This post is a continuation of the 2015 New Beer Every Day Beer Diary Challenge, #ottbeerdiary. Over the course of 2015, I drank at least one new beer every day. Please read the background in the link above, and enjoy reading about the most recently tasted beers below. This year I may deviate from the diary format in some posts, hoping to concentrate more on the locations and the breweries I am enjoying. If you’d like to join the challenge as well, let me know in the comments below. You can catch up on all of our posts as part of the challenge under the tag ottbeerdiary.
Day 374: January 9, 2016
Diary entry:
A chill morning, with the beer tasting at my friend / co-worker John’s place scheduled in the afternoon. I did a dinner at his home once in Eindhoven around 10 years ago, and he’s been inviting me over to his new place for the past couple years, but I’ve never managed. This seemed like the perfect opportunity, with friends Frits and Cyriel joining in for the tasting as well.
The official purpose of the tasting was for John to reduce the number of large format bottles in his beer closet, so we cleared through a number of his older bottles, along with a few bottles the rest of us brought.
The beers we tasted:
Macker by Brouwerij Rufus – 6.7% Amber ale – A local brewery from Heeze, where John lives. A bitter amber. Not bad at all.
Achel Extra Bruin (de 3 Wijzen) by Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis – 9.5% Belgian Quad – Best-by date on this bottle was 2013. Caramel aroma. Also a caramel sweetness. A bit too sweet perhaps. Pretty good, especially as it breathed a little
Red Poppy Ale by The Lost Abbey – 5% Flanders Red Ale – Beautiful funk and fruit flavor. A bit richly deep. I do so love this beer.
Ongekend HJA15/1 by Hertog Jan – 8.4% Belgian Strong Dark Ale – Ok but nothing special. Cool bottle though!
Ongekend HJA15/2 by Hertog Jan – 10.5% English Barleywine – Richer than the HJA15/1. But again, it’s just kinda there. Nothing to knock your socks off.
Préaris Grand Cru 2014 BA Tennessee Whiskey (Jack Daniels) by Vliegende Paard Brouwers – 10% Belgian Quad – Whiskey aroma. Some sweet, some bitter, some light smoke on the flavor. Pretty good!
Préaris Grand Cru 2014 B.A. Islay Whisky (Ardbeg) by Vliegende Paard Brouwers – 10% Belgian Quad – Peated? Check. Check. And double check. mouthful of smokey peat. Aroma at least is…ok…peat too. And alcohol.
Gouden Carolus Indulgence 2015 – Whisky Infused by Brouwerij Het Anker – 11.7% Belgian Strong Dark Ale – Alcohol and barrel aroma. Flavor adds some raisiny fruit. Heavy carbonation with champagne bubbles in your mouth. Alcohol burn, but good!
Watt Dickie by BrewDog – 35% Eisbock – Quite an alcoholic aroma. Like a shot of whiskey. Smokey and raisiny. Liquorice flavor. Salty. This’ll cure a cold.
Oude Geuze Vintage (2008) by Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen – 6% Gueuze – This is what a sour beer should be! Oh lord. I’m gonna cry.
Bronckhorster Martinique Rum Barrel Aged Populus by Brouwerij Rodenburg – 11% Belgian Strong Dark Ale – Lacking in aroma. Sweet, yet a sour tartness.
B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout by Hoppin’ Frog Brewery – 9.4% Imperial Oatmeal Stout – Lovely dark flavors.
Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Oatmeal Imperial Stout by Hoppin’ Frog Brewery – 9.4% Imperial Oatmeal Stout – Great dark chocolate and barrel roasted flavors. Lovely.
Barrel Aged Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin by Hoppin’ Frog Brewery – 8.4% Pumpkin Beer – Spicy and cloves. Lots of cinnamon. And a nice base.
Serpent’s Stout by The Lost Abbey – 11% Imperial Stout – Smokey and dark. Lots of coffee and dark cococa nibs.
Black Ink And Blood Barrel Aged Bourbon by Mikkeller – 17% Imperial Raspberry Stout – Raspberry cough syrup aroma. Very sour from the top end of the barrel aged sour bitterness. Too much. Age? Air? It needs something.
And the beer of the day…
The Beer:
Name: Smokey And The Bois
Style: American Strong Ale
Producer: The Bruery
Alcohol content: 16.2%
Bottle size: 0.75 l
Purchased from: The Bruery as part of my 2014 Reserve Society membership
Smokey and the Bois by the Bruery. Oh my. This is a good one. Light smoke aroma. Cocoa, raisin, a little coconut. And the 16.2% ABV gives a nice warming burn. This is extremely tasty! An excellent beer.
Smokey and the Bois is a blend of some of The Bruery’s most popular barrel-aged beers: Black Tuesday (Imperial Stout), Bois (Old Ale), and Smoking Wood (Rye Porter). The blend is further aged with vanilla beans and Ecuadorian Nacional cacao nibs. The Smokey and the Bois blend was selected in collaboration between The Bruery and The Rare Beer Club for the 20th anniversary of MonthlyClubs.com.
Expected flavors from the bottle notes: Rich malt, burnt toffee, a hint of smoke and toasty oak along with fresh vanilla and raw cacao.
Store and serve at 55F/13C. Best served in a tulip glass or wine glass.
