Mikkeller Black Hole BA Cognac

Good evening all. I've been on a bit of a barrel-aged imperial stout spree recently, starting last night with Nøgne Ø's Imperial Stout Cognac Barrel and continuing tonight with Mikkeller's similar effort, Black Hole BA Cognac. This beer is part of a series of barrel aged versions of Mikkeller's well known Black Hole imperial stout, with the rest of the series including red wine, white wine and even tequila barrel-aged offerings. I've enjoyed all of the interpretations so far, so hopefully this will be just as good as the others. Review after the pic....

Black Hole BA Cognac (13.1% ABV) pours a jet black colour with a thick beige head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. The short-lived head is unsurprising considering the higher alcohol content, and the beer still looks very enticing regardless. The aroma is rich but displays surprising subtlety, with chocolate, caramel, licorice and a fair bit of booze in the background. The alcohol seems to only be noticeable through agitation of the beer, and when the glass is left undisturbed for a while the aromas have the opportunity to combine, creating a yeast extract smell with some dark fruit notes (raisins, fortified wine). If I was in any doubt over the alcohol content on the nose, the taste immediately eradicates this with a big boozy kick during drinking that transitions into a nice alcoholic burn in the finish, which acts as a great platform for the more subtle flavours. These include dark fruits, fortified wine, caramel, licorice and a reappearance of the yeast extract that was so prominent in the aroma. I was also getting some coffee and chocolate during the first couple of sips, but the power of the cognac is such that these soon become too faint to be discerned. The finish retains a lot of the alcoholic presence and delivers some tartness, whilst the aftertaste is characteristically dry with some light grape flavours. The intensity of the cognac can lead to occasional cloying on the palette, but considering the alcohol content it's probably wise to sip this beer so as to counteract both this and the potential for inadvertent drunkenness! The mouthfeel is slightly thick and the beer is moderately carbonated, which compliments the prominent evaporating sensation from the alcohol/barrel-ageing. Overall, this is another impressive variation on the fantastic Black Hole, building upon the base beer yet still letting its qualities come through to create something unique and very memorable.  More intense in comparison to last night's BA cognac imperial stout, and certainly the better of the two. Highly recommended, and another worthy addition to the Black Hole BA series.

Until next time....

8 Wired Brewing Co. Fresh HopWired

Good evening all. Apologies for the lack of posting recently, I don't even have a reason to justify my blogging absence so I'll just get straight into the review. Tonight's beer is Fresh HopWired, an IPA from 8 Wired Brewing Co. (Blenheim, New Zealand). This is a reinterpretation of their flagship beer HopWired, and is a blend of two beers brewed with freshly harvested, or "wet" hops (namely Motueka and Nelson Sauvin) to preserve the incredibly fragile aromas and flavours that can be lost when hops are dried for general usage. Already sounds very promising, so let's see what it's like after the pic....

Fresh HopWired (7.3% ABV) pours a hazy dark amber colour with a thick white head that yields plenty of lacing in the early stages of the beer. Slightly darker than a standard IPA but still looks great regardless! The aroma is more subdued than I was expecting, but still manages to pack an impressive amount of fresh hop character including resinous pine, cloudberry, caramel, mango and grapefruit. There are also some background hints of oranges, acetone, cinnamon and even estery pear drops, which all combine to give a fortified wine aroma that becomes more predominant over the course of drinking. Towards the end of the beer it becomes easier to deconstruct these aromas, with the spice increasing in prevalence especially during the final stages. The taste continues the theme of subtlety, with pear drops, cloudberry, pine, grapefruit and some background caramel sweetness towards the end of drinking, accompanied by some light notes of acetone and mango. None of the flavours have any dominance, and the caramel and grapefruit are the only ones that linger on in the finish. The hop bitterness is also quite mild and occurs mainly during drinking along the sides of the mouth, diminished somewhat by the carbonation. The aftertaste contains some grapefruit and a bit of dryness which can cloy towards the end of the drink, and the mouthfeel is thick with relatively high levels of carbonation. Overall, this is a fantastic beer that represents a noticeable improvement on an already stellar offering. The wet hops deliver a surprising range of flavours executed with admirable balance, creating a satisfying drinking experience that will please all fans of the IPA style. Definitely recommended, I don't know if this is going to be a permanent offering but I certainly hope so!

Until next time....

The Kernel India Pale Ale Double SCCANS

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is India Pale Ale Double SCCANS, a DIPA from The Kernel (London, UK). This beer is an amplified version of their S.C.A.NS IPA, taking the ABV from 7.7% to 10.1% and adding greater quantities of hops as a result. I'm a massive fan of The Kernel as all of their IPAs manage to taste fresh and well-balanced regardless of the hop types and combinations used, so I'm very much looking forward to this. Review can be found in the video below....

Until next time....

BrewDog/Ballast Point San Diego Scotch Ale

Good evening all. I'm writing this review in front of the US Open final, so it's probably going to take me a while as every sentence I write will be followed up by a quick glance at the TV to spectate another long rally. Tonight's beer is San Diego Scotch Ale, a Scotch Ale from BrewDog (Fraserburgh, Scotland). This beer was produced through a collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing Company, who provided the Californian raisins soaked in their own rum that were added to whisky casks housing the beer for close to a year. Sounds like pretty epic stuff, so let's see what it's all about after the pic....

San Diego Scotch Ale (11.9% ABV) pours a dark brown colour with a thick beige head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. The aroma is very rich, with yeast extract, caramelised sugar, dark fruits and a noticeable hit of rum in the background. The Scotch Ale base delivers plenty of malty sweetness which acts as a good platform for the raisins to come through, adding to the sweetness themselves in the process. The rum coalesces with the raisins to create a tart raspberry aroma, whilst the yeast extract is powerful at first but becomes more of a sideline aroma as the olfactories become accustomed to it. Great stuff so far, with enough of the Scotch Ale qualities coming through so that the rum and raisin additions can compliment and add their own unique notes. The taste is remarkably subdued in comparison, with raspberries, rum, caramel, dark fruits, bourbon and a decent malt presence in the background. Despite the high ABV percentage the alcohol isn't always noticeable, with the rum/whisky barrel ageing creating a burn along the sides of the mouth during drinking that gradually subsides to leave the fruity tartness and sweetness in the finish, accompanied by some roasted malt-style dry notes. The first sip seemed to deliver all of the flavours in waves, starting with the Scotch Ale caramelised sweetness, transitioning to the alcoholic power of the rum and then finally bringing the raisins in during the finish. Once the palette gets used to these flavours, the Scotch Ale base and the rum intensity overlap but still allow the dark fruits to come out towards the end, along with an increased perception of the dryness. It's also worth mentioning how dangerously drinkable this beer is, so exercising some restraint might be a wise suggestion (although I certainly didn't!). The mouthfeel is thick and the beer is moderately carbonated, which compliments the drinking experience perfectly. Overall, this is another excellent collaboration beer from the BrewDog lot, with the barrel ageing adding a great dimension and the rum-raisin combo sealing the deal. Definitely recommended- I'm looking to forward to seeing how this develops with a bit of age behind it. 

Until next time....

Mikkeller Monk's Brew BA Bourbon

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is Monk's Brew BA Bourbon, yet another unconventional Quad from Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark). This is a barrel aged incarnation of Monk's Elixir, itself inspired by the popular Trappist Quads from Rochefort and Westvleteren, and has been aged in bourbon barrels prior to bottling. As with any Mikkeller offering I'm expecting good things, so let's get on with the review after the pic....

Monk's Brew BA Bourbon (10.0% ABV) pours a dark brown colour with a thick off-white head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. The aroma is pretty epic, with raspberries, blackcurrants, vanilla, bourbon and plenty of booze in the background. The dark fruits from the Quad base combine with the woody bourbon to create a fortified wine/port aroma, whilst the alcohol partially volatilises and acts as a great medium to transport the aromas into the nose. There's also some background sweetness that tries to wrestle with the heavier aromas, being met with occasional success. The taste manages to pack in more dimensions than the aroma, with raspberries, bourbon, caramel, some tartness and a nice dose of yeast extract in the finish. Despite the high alcohol content and the perception of the booze on the nose it's not as noticeable on the palette, giving the flavours plenty of opportunity to come through unimpeded. The Quad base delivers plenty of characteristic dark fruits, accompanied by a slight tartness that's amplified somewhat by the barrel ageing, and the finish is very reminiscent of Marmite (yeast extract) with some dryness and a lingering grape flavour in the background. The taste seems to go through a couple of defined movements, beginning with the fruits and a quick burst of alcohol before transitioning quickly to the yeast extract flavours and the dry finish. The mouthfeel is quite thick and the beer is moderately carbonated, with the tartness increasing this feeling to some extent. Overall, this is a very interesting take on the Quad style that amplifies the usual fruitiness, adds some complimentary flavours courtesy of the barrel ageing, and manages to deliver all of this in a surprisingly drinkable and balanced package. Another great offering from Mikkeller- definitely recommended, but not quite as good as the Monk's Brew BA Raspberry. 

Until next time....

Old Worthy Scottish Pale Ale

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is Old Worthy, a Scottish Pale Ale from Old Worthy Brewing Co. (Isle of Syke, Scotland). I was given the opportunity to sample this beer before release thanks to Nick from the aforementioned brewery, and what makes this beer different is that it's been brewed with peated barley to add a smoky element to the usually-restrained Pale Ale style. Although this practice isn't unusual with Scotch Ales it's usually reserved for the darker and higher ABV beers, so to use it in a Pale Ale is generally unheard of and so it'll be interesting to see how it works with the other components. Review after the pic....

Old Worthy (5.0% ABV) pours a light golden colour with a relatively thick white head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. The aroma is certainly different, with light peat smoke behind a malty backbone, accompanied by some bittering hops. When the aromas coalesce they create something that I can only describe as a rauchbier/lager hybrid, with the peated malt and earthier hops presenting an interesting and well-balanced dichotomy. Sometimes there are some sulfurous notes that are reminiscent of adjunct lager, but fortunately this isn't too consistent and doesn't spoil the overall aroma of the beer. The taste delivers much of the same, with bittering hops, light peat smoke, biscuit malt and a subtle sweetness in the background. Putting it in context, it's a lot like a Helles lager with some added spice and a slight tartness in the finish, making it an interesting and very drinkable beer. Aside from the tartness in the finish there's no bitterness, and virtually all of the flavours disappear during drinking to leave a dry aftertaste with some residual maltiness. The mouthfeel is slightly thick and the beer is moderately carbonated, which compliments the lighter flavours on show. Overall, this is an impressive beer that balances the contributions from the peated malt nicely to create a drinking experience that's somehow familiar yet totally unique. Definitely recommended, this would make a good weekday beer when considering the ABV percentage and the overall composition. Thanks again to Nick for the opportunity to try this great beer.

In the accompanying literature for the brewery and the beer, the idea of the "Half n' Half" was mentioned- pairing Scotch whisky with a small chaser of beer. I've dabbled with this concept before, so I decided to give it a try with this offering to see how the two compliment each other. Most of you will know that I'm a big fan of Islay whisky, so I busted out the big guns from my bar globe in the form of a dram of Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength. Reading comments from other bloggers regarding this beer, it seems that it can cut through peaty whisky surprisingly well, so I was interested to see what happens when a veritable titan of the Islay world is paired up with the subtleties of Old Worthy. Taking a sip of Old Worthy after the Laphroaig seems to amplify the sweetness of both drinks to the point where some honey flavours come through, along with some partial diluting of the whisky's alcoholic burn. The sheer peat power of the whisky overshadows any contributions from the beer's malt, but overall they compliment each other well. In fact, this might be the better way to consume the beer, although a more subdued whisky might be a better choice! I'm already looking forward to experimenting with the best couplings in the future.

Until next time....