A Flowery Song

Background: Made from clover, wildflower and buckwheat honeys along with fresh-pressed Michigan apple cider, cinnamon, and cloves. Aged at least partially on American oak.

Nose: Crisp apples and floral honey with mild pie spice influences. Faint hint of acetone.

Taste: Medium sweetness, hints of malic tartness. Dark, sweet flavours from the buckwheat and earthy apple cider. Middling amount of cinnamon on the finish.

Overall: Very competently done. Not too sweet, with a good balance of flavours where the spices complement rather than overwhelm.

Background: Low-alcohol (6% ABV) dessert wine from the Golan Heights in Galilee. Kosher for Passover.

Nose: Floral and fruity; peaches, mangoes, and papaya.

Taste: Lightly effervescent, which helps to offset the sweetness. Fresh tropical fruit with citrus influences.

Overall: Very light and refreshing, plus it tastes good and has some acidity. Good accompanying a dessert or on its own as an aperitif.

Background: Yes, I’m a sucker for collaborative beers (among many other things). This was brewed at SN’s facility using their own barley and maple syrup from the Calagione family farm. Clocking in at 10% ABV, it was fermented using a mix of the house strains from the two breweries, and bottle-conditioned (with Alaskan birch syrup used for priming). There was also a companion beer called Limb and Life made from the second runnings, but that was a very limited release and draft-only.

Nose: Boozy. Darkly fruity. Not much else, to be honest.

Taste: Hot alcohol. Mildly sweet, with some dark toasted character. Medium hop bitterness. Chewy maple toffee.

Overall: Disappointing. I was hoping for a bit more complexity, but whatever was there was buried under an overwhelming alcohol presence. The combination of the heavy alcohol and the unsubtle hops also makes the bitterness a bit too prominent in comparison with the other components.

Background: The third batch of this collaborative brew to be made, but only the second to be released (the one brewed in Jolly Pumpkin’s facilities is undergoing extended barrel aging, like many of their beers). See my notes on the first here. This release uses the same recipe, but was brewed and aged at Nøgne Ø in Norway.

Nose: Prominent sage, hint of hops.

Taste: Sage and spicy rye on the first sip. Juniper influence makes itself felt. Medium hop bitterness in the finish. Solid nutty malt backbone.

Overall: Comparing my notes to last year’s, it’s evident that (as would be expected) these beers are fairly similar. I don’t have a perfect memory or another bottle to compare, but I think this one is slightly heavier and sweeter, and the alcohol isn’t particularly noticeable. What I said then stands: an intriguing and drinkable special beer, but not an everyday beer.

Background: The first (and so far only) pumpkin beer from Jolly Pumpkin, this golden ale is flavoured with pumpkin, cacoa, and spices.

Nose: Dry, tart, with hints of cinnamon and chocolate.

Taste: Dry, tart, with hints of oak and squash. Very negligible spice influence, really.

Overall: Good beer. But while it’s what I expected from a Jolly Pumpkin beer, it’s not really what people expect from a pumpkin beer.

Background: Belgian-style farmhouse ale, available as a seasonal release in 750ml bottles. Very energetic carbonation; make sure to chill before opening, and it may be wise to open it over the sink rather than your computer keyboard or photographic equipment. Even a gentle pour produces an impressive head of foam.

Nose: Funky and earthy; a bit of barnyard, a bit of cellar.

Taste: Tart and refreshing. Lemons, black pepper, coriander.

Overall: Good Saison! Not a traditional choice for the middle of winter, but the acidity and earthiness went nicely with the steak and kidney pie I was having.

Background: Limited availability, brewed in a small batch, and according to the internet evidently very hard to find. None of which I knew when I bought a couple of bottles, since I rarely go out shopping for specific beers. Fortune favours the me. Anyway, it’s a Double IPA and I can’t currently convince Bell’s website to cough up information instead of PHP errors.

Nose: Candied orange peel. Other than lots of hops, the alcohol is very evident.

Taste: Piny resinous hop flavour, pithy grapefruit hop flavour, herbal leafy hop flavour, high hop bitterness, dry hoppy finish. Oh, and there’s probably some malt in there somewhere. The hoppiness does a great job masking the alcohol, as I can’t taste any of the 10+% ABV that was so evident on the nose.

Overall: This beer has never heard of the concept of ‘balance’. It’s interesting to drink in despite of that, but not something that I personally would class as great. If you love hops and don’t mind a beer that’s just hops, you should definitely grab this one if you run across it.

Hops.

Background: Brewed to celebrate Sierra Nevada’s 29th anniversary, this is a big bold IPA showcasing Cascade, their favourite hop variety.

Nose: Toasty malt and citrusy hops, mainly clementine with a bit of grapefruit.

Taste: Solid, tasty caramel malt, with toast and honey character. Medium hop bitterness, but mainly the Cascades contribute a bunch of citrus flavour, with a bit of herbalness. Slight sweetness to start, then a long hoppy finish.

Overall: Sierra Nevada knows what they’re doing when it comes to IPAs, and this one does not disappoint.

Background: The first entry in Avery’s Barrel-Aged Series, this sour ale was fermented with two strains of Brettanomyces then aged in Zinfandel barrels for six months. Bottled 10 February 2009.

Nose: Very rich and complex, with earthy barnyard funk and a deep red fruitiness. Cherry, raspberry, pear, and clove influences.

Taste: Very dry, lots of tannic oak influence. Rounded, silky mouthfeel. Notable vinuous red wine influence, with blackcurrant and cherries. Dark malty background with some saddle leather from the brett accompanying.

Overall: An excellent start to what I hope will be a long and fruitful series of beers. Pack in lots of flavour, while remaining somewhat approachable for less seasoned sour beer drinkers.

Background: This seasonal ale from Sierra Nevada is an American IPA made with Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial hops.

Nose: Lots of floral and citrusy hops.

Taste: Sweet caramel malt, aggressive fruity hoppiness fading into a grapefruit pith finish.

Overall: Excellent. Well-balanced and exceedingly drinkable.