BBQ & Tasting @ Abel's

First off, big props to Abel the host and to all who shared great beer, good times, and a fantastic bbq on Friday, July 2, 2010. What better way to kick off the weekend that celebrated the birth of the nation?

Abel sent out an invite to come over and sample some of his east coast beers and to bbq some grub. At about 7 PM, four of us sat down and cracked open our first beer. Abel started things off with a beer called Flower Power. Flower Power is an excellent floral IPA with a great malt balance from upstate NY [insert witty Steamed Hams comment here, you know you want to].

At about 7:20, we were still waiting for more guests to arrive. Abel then popped open a bottle of Siberian Night while we were waiting. For a 9% beer, this was the most sessionable I've ever drank. Really chocolaty, rich, and smooth. The mouthfeel, texture, and silkiness were just incredible.

At about that time, Dan Scott and Wen came by to join the tasting. Next up was a saison from St. Somewhwere called Saison Athene. I had this beer stored under my sink next to the dishwasher. I really wanted to bring out the farmhouse esters in this beer. I succeeded to a good extent, maybe too much though. This brew also had notes of spearmint and ginger too. Not bad.

Dan and Wen shared a seasonal from Ninkasi in Eugene Oregon called Spring Reign. The Spring Reign was a very floral English Ale made the traditional Burton-on-Trent way. I really enjoyed it.

Adam brought out an Oyster Stout from Harpoon. This anniversary beer was an English stout made with real live oysters (well they were alive at some point). The dark chocolate stout also had flavors of minerals with a somewhat salty aftertaste. I thought it was pretty good, and decently sessionable.

I brought out the next beer, which was the last of a Dark Strong Belgian that I homebrewed and has aged for almost 2 years. It was full of dark fruits, some acetylaldehyde, and really sweet. This slight off-characteristic flavor tastes like green apple and commonly occurs in belgian styles from long periods of yeast cessation, though it also occurs in coffee as well. Despite the acetyl, it still drank well.

Adam brought out the next beer, which was the Alpha Kong from 3 Floyds. This was a monster sized Belgian Golden Strong that weighs in at 15%! Nectar like fruits, belgian candi sugars, caramel-like malts, and moderate alcohol warmth. While this beer was a bit big, it was still good.

Abel had another beer for us. This one was Oak Aged Yeti. This imperial stout is a top 100 on beer advocate and I was excited to try it. The Yeti had notes of mellow oakiness, soft milk chocolate and coffee. The beer finished with a medium to full body with some warming notes. It was refreshing to have an imperial stout made on the west coast that maintained a subtle hoppiness.

I had also brought, a couple of beers for a vertical tasting: A 2010 and 2008 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. The SN Bigfoot is a barleywine that is great for aging. I opened the 2008 version first as I figured the bittering hops would die faster. There was some good maltiness, but little in aroma hops with a finish of heavy bittering hops. The 2010 Bigfoot was just a wonderfully balanced brew. Good maltiness with a sticky pine aroma and subtle bittering hops. We all definitely enjoyed the 2010 more.

Adam brought a little treat for us: The Black Phoenix from Bootlegger's in Fullerton, CA. This is described as a chocolate chili porter, which was the same style behind the original conception of Sierra Nevada's first 30th Anniversary collaboration beer with Fritz and Ken. This beer never was bottled. Anyhow, the Black Phoenix had flavors of dark chocolate, espresso, and some chipotle chili. The aftertaste was pretty spicy, but the beer was good overall.

Wen was kind enough to share Russian River's 20th Anniversary Beer. I've been waiting a long time to taste this rare beer. A special blend consisting of 7 different worts and infused with wild yeast. The brew was created by Vinnie for the 20th Anniversary of Toronado. This complex beer tasted if it was aged in a burgundy oak barrel and had notes of sourness one can only get from bacteria and wild cherries. A bit light, but definitely drinkable and worth the wait to try.

Dan then brought out some Wild Devil Ale from Victory Brewing in Pennsylvania. The Wild Devil is a pale ale that is aged in a trough (not the kind you pee in smart-asses) and left exposed to passing air to be broken down by bacteria and wild yeast. While the concept is brilliant and enticing to try, the flavors didn't could have meshed better. It just seemed that there was a little bit of brett and pronounced hop bite.

For the next taste, I had brought a Speedway Stout from Alesmith. Speedway is an espresso imperial stout from San Diego. The nose and taste contained rich chocolate, espresso beans, and subtle bittering hops. Little to no burn from the alcohol and an excellent imperial stout.

Adam and Abel had a treat in store for us next. A vertical tasting of 2009 and 2010 Dark Lord from 3 Floyds Brewing in Indiana. In order to get this beer you must have a golden ticket, which allows you to purchase two beers on Dark Lord Day. We opted on the 2009 first and proceeded to extricate the white wax. No disappointment here. Very sweet, velvety, milk chocolate with raisins. Not a lot of smokiness, but a whole lot of deliciousness.

Next we shed the green wax and opened the 2010. This one had more notable bittering hops, some chocolate and a touch of acetylaldehyde. Despite the off-flavor, this beer was still very enjoyable.

I then decided to bring out It's Alive from Mikeller. This is a wild ale yeast beer that I have aged for almost a year. Aromas and flavors were comprised of minty hops, light brett, and a resemblance of ale malts. I was a bit disappointed that the characteristics of this quaff were not equal to a true sour beer.

Next to last beer, and boy did Abel save us a good one: Black Tuesday. Black Tuesday is from the Bruery, which is an award winning brewery that produces specialty beers. This imperial stout weighed in at an impressive 19.5% ABV! This was one of the richest beers I've had. Notes of coffee, rich dark chocolate, and very syrupy. Only light notes of alcohol that may belong in a good 9-10% beer. Definitely a highlight!

Since I was disappointed with the last sour, I brought out another one sure to wreck some palates: Cuvee Rene. This is a standard. You can find it anywhere like Bevmo, Cost Plus, and even your refrigerator. This beer isn't very rare, or special, well maybe it is special. Generally speaking, I've had a few bottles that were so mouth puckering, a group of us didn't dare finish them. With our buds and livers already warped, this would be slightly easier to finish. Rene came out sweet with a punch of sour brett and lacto. Great mouthfeel left us compromised to savor the sweet and sourness. Great overall.

Thanks again to Abel the host, Dan, Wen, Adam, and others for making this a fun event as always.

A comment on Sacramento Beer Week

The turnout for Sacramento Beer Week events has been tremendous. I have seen several events that were practically wall to wall with people enjoying their friends and Sacramento's finest pints (and schooners, and tulips, and litres, and samplers and chalices and...) and have been genuinely impressed by the quality of events and participation from Sacramento's beer community.

Independent of the great beer, food and fun, do you know what my favorite part has been?

No douchebags.

I have watched the douchebag trend grow at beer events over the past few years. They can be spotted waiting in line for an event holding an 18 pack of inexpensive ice beer, giving them the biggest buzz for the buck. By the time doors are opened, they have already drunk at least dozen beers and are ready to have unlimited craft beer for free. While at the event, they appear to experience fluctuations in their testosterone levels, resulting in communicating at unusually high volumes, mood swings, and occasional episodes of self-hypnosis. They often smell of gastro-intestinal distress, mistaking their aroma for an attractive musk. They often misplace their shirts.

Thankfully, Sacramento Beer Week seems to have slipped under their radar. The week is now half empty (or is it half full? Deep thoughts to consider over a beer with your friends.) and I look forward to hopefully enjoying the rest of the week in a douchebag-free environment.