New Brew Thursday: 'Lazarus' from Proclamation Ale Company

For as long as I have enjoyed craft beer I have always been a fan of “weird beer.” Meaning that, anytime I see a new style, or a style with odd/unique ingredients I generally have to give it a try.  Now I say “generally” because to me, not every brewery has earned the right to go rogue because I have been burned before and have had my fair share of drain pours. However, when I come across a brewery I trust, I am always down to try something weird. Proclamation in Warwick has ALWAYS been a brewery I trust and they are constantly pushing the boundaries. This was undoubtedly true when they brewed ‘Lazarus’ a bourbon barrel aged sour porter.

‘Lazarus’ pours into the glass a dark brown with a small and light brown head. It has notes of chocolate and sour cherries that both delight and confuse the nose. The taste is as awesome as it is confusing, as delightful as it is complex. ‘Lazarus’ has a light mouthfeel and an initial taste of dark chocolate that then fades and changes to a long and lingering sourness that sticks to the tongue long after the beer is gone. There is a subtle hint of the bourbon barrel which I am always a fan of as well. Despite clocking in at 9.5% ABV it is not overly boozy and with the long and lingering sourness it is the perfect nighttime sipping beer.

‘Lazarus’ is not something everyone will love but if you enjoy stouts, sours, and weird beer it is a must try.

New Brew Thursday: 'The Mystical Resurrection of the Alpaca Magi' from Proclamation Ale Company

About four and a half years ago I was lucky enough to attend the Second Annual Ocean State Beer Festival that was held at Foolproof Brewery in Pawtucket. I consider this one of the best beer events I have ever been too and the day that I truly fell in love with Rhode Island Craft Beer. While I had been drinking craft beer for many years prior and had tried many Rhode Island Breweries it was this event where I truly realized just how big the beer scene was in the smallest state. This is when I first tried “The Chosen One” from Tilted Barn and experienced one of the best sour lines in the state, Alpaca Magi from Proclamation Ale Company.

Those who know me, know that while sours are one of my favorite styles I didn’t really start to love them until around this time. When I walked up to the Proclamation table, I tried their fantastic Pale Ale ‘Derivative’ and while I am not sure which one I had, as it was a very fun festival, I remember loving it (still do) and being asked if I liked sours. Answering in the affirmative I was told to come back in a few minutes as they were going to open their award-winning sour, ‘The Unyielding wrath of the Alpaca Magi.’ Now, I LOVE A GOOD BEER NAME, and was curious to try it and it was everything I love about sours. A Light mouthfeel with a lingering and palate coating sourness. I was then told that this was a series and that there were others in this line. Thusly, I made it my mission to try as many as I could. The last release, ‘The Tropical Excursion of the Alpaca Magi’ was released around the fall of 2018 so it had been awhile since their last new release… until last night. I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw it and it was glorious. Proclamation announced ‘The Mythical Resurrection of the Alpaca Magi’ and about five minutes later I had placed my order.

“Mystical Resurrection” pours into the glass a rich but cloudy purple with an off-white head that disappears just seconds after the pour. The notes show off the beers funk as the barrels round out the raspberries, blackberries, and merlot grapes. The taste is fantastic. With an impossibly light mouthfeel you get an initial tartness from the raspberries and merlot grapes in the front of your mouth that then builds to a slight sweetness. The sweetness does not last long though as you get a rich and complex sour that coats the entire palate from the back of your tongue to the front of your mouth. The Woodford Reserve barrel acts as a kind of amplifier for the foeder which adds to a slight oak finish and lingering sour that builds ever-so-slightly with each sip. Coming in at a dangerous 8% ABV there is no warning halfway through the bottle when it hits. “Mystical Resurrection” is just another in the Alpaca Magi family that delivers every, single, time!

New Brew Thursday: 'Wish I Could Turn You Back Into A Stranger' from Proclamation Ale Company

The other day I was able to get back to one of my favorite breweries in the state, Proclamation. Not only do they have some of the best beers, but they also have some of the best beer names. From ‘Breathing Life Into A Dead Ghost’ to ‘The Unyielding Wrath of the Alpaca Magi’ they are always good for a great beer with an even better name. This week’s New Brew Thursday is a perfect example.

‘Wish I Could Turn You Back Into A Stranger’ is an oak aged Brett IPA. It pours a very cloudy yellow-orange into the glass with a nice white head. The funk of the Brett and the oak is very prevalent on the nose with some light citrus on the back end. The flavor is fantastic. An initial lemon-lime tartness gives way to a subtle hop, that then gives way to a soft, but lingering tartness on the back of your tongue. With a light and surprisingly crisp mouthfeel and just boozy enough at 7.2 ABV this is worth the trip over to Proclamation and Oakville.

What's in a name?

It is a question often reserved for men and roses that can equally apply to beer. I mention this because this past week saw the release of one of my favorite line of sours from Proclamation Brewery, the 'Alpaca Magi' series. Now a few years ago I did not like sours but over time I began to acquire the taste and now sours are one of my favorite styles and the beer that really jump-started my love of sours was 'The Unyielding Wrath of the Alpaca Magi' an American Wild Ale. I first tried it when I was at the Second Annual Ocean State Beer Fest. I was at the Proclamation table trying their beers and after striking up a conversation with one of the brewers he had asked if I liked sours and when I replied that I did they mentioned that they had a bottle of their sour that they were going to open and that I should try it if I were interested... I was. Then I asked what the name of the beer was and once I heard it I just had to try it. The beer was the perfect American Wild Ale, a devastatingly sour beer with a great light mouthfeel. 

This year's 'Alpaca' is called 'The Tropical Excursion of the Alpaca Magi' and it is quite good. While I do like the other ones better it is still a very good sour. Proclamation has an amazing sour program and an even better job with their names for their sours. The other night I had split a bottle of another one of their sours 'Breathing Life into a Dead Ghost' a name so interesting, so awe inspiring, that upon hearing it you have to know what a beer with that name would taste like. This beer is much more crisp and lighters than an 'Alpaca' beer but it was still well worth it.

This lead me to a more philosophical question about the name making the beer or the beer making the name. If you're a brewer and you brew an amazing beer with a somewhat lackluster name will the beer live up to its full potential? Or if you are a brewer and brew a somewhat lackluster beer but give it a stunning name will it make the beer better? I tend to think that a good beer will always shine regardless of the name but with that being said though, you name your beer something weird/funny and it is a guarantee I will try it.

Ocean State Beer Fest

Yesterday was the Fourth Annual Ocean State Beer Fest and it was an absolutely amazing. I was lucky enough to attend two years ago and this year's was just as good. You can see my full samplings on Untappd but let me give you the highlights:

Best Beer: Inside Job, Buttonwoods Brewery. This was one of the first beers I wanted to try because 1. I love Buttonwoods and 2. it was listed as a creamsicle sour IPA. It was exceptional. Just the right amount of tart and hoppy that tasted like a creamsicle ice cream bar and my judgment was pretty spot on because of how fast it ran out. I was told that it was only brewed for this event but I hope they do this one again.
Honorable mentions: Fermented 4, Tilted Barn; Barrel Aged Wild Ale - Saison w/ Cherries, Grey Sail; Pineapple Vango, Foolproof

Best Brewery: Grey Sail. Always near the top of my list when I start talking about RI breweries. They really stepped up because they brought six different beers, two of which were at the top of my list and one was a cask (always a BIG fan of cask ales). I was able to try all of their offerings and neither myself nor my friends were disappointed. Already planning my day trip out to Westerly.
Honorable mentions: Tilted Barn, Buttonwoods, Foolproof, Taproot

Biggest Surprise: Taproot. Before yesterday I had never heard of this brewery before as they are not listed on the official Rhode Island Brewers Guild passport. I walked by and saw that they had a porter and was instantly curious. I struck up a conversation with their brewer Kevin and instantly heard his passion for brewing and while I was enjoying just how good the beer was. They also had a New England IPA that was brewed with Hefeweizen yeast that gave the beer this amazing banana taste that blended perfectly with the hops. I will definitely be making the trek out there as soon as possible.
Honorable mentions: Apponaug Brewing, Providence Brewing Company, Ragged Island

Most Unique Beer: Cereza Amarga, Providence Brewing Co. Listed as a MexiCali Light Lager this beer was described to me as a lager infused with tequila. It was actually brewed with cherries, guavas, and lemons that were sitting in Anejo Blanco for a couple of months but that drove the point home. This was a crisp, clean lager that finishes with a slight bite of agave. Definitely worth a trip to try it out.
Honorable mentions: 2 legit to frit, Proclamation; Fruits of Labor, Taproot; Kingston's finest, Shaidzon Beer Co.; Crimson Ghost, Long Live Beerworks

Most Disappointing: Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.. This one hurts to write as an avid fan/supporter. Newport Storm was the brewery that first got me excited about Rhode Island beer but their offerings at the festival just did not do it for me. Rhode Rage is far too malty for me, Comfortably Unaware did not have the same flair as the other New England IPA offerings and 1639 was pretty good but not great. I expected them to pull out all of the stops and bring something truly unique but alas, I was disappointed.

So that was the fourth annual Ocean State Beer Fest. I cannot wait for next year to see what new things the brewing community will bring. Did you attend? If you did how would you fill out your list of best beer, brewery, biggest surprise, most unique, and most disappointing? Comment below.