When Life Gives You Lemons

When Life Gives You Lemons
Jackie O's Pub & Brewery
Athens, Ohio
??.?? ABV
Style: American Wild Ale

C: Cloudy
H: Yellow/Orange Tint
N: Strong Lemon Acidic-ness

The Ferm: Well this beer is fitting for the last two weeks I have had. Big props to DarkGuardian (aka Mr. Black) for sharing this oddity from the small brewery in Ohio.
Served out of a small hand bottled "growler". Carbonation was a bit off but I can't blame the beer or Jackie O's for that, this beer was meant to be draft only. Beer poured a dark yellow almost light orange in color and cloudy as all can be. The nose was covered in Lemon Peel and Fresh Cut Lemon Smell.
Honestly, I expected this beer to taste almost like pine-sol lemon flavored of course! Thankfully I was wrong. Beer was just filled with lemon tart/acidic goodness. Body was nice a balanced.
This beer is a fine example of what to do if a beer or hell even something in life goes wrong....Just Ride It Out and at some time something good will come from it all!

Score: 3.9856

Titles don't lie ladies and gentlemen.

Two of Florida's top breweries will be taking over all the tap lines at the Coffee District in Delray Beach, FL on May 12th.

Cigar City has released their portion of the 18 total tap lines, and might I say that there are some AMAZING offerings available.  Tequesta has yet to announce what they will be bringing, but I am sure that Matt and his staff will make sure to bring something special for the occasion.  I will make sure to post on the blog when I find out whats coming (SEE THE UPDATE BELOW)

Here are the Cigar City tap offerings;

Hillsborough River Dry Stout
Jose Marti
East India Porter
White Oak IPA
Peach IPA
Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Zhukov’s
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
White Oak Dry Stout
Jai Alai IPA
Maduro Oatmeal Brown

Yep, I'll be there...and I hope to see you as well!

**UPDATED!**

Thanks to Matt from Tequesta, below is their eight offerings;

Der Chancellor (Kolsch)
Gnarly Barley  (American Pale)
Terminally Ale  (American Brown Ale)
Julios Weizen (Belgian Wit with Passionfruit and Watermelon)
Finn McCool  (Irish Red)
Hoppy American Amber
Tupelo Honey Bock
Oak Aged Black IPA

OK, so all this being said, I am really excited to try the Julios Weizen and the Tupelo Honey Bock.  I have heard some amazing things about the Black IPA from a lot of people so that will be on my list of beers to drink (ohh yeah and it is Oak Aged TOO!).  Starting to think I need to pitch a tent out back of the Coffee District and call in sick to work the next day!  This is going to be a kick ass event!

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René
Brouwerij Lindemans
Belgium
5.00% ABV
Style: Gueuze

C: Pretty Clear
H: Bright Gold with an Orange Tint
N: Tart, Sharp Lactic Aroma. Funky w/ Fruity Notes

The Ferm: Well I am back, and I decided to bring you one of my go-to beers. Cuvee Rene from Lindemans is not currently available in the South Florida Market, but it is available in the Central Florida Market, so this is one to keep your eyes peeled for when traveling just a few hours north or west.
This was one of the beers that cracked me into the "sour-head" that I have turned into. It is not over the top sour, so don't worry. It is pretty well balanced beer that has some nice sweetness to it, but also has a bit of Funk working in the background as well. Unlike the flavored versions that are available all over the place from Lindemans, this beer truly shines and is one that I personally can drink more than one....well hell more than one sip. Some of the flavored varieties are just too sweet to stomach more than a sip or two.
While this is not a beer that I would say rush out and find because it is the end-all-be-all to sours, it is a beer that I would reccomend picking up a small 375ml or a large 750ml to kick back and enjoy on a summer day in Florida. I always seem to find this booger in cart when it is on a shelf. One of my favorite beers!

Score: 3.99 (keep in mind I am trying to rate a bit harder here)

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Evan Williams Bourbon

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Evan Williams Bourbon (Black Wax)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Truckee, California
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: Black
H: Dark Black
N: Chocolate, Bourbon, Vanilla

The Ferm: Three of these now reviewed.....they all look similar, smell similar, and taste....well not so much. Starting to think I should have just stopped with the Purple Wax or Red Wax. Lighter body than the other two, and lets face it when the beer is that close, body is a lot. Good.....but my least favorite out of the group.
Score: 4.2253

Still big thanks to EvilTwin for sharing!

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Four Roses Bourbon (Red)

Imperial Eclipse Stout – Four Roses Bourbon (Red Wax)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Truckee, California
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: Black
H: Dark Black
N: Chocolate, Bourbon, Vanilla

The Ferm: Well this is the second Imperial Eclipse Stout that I have drank and reviewed for the blog. The Four Roses was dramatically different from the Elijah Craig barrel treatment. The body was thinner, and the flavor was a little weaker. While the Four Roses had a stronger bourbon flavor to it, it did not seem nearly as balanced as the E. Craig.
All this said the beer is still amazing but it is not nearly as good as the Elijah Craig barrel aged. I would still attempt to grab another bottle of either, but maybe it is because of The Cerveza Chica I am just drawn to the Purple Wax.
Score: 4.51023

Mikkeller 黑 / Black (Cognac Edition)

Mikkeller 黑 / Black (Cognac Edition)
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Copenhagen, Denmark
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 17.5%

C: Thick and Dark
H: Jet Black
N: Hellllooooo Cognac! Hints of Coffee and Roasted Malt

The Ferm: Huge thanks to HopScotch for sharing this Barrel Aged Treat that is good till 2020?! 2020? REALLY? Will the world still be in existence in 2020? Regardless, this bottle wasn't alive for more than 20 minutes once it was opened.
Did you order an Imperial Stout with your Cognac? If you did, then I think the bar accidentally mixed the two together. Seriously this beer was filled with the cognac sweetness and alcohol bite on the attack then followed with strong coffee and roasted malt on the back-end.
A little too sweet for my liking, regardless this beer is very unique, it doesn't hide the alcohol, but almost allows it to shine in the forefront of the beer. This approach is often reversed by brewers, as people like to have the ABV hidden in big beers. Over time I think this beer will become near perfect. For the time being its damn tasty though.
Score: 3.899

*Note: EvilTwin in the background enjoying the beer!

Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita Brown

Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita Brown Double Nut Brown Ale
Cigar City Brewing
Tampa, FL
ABV: 9%
Style: American Strong Ale

C: Pretty Clear
H: Dark Amber / Light Brown
N: Still Boozey, Hints of Bourbon, Oak, Coconut, and Caramel

The Ferm: Bottled in 2009, this barrel aged gem is still freaking boozey as hell. Heard rumors that the bottles were getting infected so I decided to crack it open to share with some of the Beer-igos in South Florida.
First and foremost. This did not come across as infected to me at all. It was a little over carbonated for the style, which may have been a light infection, but I don't get any tart or dark fruit funk out of this beer.
The Maker’s Mark Bourbon comes across strong on the attack of the beer, but unlike other newer barrel aged beers, the beer isn't stingy on the tongue from the alcohol. Extremely well balanced flavor wise. Dare I say this is one of the best barrel aged beers that I have had from Cigar City? Sure, why the hell not! This was a treat....shame they only released 170-ish bottles. I would defiantly look for another although I doubt there are many still around.
Score: 4.66958

This week is ______ Week!!!

Go Big or Go Home!

This week I will be covering 5 pretty rare/hard to come by beers that all have one thing in common;



Enjoy!

Avery Dépuceleuse

Dépuceleuse
Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado
9.73% ABV
Style: American Wild Ale

C: Pretty Clear
H: Dark Red/Brown
N: Cherries, Light Funk/Acidic-ness

The Ferm: Well I am a bad person, in my post yesterday I completely forgot to mention Avery Brewing Company and the amazing things they are doing with American Wild Ales.
Dépuceleuse reminded me almost of a Flemish Red Ale. I was surprised at how dark this beer was when poured into my glass.
There is a lot of cherries and hints of leather in the nose of the beer followed with a nice acidic bite. The flavor follows the direction of the nose, but is a bit more sweet than expected. Very well balanced with the cherries coming across front and center with the slight tartness showing up at the end. A very nice beer that could easily get you in trouble as it is pretty easy to drink and 9.73% ABV.
Score: 4.2598654

Russian River Sanctification

Sanctification
Russian River Brewing Company
Santa Rosa, California
6.47% ABV
Style: American Wild Ale

C: Cloudy
H: Yellow (almost like urine)
N: Tart Lemons + Funk + Acid = AMAZINGNESS!

The Ferm: Ok, as stated yesterday, American Wild Ales are really hit or miss. Well is there another company in the United States that is slamming home-runs with their American Wild Ales quite like Russian River? In my humble opinion....HELL NO!
Russian River brews some of the finest American Wilds in this country. Other companies such as Upland, Jolly Pumpkin, and Cascade do a fine job as well, but Russian River is a staple of quality and consistency.
Sanctifcation is no exception either. The beer is filled with super tart and sweet lemons. Very similar to a lemon Shock-Tart. This beer infact brings me back to the day when I was a kid and I was searching for the most sour candy available. While I loved finding things that brought a tear to my eye, I would go back to shock tarts as my go-to candy for the time.
Like Shock-Tarts, Sanctification isn't going to make you pucker your lips to the extent that you begin to cry, but it will make you a happy little person with the balance of tart and sweet.
VERY GOOD BEER!
Score: 4.3897551

Cisco Brewing Winter Woods

Winter Woods
Cisco Brewers Inc.
Nantucket, Massachusetts
9.00% ABV
Style: American Wild Ale

C: Clear On The Edges
H: Deep Redish-Brown Color
N: Acetic, Cranberries, Faint Vanilla Spice?

The Ferm: THE WOODS CALLS YOU TO THEM! Very excited to get to try the Winter Woods, one of the Woods Series from a brewery up in Mass. Yes, this is the same company that does Whales Tale, a beer that was just released in the local South Florida Market. Hopefully sales go well for Cisco in Florida and we can have some of the big bottles soon!
The beer smells like a blend of acid and cranberries. There was a faint spice that I could not put my nose one, but the more I think about it, it may have been vanilla. The flavor was similar to the nose but filled with a spice upfront that was almost a turn off for me. Once the spice mellowed out a bit the sour cranberries came in, and that made me happy.
Very interesting beer, just like most of the American Wild Ales. This is a style of beer that really is hit or miss. Although you find more hits than misses lately. I don't know if I would seek out this Woods Series again, but I will look for other beers in the same line!
Score: 3.5462152333

Apocalypse Cow

Apocalypse Cow
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Munster, IN
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C. Liquid GOLLDDDDD
H. Slightly Hazy
N. Floral Hops, Light Citrus, Grapefruit, Hints of Sugary Sweetness

The Ferm: Big thanks to EvilTwin for landing a bottle of this and sharing it with me. This beer was one that I have wanted to try for a very long time.
It is an Imperial IPA brewed with lactose to add some additional sweetness. The nose of this beer brought me back to the beginnings of my quest for the best IPA. I remember pulling all kinds of crazy citrus odors from the beers, and loving every second of it. While this beer wasn't quite as hoppy as I would have liked, I have to say the flavor of it was extremely well balanced. If I was to have reviewed this beer early on I have a feeling it would be a near perfect score. The beer's taste has a strong hop presence, followed by nice malt notes, and then like a slap upside the head an unexpected sweetness (HELLLOOO LACTOSE!). I will try to get this again!

Score: 4.20

2007 Deschutes The Abyss

The Abyss 2007
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR
11.00% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout


C. To Dark to Tell
H. Black
N. Roasty Malt, Sugar and Mollasis

The Ferm: Well do your remember my review of the 2009 vintage of this beer? Yep come to find out that year was infected, hence the bit of funk that was recieved on the nose of the beer. So when I was given the opportunity to crack one of these sexy aged beers at a friends house two weeks ago I jumped at the offer.
How would 2007 fair versus a 2009 slightly infected bottle? Well just to refresh your memory here is the review of the 2009 bottle, The Abyss 2009.
The 2007 was noticeably different from the 2009. First the nose was very sweet and mellow. The taste was filled with sugary sweet molasses and tons of dark chocolate. You can tell this beer ages fantastically. Was it better than the fresh version back in 2009? HELLS YEAH! Overall this was a pretty fantastic stout, that matured well with age.
Score: 4.45