Clown Shoes is rapidly becoming one of my go to breweries, their beers have proven to be tasty and interesting. A few weeks ago I had the Vampire Slayer on draft, but didn’t take notes for a review. When I found it again in a bottle I had to pick one up.
Recently while on a mini-vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware my girlfriend and I met up with my good friend Matt. In addition to an awesome blind gueuze tasting (article forthcoming), we tasted two vintages of Portsmouth’s Kate the Great, 2011 and the newly released 2012. This massive beer is a 12% ABV Russian Imperial Stout aged on port-infused oak spindles. While there were some similarities and clear differences, in my opinion only one emerged as the favorite.
Nick is back from his trip to New Mexico with Saboteur, a Brett Barrel Brown Ale from Odell Brewing Company in Colorado. The classification for this one is hard, is it an American Wild Ale like some sources say, or simply Brown Ale with some brettanomyces added? Either way, it’s a unique take on a classic style, something of which neither of us have had before.
Recently, I grabbed a bottle of the Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti from Great Divide at a local bottle shop one night. Having had other Yeti varieties in the past, I couldn’t pass up the silver foil capped bottle, at reasonable price of $10. I’m expecting all the rich, roasted flavors of the original Yeti with some obvious chocolate and oak imparted into the beer.
Back during the early days of Passion Beer, I reviewed the Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewing Company, giving it a 9.5/10 (on our old rating scale). I love that beer, and it has always been one of my go-to stouts for almost any situation. How do you make a great beer like the Old Rasputin hopefully better? Easy, age it in some bourbon barrels. That is what North Coast did when creating the Old Rasputin XIV Anniversary beer.
