Recent Drinks

Here we are again with another week's worth of drinks. Last week it seems I was big on lighter beers and this week I ended up with a relatively heavy and dark selection. My semester in college ends in about ten days, so expect to see a few more beer posts and definitely more consistency in my musical updates. As always, thanks for joining in on the fun and feel free to recommend some good drinks!

Troubador Magma (The Musketeers)
With a nose like a creamsicle and a large frothy head, this beer has all the appearances of a delicious beer float of some sort. However, this peculiarly mixed Belgian triple IPA is far more refreshing than such a description would convey. This drink has light elements of citrus and tropical fruit thanks to a marvelous pairing of hops and Belgian yeast. I'm not sure what makes this drink so compelling, but it's smooth and perfect on a warm spring evening.

Old Heathen Imperial Stout (Weyerbacher)
As I often do when picking new beers, I completely ignored any relevant descriptors such as style, IBU, or flavor characteristics. When I looked at this beer, I saw that it was called Old Heathen and it had a dude who looks like Garm on the label. To be perfectly honest, this beer rules either way. Whether it's because everything about this beer is as traditionally black metal as a beer can get or if it's because this is just an incredibly well made imperial stout, it's fantastic either way. Pours as dark as you'd expect, with delicious chocolate notes in nose and taste and a surprisingly smooth flavor for an imperial stout. Definitely a good one to show someone who is new to imperial stouts yet has enjoyed the stout style in the past.

Storm King Imperial Stout (Victory)
Victory shows up again in my list due to their accessibility and consistent quality. Storm King's long been a favorite of mine but it's probably been the better part of a year since I've had it. No idea why, since this is an imperial stout with a remarkable level of bite. The head on this beer is nice and thick while the drink is bitter and dark in all the best ways. A perfect beer when locked in on a stormy night, or even just good casual drinking for those of us who like our beers dark and intense. I've heard that the special edition Dark Intrigue is also perfect, but I've yet to run across a bottle of it at a time when I've had the financial ability to justify purchasing it. Grab this guy if you like it heavy and grab its big brother if you're feeling particularly feisty.

Recent Drinks

Forgive all the delays, dear friends and readers. As some of you may have noticed, I disappeared for a week to attend my cousin's wedding in California. I drank a handful of great beers there, but basically took minimal notes and don't really feel I could write anything sufficient on them. I may post my abbreviated notes soon for your consideration anyway, but in the meantime, here's a bit of what I've enjoyed at home in the days before and after my trip.

5 Golden Rings (The Bruery)
This surprisingly sweet golden ale tastes as if it has far more than five rings of pineapple sitting in each sip. An element of nutmeg or cinnamon is definitely present, but the pineapple juice is a dominant flavor that makes this drink more like a cider than a Belgian style ale. While I wouldn't go for this every day, I definitely was in the mood for it when I consumed it. This is the first I've had of their 12 beers of Christmas, and I'm definitely excited to see what they come up with later this year.

Vitus (Weihenstephaner)
I'm not going to lie and pretend that I didn't totally buy this for its name. I mean, I'm not the king of doomsters, but I love St. Vitus, which is exactly what I'm listening to while I drink this. The beer's got a massively foamy head, yet a really light body. The yeasty and sweet, almost banana-like flavor of this beer caught me off guard, but it's definitely up my alley. I'm so frequently shying away from lighter beers or anything "wheat" heavy, but I clearly need to change it up, because this one is deceptively tasty.

White Monkey Tripel (Victory)
As someone who has been known for introducing multiple friends to Victory's stellar Golden Monkey beverage, I pretty much was obligated to purchase this beautiful bottle of beer. The beer's amber color is rather accurate for the Belgian tripel style, yet this drink has such complexity that I'm finding a few varying descriptors that all are relatively fair. Since I'm aware that this was aged in oak barrels that once held chardonnay, I can certainly pick out elements of white wine, yet they aren't overwhelming. There's also a bit of mild mango flavor and a slight sugary bite of some sort that I can't quite put my finger on. The bottle indicates that this version is slightly more playful than the original, and I agree. I'm definitely enjoying that there's a lot going on here, but for some reason I can't see this being an every day drink. Instead, much like champagne, I feel this is a special, rare type of drink to be enjoyed from time to time. It's a limited release, so grab it while you're able.

That's it for this week's post. If you want to keep up with my current drinking that might not be featured here (or if you want a sneak peek of things to come), you can add me on Untappd or follow me on twitter. Both of these are full of my thoughts on various drinks, and the twitter account also features rants about awesome music and why being a student is bittersweet. Thanks for reading!

Thanksgiving Special: Saison du Buff Series

So today is Thanksgiving. Whether you're tearing into a roasted turkey, a vegan grain cutlet, or even just a plate full of stuffing with gravy, you're probably consuming a lot of delicious herbs and spices in whatever it is you're eating. There's no better beer to pair with your holiday festivities than one of the beers from the magnificent Saison du Buff series. These three beers are all variations on the same recipe from Dogfish Head, Victory, and Stone Brewing Company. All three share a strong love and dedication for brewing excellent craft beers, and all three have achieved a moderate level of fame through their commitment to perfection, so it's a wonderful match for all three to collaborate on this peculiar beer. Each one includes rosemary, sage, parsley, and thyme, which makes it the best pairing you can imagine for your holiday meal, whatever it may contain.

I'm sharing this with some close friends, and we're drinking each brewery's take on this fantastic beer. We're drinking them in order of release, beginning with Dogfish Head and ending with Stone. All pour relatively pale bodies with a thick foamy head, but each is slightly different from its peers. Since I can't write a paragraph on each beer due to similarities, I'll instead write a few sentences explaining how they contrast from each other. While the beer doesn't taste like a turkey dinner, it's the perfect complement. Dogfish's take on it is a crisp and hearty take on the beer, with the spices being heavy in the nose and relatively light in the body. More than any of the other flavors, sage takes the focus in this delicious incarnation of the Saison Du Buff. Victory's version of the Saison is a slightly fuller drink, a bit more of a punch in the nose and mouth. It still relies heavily on the sage, but the rosemary also plays gently at the back of my palate with each sip. The head is a little less heavy on the foam here than Dogfish Head's ample pour, but it's still a nice thick little endeavor. Tonight is the first time I'm drinking Stone's version, which is why I'm finally putting out this review that I've waited for months to write. The head is almost nonexistent, which is fine with me, and the nose is very citrusy in comparison to the other two. True to Stone's tradition of brewing strong beers, this one has a slight hint of piney hops added in to the herb-heavy mix, adding a bitterness that works quite nicely.

Whichever beer you choose to enjoy with your dinner tonight, be sure to check out the Saison du Buff family in the near future for some solid evidence that sometimes businesses can support each other rather than simply acting as competitors. I had a great time visiting with friends and drinking these three beers side by side, and I'm sure you'll have an equally enjoyable time whether you get just a single bottle or one from each brewery.