93-Brother Thelonious

NLT- Belgian style abbey ale might be becoming my favorite style of beer. Due in large part to beer number 93, Brother Thelonius. I could bore you with the origins of this beer, (or read John's post he probably will) but what you really need to know is how awesome the caramel notes are in the beer. It is so smooth and rich, if they made candy out of beer this is what it would taste like- yum!! It has hints of raisin and is rather sweet, but not too sweet. Honestly I think the is a very "fine wine" type of beer, conducive to sipping slowly and savoring. Not to mention any beer with a cork is awesome. Anyone out there who wants to venture into high end beer, I think this is a great starter. It really shows you that not all beers have an overly alcoholic taste or make you shudder after you drink them, some of them are tasty and enjoyable.

JFT- Ok, not to "bore" you, but this is an American take on either a Belgian Trappist double, ala Rochefort 8 or a play on a Belgian strong, which is effectively the same concept. No real effervescence to speak of and no head retention but the nose is strong on dried fruits; certainly raisins but also cherries and *sip* there is also a classic Belgian note of banana on the nose. It brings that sweetness that Naomi was talking about and is almost always found in anything dark and Belgian in style. I love this beer mostly because one of my favorite beer memories came from this one. At Hollander with wife and friends splitting the big bottle as the table beer. It was a style and flavor, that despite four very differing palates, everyone at the table really enjoyed. A wonderfully high brow beer that can appease and satisfy any kind of beer drinker is one certainly worth writing about.

http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-brotherThelonious.htm

94- Alaskan Birch Bock

NLT- When disappointment gets you down, try, try again! So we did just that, we went for round two. We were more successful with the Alaskan Birch Bock. My favorite part about this beer was the smell, and we all know from grade school science that smell is a large part of taste. The smell reminded me of a hard candy from my childhood-horehound candy to be exact. Ever heard of it?? (JFT- I have NEVER heard of this! (NLT- That is why I scored so much higher than you on the candy quiz)) It is a unique taste, and the best descriptor I can give it is a less sweet, more molassey tasting root beer barrel. Well, the excitement of the candy smell was about it for me. The beer was good, but nothing spectacular. It was a really simple tasting doppelbock, but left a little more alcohol as a aftertaste then I care for. After an F with beer 95, and a C+ with 94....you better believe 93 is going to be great!
  

JFT- We were so upset with 95 that we reached into the fridge to drown our sorrows and this is what we pulled out. Stylistically, not a great beer for the season. Dopplebocks are designed to be high octane, boozy, Germanic, malty juggernaughts that are to warm you through the winter. Not ideal for August, but hey, it was this or Pabst ( NLT- that is an exaggeration, we have more beer than just Pabst in the fridge.). Nose was really fun, sweet and caramel tones on top of a warm, almost brandy like flavor. The beer settled heavily on the palate and tried to stay there but was washed away with the buttered popcorn we were pairing this with. Because it was so quickly off my palate it was equally off my mind and struck me as almost forgettable right until I took another sip and was blasted again with good old Dopplebock weightiness. It's called a "birch" bock because it incorporates birch syrup but it is not noticeable at all except for a tiny bit on the nose, and that is if you are looking for it. (NLT- or it was noticeable A LOT with that whole smell thing, in my opinion.) Otherwise it just lifts the ABV up a little and probably brings in the unsubtle heat at the finish of it. So, 0 for 2 tonight...we'll make it up to you next time.

  http://www.alaskanbeer.com/our-brew/limited-edition/pilot-series/alaskan-birch-bock.html

95-Fuego Del Otono (Autumn Fire)

NLT- Well, when you drink 99 beers you can't expect them all to be winners. This was not a winner. Now, this blog is about, as John put it, "The Devil and the Details". The brewer, Jolly Pumpkin is good and we have had their beers before and enjoyed them, the idea of this beer, also good. The timing of the beer was bad- in fact out of date. We didn't notice until we got home that the beer was bottled over a year ago, add in the fermentation at the bottom, the over flowing of beer upon opening and you get a huge disappointment. Especially when you just spent $15 on it. :-( Now, to be fair this could have been a great beer--in season. We may never know, will John ever convince me to spend $15 on it again?? Doubtful. We did have a few sips, but it tasted like cider water. I really have nothing exciting to share about beer #95.

JFT-I am so annoyed at myself right now. I picked out this beer with my heart, not with my head. A tip to all you "would be beer geeks" out there: Discount Liquor in Milwaukee has the best selection in town (Sorry Ottos) but BEWARE THE OLD BEER! A wonderful seasonal that seemed so promising; chestnuts and spice, an autumn citrusy gem...but, it was bottled in October of last year. Very few beers can handle aging and this was not one of them. The beer was wild (when it start fizzing over just from opening it) and far to foamy. The nose was of yeast, nothing more. The flavor was a sweet-sour cidery flavor that just wasn't appealing. If you ever taste a flavor like that in a non cider beer, something went wrong. But I beg and plead to you, do not abandon this great boutique-y brewery. When it's fresh and in season, they make some of the best stuff around.

http://www.jollypumpkin.com/annarbor/index3.htm

96- Frangelic Mountain Brown

NLT- After a 21 month hiatus due to our adorable son Andrew, and back by popular demand, John and I have decided to resume our quest to try 99 unique beers! Frangelic Mountain Brown was the perfect beer to lure us back to blogging. I have had a lot of coffee beers in my time- but this one is by far the best. Now if you have ever heard people describe a flavor as "syrupy" but wondered how that is even possible, taste this beer and you will get it. It tastes like a latte with hazelnut syrup- as I said to John, work in a coffee shop and you will get it. This beer was flavorful, yet somehow, still light on the palate. The coffee taste was far from bitter and while the hazelnut was definitely present it did not overwhelm. I couldn't get enough of this and was a little disappointed John and I had to share our 750 mL bottle of this Founders Brewing Co beer. The biggest surprise of all was that despite it being a “coffee beer” it was perfect for a warm summer day!   

JFT- Founders brewery is one of the finest in the country and while this doesn't match up against their flagship, KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout), it is still a fascinating version of an American Brown Ale. The nose pops you with the sugary nutty sweetness you smell when you walk into a Buddy Squirrel but on the palate the sweet is cut by the coffee. Most brewers make sure that when they incorporate coffee into a beer it is an unmistakable (and often unbalanced) note. Frangelic used a subtle hand and had it play off the hazelnut and let the nuttiness be the star instead of the other way around. I kept waiting to find some sort of hoppy flavors on the back of my tongue but it never showed up. I never thought I would find such joy in something that had no hops. Only a few cases of this beer made it into the state this year, and it's long gone now, and I am super glad I still know a guy in the industry.

http://foundersbrewing.com/latest-news/2012/frangelic-mountain-brown-is-our-next-backstage-release/

97....The Beast

NLT: Now like the first Avery beer I was expecting a HUGE hit to the face with something so fiercely named the Beast. Boy was that wrong. Instead I almost puckered from the semi-sour cherry flavored beer. I have had fruity tasting beer before, but this one tops the cake, I detect candied pineapple, lots of sour cherry, and maybe a teeny tiny taste of orange. This beer tastes like a cherry that has been soaking in rum for the past year. And come to think of it, the color kind of looks that way as well! I must say though, this beer is very much misnamed in my opinion. I have never met a demon that reminds me of fruit. Well come to think of it I have never met a demon, but I think The Beast belongs in a different series other than the Demon. That being said, I really enjoyed the beer and think it would be tasty with high end Chinese.

JFT: The Beast is listed as a "Grand Cru" style. Grand Cru is translated to "first born". Not only is it a Belgian style sour brown, but it has also meant that the Grand Cru beer is (and always has been) the very best beer a brewery makes. Tart, sour and full of fruit… (NLT: OOOOH! NOW I TASTE RAISINS!!) JFT: Yes dear, you do taste raisins. The flavor profile mirrors what you would find in a quality tawny port; Lots of sweet golden raisins. And if that weren't enough then on the back of your tongue you get hit with figs and an herbal thing that I can't even describe. It is, for lack of a better term, fascinating. While not a high in ABV as the Mephistopheles, you taste more booze, but somehow it's not as hot, because fruits like cherries, and raisins and figs CAN mask high octane beers. This is a perfect dessert beer, and would pair beautifully with a creamy cheese and walnuts.


http://www.averybrewing.com/index2.html

98...Mephistopheles

John and I took a trip to Colorado in October of 2009. While there I let John plan our activities, well no surprise he added quite a few breweries to our itinerary. But I must not complain because out of the experience we found our FAVORITE Brewery- Avery. We were not able to sample any of the Demon series while we were there, but to our delight they now carry Avery in WI and number 98 and 99 are two of the three Demon series beers.

http://www.averybrewing.com/index2.html

NLT: With a name like Mephistopheles it better knock you off your feet...and this sure did! Seriously I don't think I can drive after one sip--my face is already flushed! Never mind the almost 16% alcohol content, this is one BIG, BOLD beer. When I poured it into the glass it was like molasses, now I love bold thick beers, and the smell was that of brown sugar--I was getting so excited. I took my first sip and I am pretty sure tears started rolling down my face from the power that is Mephistopheles. Now for those of you non-beer drinkers, I wouldn't even smell this stuff. Don't get me wrong...I'll keep drinking it, but I think I will stick to my Avery favorite next time, White Rascal: http://www.averybrewing.com/index2.html.


JFT: I have never been smacked in the face with a flavor the way I was with Mephistopheles...EVER. Instantly you are hit with massive aromas of coffee, dark roast. Then all the boozy overtones pop in. It's hot on the palate because the huge alcohol content cannot be masked even by the molasses, caramel, coffee, and deep, super dark chocolate notes. Each flavor is so pronounced, so "high end". The coffee note is a better smelling coffee than anything Alterra makes. The chocolate feels like 90% cacao and it's beautifully bittersweet. A final word of warning; drink this beer with a meal, because it can be very dangerous on an empty stomach!

99....Pumking Beer

NLT: It is fall...the leaves are falling, a pumpkin is rotting on my front porch, and there is candy corn in the candy dish. The only thing that can make this fall experience better--Pumpkin flavored beer! Now I have tried my fair share of pumpkin beer, and usually it tastes very fall like, but never like actual pumpkin. I have found my match in the Pumking. This beer tastes like a pumpkin flavored candle smells. Yes, you heard me. Not only did I taste pumpkin, but nutmeg, cinnamon and a HUGE caramel after taste. Don't let the light color of the beer fool you--it is for real! If you like pumpkin, this is a beer you don't want to miss. However I do suggest splitting the 22oz bottle, aside from the 9% alcohol, it does get overwhelming after awhile.

JFT: Southern Tier out of New York is a fantastic brewery that is readily available in Milwaukee. I've had a number of their IPAs but the finest and most original creation of theirs is this, their fall seasonal, Pumking. The beer is velvety smooth on the palate due first from the addition of REAL pumpkin puree, and second from the almost lack of head. The creaminess only heightens the bright pop of Thanksgiving spices and that same cream melds perfectly with the caramel overtones at the end. Be wary though! This 9%er can knock you down if you're not careful, but due to its beautiful richness, it's very appropriate to share. Also, be careful not to serve this too cold or you'll miss out on all the beautiful spicy notes that this beer plays so well!


(Note: We will always include a link to the beer and the brewery at the end of our blog, check under seasonal to learn about the Pumking!)

http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/beers.html