Like Sir Mix-a-lot, I too like ‘em real thick and juicy. And like Mr. Lot, I don’t like what the public consensus of what beauty is. I don’t want something light, blond, nothing up front and even less in back. Nay. I want ‘em big and bold. I need a little thickness to let me know its real. I want to be challenged. I want something I can really sink my teeth into. In short, I want delicious, well made, skillfully crafted beer.
Now, most people would have you believe that beer is supposed to be a light, mostly clear, no-flavored piece of shit with fancy marketing, and I think that’s a travesty. There is so much more out there. But thanks to some groundbreakers and trendsetters in the 80s, the craft beer movement is attacking the social norm in America as to what beer is, should, and could be.
Like any good movement, there has been a strong emphasis on the local man taking things into his own heads and eschewing the “big boys,” in this case the Big Beer triumvirate of Bud, Miller, and Coors (or AB and MillerCoors, or AB InBev, Molson Coors, and SABMiller…it’s so hard to keep track of these things). People started brewing in their homes, and eventually ramping things up to production level and opening the dream - a brewery of their own.
And that was a long-winded way of getting to my local brewery. Good People.
Jason and Michael will always make some beer that’s special to me as they’ve got home field advantage, but the really good news is…they make good beer. And their Fatso is one of the best.
In a bit of a surprise, Fatso won the blind stout tasting. There were four (weighted) categories: taste, which got 60%; smell, which got 20%; and then appearance and mouthfeel each got 10%.
While I knew they made great beer, and the Fatso in particular is damn tasty, I was still a little surprised at the results. Good People has only been up and running for about 3 years. They just recently grew into a new, bigger place with all-new equipment. And the just started canning. So even with full faith in their skill, I still expected them to be experiencing growing pains in a variety of ways. But they nailed it with this one.
The Fatso is big, black, and beautiful. Just the way I like them. I poured with just a touch of beautifully rich, mocha head that dissipated quickly and left some nice sticky lacing behind.
Plenty of chocolates, a hint of vanilla, and just a touch of some coffee permeate the nostrils in this lovely aromatic bouquet. Doth my olfactory detect … stone fruits? Maybe dates? Probably not a date…I don’t get a lot of dates. I mean, I’m awesome. What does that shit mean? Yeah, it smelled damn good.
Though it smelled like a rose in my nose, it was even more yummy in my tummy. Big chocolate flavor blended with roasty toasty goodness get tamed by just a touch of alcohol (not overpowering, just enough to let you know your drinking a beer…a man’s beer dammit) and a strong, full hop profile. Like the Expedition Stout, the Fatso is sweet without being cloying, and dry without being overly bitter. It’s a very big, but very balanced beer. The vanilla and coffee add a nice, smooth finish.
This is definitely an RIS. It’s got a big flavor profile, a big hop profile, a great malt backbone, and a strong kick. This is no Guinness. You might think that’s a meal in a beer, but it’s just not. It’s actually quick light and drinkable. But here you get the full-bodied, mouth-filling goodness that’s more akin to a milkshake than a Guinness.
This is a beer so good you want another one, but that might not be a great idea. Probably best to just stick to one with this…well, one.
Book Recommendation: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Food Recommendation: BBQ
Music Recommendation: four by Blues Traveler
Overall, I give this badass brew 4.5 John Popper “Bah da Yow’s” (he says “but you” supposedly, but that’s not what it sounds like) out of 5. Here’s to Jason and Michael. Thanks for being, as always, Good People.
If there isn’t an Imperial Stout named after Conrad’s famous novella, there should be. Also there should be an Imperial Red named Tiger’s Blood, but that’s neither here nor there. (I just need to start a brewery ASAP).
Before I go further, allow me to express my sincerest apologies for my recent absence here on the interwebs. I’m sure literally ones of you have been hanging on pins and needles awaiting my return. Never fear, for I am here.
Now back to our previously regular programming.
Bell’s Expedition Stout is a badass beer. There is no way around it. It, along with Yeti and Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, was one of the beers that got my into the “big” beers and “prestige” beers. Much like Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada laid the groundwork for my journey into the magical realm of Craftbeerium, Expedition, Yeti, and Ten Fidy marked the path down the journey into the Heart of Darkness.
There are few things in this world more delicious than a big, robust Imperial Stout. The coffee and cocoa combined with vanilla, licorice, and stone fruits is pretty damn delicious. Add in a strong hop profile and you have an incredibly rich, bold, yet balanced brew on your hands. At high ABVs they also get you drunk. What’s not to love?
Bell’s, true to their modus operandum, makes an incredibly solid version of the style. In fact, in conjunction with the Two-Hearted Ale, the Expedition is one of their beers that pushes the envelope into greatness. They don’t do anything unique or special to make the Expedition stand out like add coffee or vanilla or any other adjunct…they just make an incredible beer.
Expedition Stout is about as traditional as it gets. Textbook as it were. This just happens to be a delicious entry in said textbook.
It pours darker than the Dark Continent itself at midnight in the middle of a lunar eclipse on a cloudy evening. Hopefully that dark shape in the sky isn’t the evil spirit that inhabits Gaddafi’s soul, but I digress. A beautiful coffee-tan head sat precariously on top on the black depths below. It slowly dissipated leaving behind sticky lacing that pulled up a chair and hung around for the rest of the beer.
Strong scent of bitter chocolate and hints of coffee permeate the luscious aroma of the nose. A little floral hoppiness is hidden underneath with some subtle notes of caramel skulking in the background.
This is a full-flavored beer to be sure. The coffee is a little more prevalent in the flavor, a good roasty and toasty backbone. The chocolate on the other hand plays a little more of a support role, its bittersweet kiss barely brushing past your lips. Some vanilla and a touch of caramel and toffee poker their heads up in the middle. A good hop kick adds some good floral and piney notes to round out the sweetness a bit. All traces of alcohol are hidden beneath this beautifully balanced flavor. Left with a velvety and bittersweet aftertaste, just inviting you to take another sip.
A good full body on this beauty, big enough to back-up the bold flavors. It coats your mouth almost like a milkshake, but without the melting part. It’s not overly bitter or cloying. It’s just right.
This is a brew that you want to keep drinking and drinking before you suddenly realize you just can’t have anymore. It’s so good you don’t pay attention to the fact that it is incredibly rich and bold. At 10.5% ABV, it’s also pretty strong. You probably don’t want more than a couple, but that is not a knock by any means.
Book Recommendation: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Food Recommendation: Reese’s peanut butter pie, or one of Charlie’s seven gram rocks
Music Recommendation: Have One on Me by Joanna Newsom
Overall, this is a dynamite brew from some skilled brewers. You’re not going to find a more textbook version of the Russian Imperial Stout than the Expedition. This is one journey worth exploring. 4.5 mercury surfboards out of 5.
Believe me, I was just as surprised as you.
Now, I’m not trying to knock Sam Adams; in fact, if it were not for this heralded Boston-based brewing company, aptly named the Boston Brewing Company, you would not see the sophisticated, eloquent, pretentious beer drinker that stands (well, sits behind a computer) before you. The Boston Lager and Sam Adams Light were the two beers that I most consumed during the Sawks ‘04 World Series run, which led me into the beautiful world of craft brews.
But that’s kind of what they are known for. They are like the marijuana of beer (the gateway if you didn’t catch that). The make good, if not great, alcoholic products and are the most widely available and not totally shitty beer in America. But again, that’s their claim, their shtick, their niche. And I love them for that. I mean, they have a goddamn patriot as the face of their company.
And then they go and do something like this…and totally redeem themselves!! I give you the Sam Adams Imperial Stout.
The Sam Adams Imperial Stout (hitherto known as “SAIS”) is an damn good brew. In fact, in the blind stout tasting, it was the 3rd highest rated beer of the evening by the masses, and the 4th highest by yours truly.
It certainly look the part. Black as night with dark khaki head, the SAIS is a “purdy” beer as my people are wont to say. The body was completely pitch black. No light was getting through this thing. The head was fluffy, about a finger thick that stuck around throughout, leaving behind some nice, sticky lacing (that was some serious Hemingway-esque comma usage).
The nose is where the SAIS departs a little from the norm. The nose was full of a bouquet of dark, stone fruits. Not a hint mind you, which would be fairly common, but this was something else. When I first took a whiff, I thought I was smelling a Dubbel. It was a full fruity nose with just hints of chocolate and coffee in the background. It was not bad by any means, just caught me off guard.
The taste had more of a traditional flavor profile. The fruits were there but played a more complimentary role than in the nose. Chocolate and licorice with a hint of coffee were most prevalent here. A strong, but not overpowering, hop profile balanced out the big malt flavors that initially hit your palette.
This is a big-bodied brew, as befitting the style. At 9.2% ABV, the SAIS is not a repeat offender. It is pretty much a one-and-done brew (it would play for Kentucky if it were a basketball player). But this is not a bad thing. It is big, bold, and delicious. It is not a beer to placate the masses, unlike many of Sam Adams’ offerings.
Book Recommendation: 1776 by David McCullough
Music Recommendation: The Patriot: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by John Williams
Food Recommendation: Freedom Fries…or peanut butter cheesecake
Overall, this is a really solid brew. I thoroughly enjoyed it and give all the proper due to the good folks at Sam Adams. Jim Koch is a champion for the people. Always a consumate buisness man, Koch still hasn’t lost sight of his goals and the people for whom he makes beer. I award this patriotic brew 4 Old Glories out of 5.
God Bless America!! Let Freedom Ring!!
(I love the Romance novel-esque cover)
I recently read a book entitled The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I was recommended this book by a guy I play Ultimate (frisbee) with, and he swore by it. He said, “This is the best fantasy book ever written.” That raised my eyebrows because obviously The Lord of the Rings is the best fantasy book(s) ever written. Nonetheless, this is high praise. I don’t particularly read a ton of fantasy…well, none really beyond the aforementioned Rings and their dickhead Lord. But I’m interested enough in the subject when someone claims to have stolen Tolkien’s crown (made of Mithril I believe), I must investigate. And investigate I did.
The Name of the Wind is the story of Kvothe. He is some sort of hero, though just how he came to possess such heroic standing is not clear. In comes Chronicler to gather up the story. So Kvothe sits down to tell his story, and Rothfuss interweaves the two narratives around, over, under, and through one another. It is face-paced enough to keep you wanting more, but contains enough inward depth and discovery to keep you invested in the characters themselves. Rothfuss masterfully jumps back and forth between past and present, balancing tension and resolution, moving for the plot in a great adventure of the young Kvothe - a young man daring to become great - and the personal connections he must forge along the way.
While this is considered a fantasy novel (and I don’t deny the labe), it does not read as such. Rather, it is the story of human relationships, the desire to better one’s self, and great deeds. But most importantly, Rothfuss weaves two stories together - a classic coming-of-age tale, full of emotion and hormones, heartbreak and infatuation; and a tale of reflection, regret, and contemplation - to create a beautiful tapestry of the human condition. With the infusion of magic, heroic deeds, and fantastical locales, Rothfuss is actually able to highlight the human elements and make them the crux of his novel.
I was pleasantly pleased with the enjoyment of the narrative and supremely impressed with the skill of the author. Is it better than Tolkien? Obviously not, but I’m not sure if I would admit it if it were. This is a great book worth a read.
Thanks Owen.
It’s not just a myth…
No, not that Yeti…
EEeeekkk!!! Definitely not that Yeti…
Ahhh, there it is.
The Yeti holds a special place in my little beer-filled heart. It was one of the first “high gravity” beers I was ever able to purchase in my backwards home state of Alabama. It was only a couple of years ago that our antiquated beer laws were slackened slightly to legalize the purchase of beers over 6% ABV. Let’s think about that for a second…Do you realize how many non-horsepiss beers are above 6% ABV? I’ll give you a hint: a whole fucking lot. Sure I could run to Atlanta to get some delicious beers, and I still do that for some rarer things not available in ‘Bama. But to be denied access to all of my favorite beers - Imperial Stouts and IPAs - was a travesty that not even the Dude could abide, Man. Luckily people with a penchant for action - unlike my exclusive penchant for bitching - went to work to change these unGodly laws.
Great Divide was one of the first really good breweries to swoop in as soon as the shitty beer laws were repealed, and God Bless them for it. Yeti and Hercules basically sustained my existence for the better part of two months after Free the Hops got the new laws in place.
Unfortunately, this has also rendered them far too commonplace in my mind than they deserve. They are no longer the exotic, awesome brewery that came to save the day; instead they are just something else that is always on the shelf. And that’s a damn shame because they make some delicious-ass beers.
And the blind stout tasting reminded me of that.
The Yeti was about as pitch black as the inside of his not-so-mythical cavernous dwelling. Zero light was getting through this beast. There was almost no head (which, in some ways, is more frightening). I was not fooled by the small stature of my 10 oz glass, this was a big beer.
The nose was full of rich mountain air. Interestingly enough, mountain air is suspiciously full of notes of chocolate and coffee, caramel and roasted malt, with just an earthy hint of tobacco. Maybe a touch of beer jerky (wait…that’s Sasquatch).
The flavor was big and bold. This Yeti didn’t skulk around, hiding in the periphery. No sir, this guy was in full focus. Big flavors of coffee and chocolate up front. There was a little bit of vanilla that I detected as well that wasn’t as prominent in the nose. Then the big hop presence blind sides you on the back end. This is pretty damn close to a hop bomb, leaving you dry and bitter as hell. I’ll take another.
No question, this is a full-bodied beer. This sucker coats your entire mouth and penetrates your soul. The Yeti cannot be tamed by the weak of heart. There was a little oily residue that was competing with the dryness of the hops, but ultimately the hops won out.
Drinkability is probably a little low, even for the style. The big hop presence combined with the bold chocolate flavors makes this one a delicious, once-tamed brew. At 9%, you don’t really need more than just one.
Book Recommendation: Tintin in Tibet by Hergé.
Music Recommendation: Noble Beast by Andrew Bird
Food Recommendation: The Abominable Snowcone.
Overall, I love this beer. It has a special place in my heart. But based on the blind tasting, the big hop presence at the end knocked it down a few pegs. Don’t get me wrong, a beer doesn’t need to be super drinkable to be great. In fact, most of my favorite beers aren’t. But this one was just a touch too far. Still a great beer. Long Live the Yeti. I award you 4 Scaredy Cats out of 5.
Good People Brewing will be rolling out there cans at these locations tomorrow (Friday). This will be the first time that Good People will have their standard line of brews available for commercial purchase outside of a bar. Here’s to many more.
Episode VI: Avery, The Czar Imperial Stout
The galaxy is on the verge of an all out assault. Emperor Budweiser and his crony Admiral Miller Coors are threatening to crush the Rebellion. Everywhere people are choosing sides and crossing lines. The Empire has a stranglehold on the entire galaxy, crushing all resistance in its path. It is seemingly impossible to oppose them. Emperor Budweiser is seeking out all who stand to oppose him and turning them to his cause…or if they won’t join, simply destroying. The future of the galaxy is shrouded in darkness under the mighty hand of the Empire.
But all is not lost. A brave few stand ready to oppose this great threat. The Rebellion is gaining momentum and members each day, swelling to a formidable force ready to challenge the Empire’s dominance wherever it can. While the strength of the Empire is too great for a headlong assault, the Rebellion is undermining its authority, turning a few strong and influential people to their cause. They are attacking the Empire in small scale assaults, designed to create small cracks and chinks in the seemingly impenetrable armor of their mighty Foe. In time they hope to topple the mighty Giant, but until then…they know the fight must be won in the hearts, tastebuds, and stomachs of the people.
In the city of Backdeck on the Planet J. Clyde, a group of Stout Imperial Agents (Double Agents), gather to discuss leadership in the Rebellion moving forward. One of the front runners for the leadership is the Czar of Avery. Would he stand up to the test of the Council? Or will he step aside for a skilled and brave up-and-comer? (Spoiler: He doesn’t win).
The Czar certainly looks the part. He is tall, dark, and handsome. He is full-bodied and well built, tall and chiseled. He dressed as black as midnight, though his head is slightly lighter, a deep mocha brown (Lando Calrissian-esque). He is imposing to be sure. He has the ability to hang out forever, he never quite fades away but leaves behind a residue as a memento of his presence.
He smells great too. Okay so maybe an odd thing to notice, but this man imposes his entire will upon you. He smells of chocolates and licorice, coffee and mostly booze. It is an odor as imposing as his looks and stature.
He has a bitter sweetness to him. At first, you are caught off guard by his big, bold presence, but then he mellows into some rich coffee and chocolate notes. But before you know it, the booze comes forth. It makes him just a little too aggressive. He is a man you definitely want on your side. He is a natural leader and powerful foe, but he is a little too unbalanced to be quite the leader and tactician and diplomat to head up the entire Rebellion. He rubs a few too many people the wrong way (which isn’t always the worst thing).
His mouthfeel is like…well, I’ll leave that alone.
The Czar’s Favorite Things:
Book: Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Music: Cantina Band by Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes
Food: His enemies…for breakfast.
Overall, the Czar is just too damn boozy. It makes him a little out of balance. You can smell it on it from a mile a way. He just wasn’t meant to be leader, but make no mistake, he is both a foe and ally to be reckoned with. He is powerful and a damn good and stout Imperial. It would be unwise to overlook him. Overall, he received 4 “These Are Not the Droids You Are Looking For” out of 5.
It’s a classic scene from the movie “The Jerk” with Steve Martin. While the shooter might hate cans, the darlings of the craft beer movement have been thinking differently.
The craft beer movement has been exploding recently. It is a business of expression, collaboration, exploration, and innovation. One of the more popular innovations of the last decade for the craft beer industry is the use of cans rather than bottles. Oskar Blues out of Lyons, Colorado, were the first to really utilize cans for their beers. While it was originally more of a tongue-in-cheek publicity move to poke fun and the macros, it turned out to just be a better damn way of transporting their beers.
As light is the number one assailant on the freshness and quality of beer, the opaque can eliminates this factor. It is also easier to package and dispose of. In short it is better and more cost effective. (The fact that their cans contained delicious, quality craft brews didn’t hurt either).
With the success of Oskar Blues, many other craft breweries are following suit. The nearest and dearest to my heart is my local brewery Good People Brewing Co. Good People makes some seriously good brews and are just, well…good people. It is an exciting time to see them approach this pivotal moment and prepare to achieve new heights. Their Brown Ale (maybe the best brown I’ve ever had) and IPA will be the first off the line.
The video is of their first canning run from this weekend. Hopefully in won’t be too long before the cans hit the shelves. And I’m even more excited about the rest of the beers hitting the canning line. If you can get your hands on these, you should definitely grab them up.
Cheers to Jason, Mike, and the rest of Good People.
Video of Good People’s first canning run!!
