  It has been nearly four months now and popping the cork produced a nice amount of what I like to call 'beer smoke'. That little layer of whoof that comes out of a nicely conditioned bottle. It was as I remembered from that day in June, a delectably enjoyable ale. Look for it at a store near you.  Bob keeps expanding his shipping locations so it may be closer than you think.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear, dull pale gold color.
Fruity, lemongrass and Belgian yeast funk in aroma.
White foaming head goes to about two fingers high.
Great legs of lacing up and down the glass.
Taste similar to the smell with a twinge of pepper finish.
Bouncy carbonation.
Full flavored but light to drink for the ABV content.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Sorachi Ace is a hop derived from and developed in Japan. It is best noted for its lemon fragrance, thus making it extremely suitable for farmhouse style saison ales.  Sessionable, but watch out for the 7.6% alcohol content.  There is no booziness or alcohol taste as it borders on 8%.  I can easily see getting carried away espscially with the bomber sized bottle.

So find a friend to share with, or at least one that will offer to drive you home safely. On second thought, just get a couple of these, a few friends and sit around the pool in lounge chairs, then everyone has fun and no one needs to get behind the wheel.  That way, you are the Ace and not the Joker.

Saison Dupont - Belgian Farmhouse Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Saison Dupont - Belgian Farmhouse Ale
Brasserie Dupont
Rue Basse 5
Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium
Est. 1844
www.brasserie-dupont.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazed golden to orange in color.
Floral fruit nose with apricot notes.
One finger white fizzy head that leaves some lacing.
Sweet, malty and musky in smell.
Slight yeast in taste.
Bright, crisp, dry body.
Lots of carbonation.
A light bodied bubbly beer.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Champagne style bottle and champagne equivalent of a beer.  This farmhouse saison will tickle your nose with the bubbles.

Light, dry and refreshing and a fairly low ABV by comparison to others in its style, Dupont will keep you going on a hot summer's day.

I would pick this over any bottle of bubbly wine as my next celebration beverage.

Saint Somewhere - Saison Athene

Dead Goddess 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Saint Somewhere - Saison Athene
Saint Somewhere Brewing Company
1441 Savannah Avenue Unit E
Tarpon Springs, FL USA
Est. 2007
www.saintsomewherebrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.5 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Golden, light yellow slightly translucent in color.
Citrus and spicy, peppery smells intermingle with distinct yeast notes.
Frothy white head that leaves wonderful strings and spots of lace.
The taste hints of apples along with a defined presence of citrus and coriander.
Dry finish with splash of hops.
Carbonation is high but not overpowering.
Light in body. Complex in flavor and aromas. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Carefully pour and reserve a bit in the bottom of the bottle as you serve this delicious saison.  The yeast is plentiful and distinctly present in smell taste and sight.  This is a wonderful ale to share with two or three friends due to the size of the bottle and the alcohol by volume.  I have noticed that days after finishing, the inside bottle glass still retains some of the yeast residue, clinging to the inside from top to bottom.  Daymn!

Another fine example of Belgian style ale produced here in the USA.  Lucky me. I was able to meet Bob Sylvester, the brewer and owner of Saint Somewhere at a local Florida craft beer event.  He poured me a fine taster of this lovely stuff.  He told me that they call on volunteers to help out on the bottling days. Hmmm... Sounds like a road trip to the brewery is in order.

Let the "goddess of wisdom" drop some knowledge on you!  She is also known as "the grim goddess". The Grim Reaper may have found the perfect soul mate!

Paulaner - Salvator Double Bock

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Salvator Double Bock
Paulaner Brewing
Munich, Germany
Est. 1634
www.paulaner.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Rusty orange/amber color.
Definite malt barley smell with some hops aroma.
Slight, quickly diminishing, tan head.
No lacing of the glass.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The Mrs. and I went to a nearby watering hole that boasted, "...the best area burgers..." along with a fine selection of 80 bottled and additional select tap, beers and ales. No lie. Total truth in advertising. The burgers will definitely bring you in the door, but it's that selection of liquid gold that will have you coming back...over and over again!

There is only a slim trace of BMC here. They are edged out by simply some of the most exotic beers to try. They will even indulge you with a 2 oz. sample of what's on tap. Just like that sample slice of ham at the deli or the wooden spoon of pistachio down at the ice cream shop. There's also an 80 beer club where they'll punch your card for each brew purchased. Then they put your mug shot on the wall-of-fame. Call it the good return customer reward because you couldn't possibly get them all in one evening...and I'd not suggest it either. Oh, what's the name of this joint that proffers up these 80+ ales and beers, you ask? Let's just say it was named after a famous playwright chap from England around the 16th century.

The Paulaner got me my first card-punch into the 80 beers club this evening. It has a Monk and some sort of 'Fezziwig' fellow on the label, each smiling at a rather large growler of Salvator Double Bock. The Monk seems to have control of the amphora at the moment, but he looks to be willing to share. After the pour you might exclaim it's a rather plain ale. Sip it. At first appearance the brown body and poorly foaming head might turn you away. Sip it again. The drink is where it's at. There is a nice bitter hops finish at the end of each and every sip. No lacing, you say? Keep sipping... Uh huh, it's all in there.

Stone Cold Fact: Salvator was brewed by the Monks for the season of Lent when they fasted from foods, but derived sustenance from this hearty malted brew instead.

Lift Bridge - Farm Girl Saison

Dead Cowgirl

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Farm Girl Saison
Lift Bridge Brewery
1906 Greeley St. South
Stillwater, MN USA
Est. 2006
Brewed by:
Flat Earth Brewing Company - St. Paul, MN
and
Point Brewery - Stevens Point, WI
www.liftbridgebrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pale golden yellow color.
Dry malt finish and spiciness.
Lots of carbonation.
Good lacing and a two fingered slight off white head.
A hit of pepper in the yeasty finish.
Light bodied and easy to drink. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A second "ghost writer" has come calling. When I get around to some of this ale, I'll add my two cents. The following comments do not represent my personal views, so tough noogies if you don't like them:

Ghost Writer's Eulogy
Belgian-influenced pale ale – go figure in Stillwater you’d think it would be influenced by some square headed Norwegian but they don’t know crap about beer. But I speak from ignorance – my wife is Norwegian.

Anyway – all the farmer’s daughter jokes aside – this farm girl is no slouch and tastes shall I dare say fabulous. Blue Moon move over. Great summer outdoor beer – I had six before I knew it in my backyard last Sunday avoiding the crowd at Lumberjack Days. They don’t sell liquor in this lousy state on Sunday (in stores) so I was forced to catch a ride downtown to consume three more at me favorite tavern before the fireworks.

You must try one, or twelve of these before the Reaper comes calling on you for real!
---TK 

UPDATE 7/14/2010 - My two cents - - -The Grim Reaper agrees with TK.  This is simply a great summer ale that you can open, empty, rinse and repeat.  I thought it had quite good character for a Belgian style Farmhouse ale and was surprised at how much I wished there was another.  Someday, I hope to sample more of this Minnesota bottled gold.
---The Reaper