New Brew Thursday: 'Subtle Victories' from Origin Beer Project

Over the weekend I was able to make a trip to Buttonwoods Brewery with my girlfriend and another couple friend of ours and we had a great time. While I was there, I was able to pick up my order from Origin Beer Project which included their sequel to ‘Small Victories’ (check out that review HERE) one of my favorite beers from last year, their new lager ‘Subtle Victories’.

‘Subtle Victories’ pours into the glass with a rich amber color and a light brown head. It has rich malty notes with a subtle (see what I did there) note of oak from the foeder. The taste is fantastic. it has an impossibly light mouthfeel with a nice soft malty taste that is both crisp and clean with a slight maltiness that lingers on the back of the tongue just ever so slightly. Coming in at 5.5% ABV it is perfectly crushable while still having the perfect amount of body. ‘Subtle Victories’ is a great sequel to ‘Small Victories’ and it continues Origin Beer Projects run up the RI brewery power rankings.

New Brew Thursday: 'Broken Skull' from El Segundo Brewing Company

Gimmie a “Hell Yeah!” As soon as I heard one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, Stone Cold Steve Austin, had teamed up with El Segundo Brewing Company to make his own beer I knew I had to try it. The most surprising, WHAT? I said the most surprising part is that they teamed up to make an IPA. ‘Broken Skull’ is characterized as a West Coast IPA and while I have been pretty indifferent towards this style recently, ‘Broken Skull’ is making me change my mind.

‘Broken Skull’ pours into the glass a cloudy, but not hazy, light yellow with a white head and has subtle and soft piney notes. The flavor is fantastic, it has a classic West Coast IPA taste with an interesting twist. While it has the classic big hop taste that gives way to a long and lingering malty finish, the twist comes from the hops. Citra gives it that initial hoppy bite with Cascade and Chinook combining for a sweet and crispness right before that malty finish. Coming in at 6.7% ABV it is the perfect balance of boozy and crushable.  This beer is awesome, and that’s the bottom line!

Giving It A Chance

Years ago, my dad told me that every few years your tastebuds change and you begin to like things that you once did not. While I am not sure how scientifically accurate that might be it does bring me to today’s main subject about trying beers that you once hated.

Those who know me, know the styles of beer I hate, those being overly malty. Specifically, Bocks, Red Ales, Pumpkin Beers, Winter Warmers/spiced beer, Black IPAs or any overly malty IPA. However, the other day I was at a liquor store (shout out Nikki’s Liquors on Branch Ave.) and saw something too interesting to pass up. ‘Touch O’ Crunch’ from Artisanal Brew Works.

Right off the bat this beer had two strikes against it as it is a spiced Red Ale a style and description I typically do not like but, I was intrigued as it was a beer in the style of Cinnamon Toast Crunch one of my favorite cereals growing up. After looking at it and mulling my options I figured it was worth a shot and bought it. In trying it, I was pleasantly surprised. It is not overly malty like most Red Ales and the spice is not overpowering both of which I contribute to the lactose which gives the beer a nice sweetness. It doesn’t really taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch as it isn’t heavy on the cinnamon or grain flavor but it is a pretty nice beer.

While I will be the first to admit that those who typically like Red Ales and Spiced Beer may not like it as the Red Ale malt profile and Spiced nature of the beer are mild and after checking Untappd it is definitely not for everyone. However, it has definitely worked its way to the front of my refrigerator and I am pretty happy with it. Now while I may not go out of my way to try Red Ales or Spiced Beer I am definitely going to be more open to them on tap lists or when I am looking to shake things up a bit.

How about you? What kinds of styles are you willing to get another chance? Let me know below.

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.

Bourbon County Day

While there are many holidays on the craft beer calendar, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger one than ‘Bourbon County Day.’ For the uninitiated, every year around Black Friday Goose Island Brewery releases this series of bourbon barrel aged beers. The Bourbon County series has been around for the last ten years and started with just a stout, but each year Goose Island adds a few new variants to the line-up. This year I was able to secure the ‘Brand Stout’, ‘Brand Special #4’, and “Brand Carmella Ale’. All of which have taken a prime place in my cellar. I am still on the lookout for (or ISO for those in the know) for the other variants so I will be keeping my fingers crossed that I will find them soon.

The Bourbon County beers are fantastic and highly recommended. However, for you to unlock their full potential they should be cellared for at least two years. Cellaring, for those who do not know, is when beer is aged for a prolonged period of time. These beers respond extremely well to being cellared and are a great introduction into the world of cellaring. For the last few years, I try to buy two of each variant in order to cellar them for different periods of time. I used to cellar them for a minimum of one year but now, after trying some of my older beers I will be cellaring them for a minimum of three years.

While I have been growing my beer cellar over the last four years, I am still very much a novice at this process and will be dedicating a post to this in the future.