July 31, 2005 - #22 of 365

Brewer: Unibroue (Chambly, Canada)
Beer: Blance de Chambly
Style: Witbier
abv: 5%

Background: Bottle from that place whence I get bottles.

Appearance: Very “wit.” Opaque pale straw with a smallish head.

Aroma: Wheat, orange peel, coriander—the usual.

Flavor: Some coriander, wheat, and Belgian yeast notes, but not much else.

Notes: I don’t really like witbiers, I think. Hopefully my dry-hopped “Rapist’s Wit” will have more to it.

Rating: 3.1 out of 5

July 30, 2005 - #21 of 365

Brewer: St. Peter’s (Bungay, England)
Beer: Old Style Porter
Style: Porter
abv: 5.1%

Background: You guessed it.

Appearance: Pours nearly black with a one-finger off-white head.

Aroma: Strong coffee aroma.

Flavor: Light coffee with some chocolate and an intrusive bitterness at the end.

Notes: Very creamy, but that bitterness is a turn-off. Possibly skunked—-the bottle is a strange yellowish-green color.

Rating: 3.2 out of 5

July 29, 2005 - #20 of 365

Brewer: Lancaster Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Hop Hog IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
abv: 7.8%

Background: Bottle from the store. I swear these background things will get more interesting as I get more desperate for beer.

Appearance: Dark amber/red with a two-finger head that doesn’t stick around. A bit of lacing.

Aroma: Excellent hop aroma, more floral than citrus and pine, which is odd for an American IPA. The pine and citrus is still there, though.

Flavor: The hops dominate from start to finish but are backed by a nice malt profile. The flavor has some of the floral qualities of the aroma.

Notes: A little different from most other IPAs. Reminded me just how much I love hops.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5

July 28, 2005 - #19 of 365

Brewer: Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery (Tadcaster, England)
Beer: Pure Brewed Lager
Style: Lager
abv:

Background: Bottle from the store. Tasted after walking a round of golf, so refreshment is taken into account.

Appearance: Gold with a quickly-dissipating one-finger head. No lacing.

Aroma: Very clean. Malty.

Flavor: Very crisp English malt flavor. Very light floral hop finish.

Notes: There usually isn’t much to lagers, and this one is no exception. But it is one of the cleanest and most refreshing I’ve ever had. If it wasn’t so expensive it’d easily be my go-to lager.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

July 27, 2005 - #18 of 365

Brewer: Brouwerij Lindemans (Vlezenbeek, Belgium)
Beer: Gueuze
Style: Gueuze
abv: 4%

Background: Bottle from the store. I’ve had the Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze, which was excellent. This is the more commercialized version.

Appearance: Pours amber with a large, creamy white head. Some effervescence and a lot of lacing.

Aroma: Artificial, candy-like sweetness overpowers a lighter sour aroma. Very little of the funkiness that should be in a Gueuze.

Flavor: Sour apples coated in sugar. Some barnyardy notes. Very tart.

Notes: Not nearly as good as the Cuvee Rene. I’ve heard this regular version is sweetened with sugar, which would technically make it a Faro, but I can’t confirm that. The artificiality of the sweetness is so obvious, though, that I think it must be true. Not a horrible beer, but too expensive and but a shadow of its bigger brother.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

July 26, 2005 - #17 of 365

Brewer: River Horse Brewing Company (New Jersey, USA)
Beer: Tripel Horse
Style: Abbey Tripel
abv: 10%

Background: Bottle from the store. My first go with these River Horse guys.

Appearance: Pours honey-gold with a large-bubbled, one-finger head and some nice effervescence. A larger and smoother head would be better.

Aroma: Very earthy, with banana, Belgian spices, and a hint of apple. Some citrus and vanilla. Has a little bit of a Biére de Garde feel to it.

Flavor: Sweet flavor, with some hop bite and a peach and honey aftertaste. Very well-balanced; nothing overpowers the palate. Alcohol is well-hidden.

Notes: A pleasant surprise. Not overly spicy like Victory’s Golden Monkey. Mouthfeel is a tad thin.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5

July 25, 2005 - #16 of 365

Brewer: Stoudts Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Scarlet Lady ESB
Style: ESB/Premium Bitter
abv: 5%

Background: Bottle from the store. I’ve been impressed by most other Stoudts offerings, but bitters are boring beers.

Appearance: Pours dark amber with a very nice two-finger head. Good lacing.

Aroma: Sweet, fruity, and malty, with a dash of earthy hops.

Flavor: Very English—biscuity, earthy, buttery, and a touch of hops to round it out.

Notes: Decent un-Americanized ESB. They did what they could with the style.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

July 24, 2005 - #15 of 365

Brewer: Theakston (Masham, England)
Beer: Old Peculier
Style: Old Ale
abv: 5.7%

Background: Artificially carbonated bottle from the store.

Appearance: Pours deep red with a small, quickly-dissipating head.

Aroma: Very fruity, mostly banana, with very light floral and vanilla notes.

Flavor: Kind of disappointing. Not much to it, just biscuity English malts and a light hop bitterness. Vanilla in the aftertaste.

Notes: Apparently this was really good until the brewery was purchased by a larger one. Now it’s only slightly better than a typical bland English beer that happens to smell like bananas. I’ll stick to the Olde Suffolk.

Rating: 3.3 out of 5

July 23, 2005 - #14 of 365

Brewer: Old Dominion Brewing Co. (Virginia, USA)
Beer: Oak Barrel Stout (Brewpub version)
Style: Stout
abv: 5.2%

Background: A growler from the brewpub in Ashburn. The brewpub version is considered a different beer because it's actually aged in oak barrels, whereas the bottled one is brewed with oak chips and vanilla beans.

Appearance: Pours black with a two-finger tan head. Nice lacing.

Aroma: Roasted malts, vanilla, wood.

Flavor: A lot like the bottled version, but better. The vanilla is subtler. A lot like the Olde Suffolk, only more roasted flavors.

Notes: Good thing I have a full growler in my fridge.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5

July 22, 2005 - #13 of 365

Brewer: Brasserie de Saverne (Saverne, France)
Beer: Boris
Style: Crappy European Lager
abv: 5.5%

Background: Poured from two 8.5 oz. “Alsatian Flasks.” The box and label make it clear that this beer is for commies and “insurgents.” I think I just supported terrorism by buying this.

Appearance: Pours light amber with a one-finger head. Some effervescence. No complaints thus far.

Aroma: Smells like rocks and dull hops. Let the crap-fest begin!

Flavor: Makes me shudder. Tastes like nothing, with a revolting corn and dull hop aftertaste.

Notes: Fits the style to a tee. Thank God I have a Trois Pistoles to get the taste out of my mouth.

Rating: 2 out of 5

July 21, 2005 - #12 of 365

Brewer: Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (Malle, Belgium)
Beer: Dubbel
Style: Abbey Dubbel
abv: 7%

Background: Bottle from the store, poured in a Westmalle goblet.

Appearance: Reddish-brown with a large, rocky head that recedes to a lovely film-like layer of bubbles that sticks around for the whole show.

Aroma: Figs, raisins, candi sugar. Swirling releases some phenolic notes.

Flavor: Candi sugar and dark fruits turn to an interesting, for lack of a better word, perfumey flavor. Dry finish, with a pleasant aftertaste that stays with you.

Notes: Much better than a DP, if that needs mention.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

July 20, 2005 - #11 of 365

Brewer: Rogue Ales (Oregon, USA)
Beer: Imperial Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
abv: 11.6%

Background: Twelve ounce bottle from the store. Bottled in 2003.

Appearance: Rich ebony with a small, dark head. Medium lacing.

Aroma: Thick aroma of chocolate, coffee, and dark bread. Very slight hop spice.

Flavor: Coffee, chocolate, alcohol, and raisins, in order of dominance. The alcohol is not overpowering, but noticeable. Some hops in the finish. Slightly metallic espresso aftertaste. Very rich.

Notes: Very much like Thirsty Dog’s Siberian Night. A newer bottle may have had a more noticeable hoppiness, but would also have had a sharper alcohol flavor. The flavors came together nicely in the older bottle.

Rating: 4.2 out of 5

July 19, 2005 - #10 of 365

Brewer: Traquair House (Peeblesshire, Scotland)
Beer: Jacobite Ale
Style: Spiced Scotch Ale
abv: 8%

Background: Traquair House is the home of the Stuart family, who brew beer while waiting to regain the throne of England. Expensive stuff ($6 for an 11.2 ounce bottle). INSIDER TIDBIT: The importer makes very little money on it.

Appearance: Very dark reddish-brown with a one-finger off-white head. Slight lacing.

Aroma: Very floral and spicy, with rosemary and heather vying for dominance. Some toffee and cola is there, as well. Toward the middle of the glass, bready malts are coaxed out with some swirling. The heather reminds me of the finish on this Glenlivet 12 year old single malt I picked up yesterday, but that’s a different drink—for a different Year.

Flavor: The rosemary is in the flavor, this time side-by-side with coriander. Slight roasted malt flavors. No hoppiness to speak of.

Notes: My burps taste like rose petals. Full mouthfeel but a flavor that’s a bit of a let-down after the excellent aroma. Still very good. Surprisingly drinkable, unless you consider the price.

Rating: 4.1 out of 5

July 18, 2005 - #9 of 365

Brewer: Spaten-Brau (Munich, Germany)
Beer: Optimator
Style: Doppelbock
abv: 7.2%

Background: Bottle from the store. I’ve been wanting to try this since I first had an Ayinger Celebrator almost a year ago.

Appearance: Deep red with a half-finger off-white head. Slight lacing, some effervescence.

Aroma: All the maltiness expected from the style. Reminded me of a Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, in which actual chocolate is used. Raisins and plums and chocolate liqueur.

Flavor: Sweet, toffee-ish at the beginning, with more bitterness than the Celebrator. The bitterness detracts from the brew, somewhat; it’s not supposed to be so obvious in a doppelbock. Ends with alcohol and leaves a taste of chocolate.

Notes: Not nearly as smooth as the Celebrator, but still good.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5

July 17, 2005 - #8 of 365

Brewer: Greene King (Suffolk, England)
Beer: Olde Suffolk
Style: Old Ale
abv: 6%

Background: Bottle from the store. The beer is a blend of a very strong, oak-aged barley wine and a weaker, fresh English ale. “Brewed in limited quantities,” it says on the bottle.

Appearance: Pours black with a little ruby where the glass is thin. Small off-white head that quickly disappears.

Aroma: Oak, vanilla, biscuity malts, and a hint of diacetyl (butterscotch-like). A little smokiness, as well.

Flavor: Dominated by the oak and vanilla. Some slight toffee and licorice flavors. The oak imparts whiskey-like notes, which could also be likened to very sweet, flat root beer.

Notes: Finally, an oak-aged beer that showcases the oak, in appearance, aroma, and flavor. Excellent beer.

Rating: 4.2 out of 5

July 16, 2005 - #7 of 365

Brewer: Brewery Ommegang (New York, USA)
Beer: Rare Vos
Style: Belgian Ale
abv: 6.5%

Background: 750 mL bottle from the store.

Appearance: Amber with a huge smooth white head. Very nice lacing.

Aroma: Slightly malty aroma with notes typical of Belgian yeast strains. Phenols are noticeable toward the bottom of the glass

Flavor: Sharp, earthy flavor with a light spices and a candi sugar sweetness. Semi-dry finish. Earthy bitterness in the aftertaste.

Notes: Would be great with a medium-strong barnyardy cheese.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5

July 15, 2005 - #6 of 365

Brewer: Edenton Brewery (North Carolina, USA)
Beer: Joseph Ewes Revolutionary Ale
Style: Golden Ale
abv: 5%

Background: Bottle with a label that's far too wide.

Appearance: Pale straw with a very small white head.

Aroma: Slight floral hops.

Flavor: Malty start. You can feel the hops trying to come through on the end. They don't make it.

Notes: Another stinker.

Rating: 2.4 out of 5

July 14, 2005 - #5 of 365

Brewer: Privatbraueri Gaffel Becker & Co. (Koln, Germany)
Beer: Kolsch
Style: Kolsch
abv: 4.8%

Background: Bottle from The Country Store in Winchester, because we don’t carry this crap at our place.

Appearance: Gold with almost no head. No effervescence, no lacing.

Aroma: Dry aroma, with light malt notes and a very light fruitiness.

Flavor: Nutty and slightly fruity. Dry finish.

Notes: A so-so example of a so-so style. And that’s a no-no.

Rating: 2.6 out of 5

July 13, 2005 - #4 of 365

Brewer: Rogue Ales (Oregon, USA)
Beer: I2PA
Style: Double India Pale Ale
abv: 8.4%

Background: In a 750 mL ceramic flip-top bottle from The Virginia Touch.

Appearance: Hazy orange with a large-bubbled, quickly disappearing one-finger head.

Aroma: Could smell it as soon as I opened the bottle. Huge nose of grassy and piney hops backed by citrus and very faint biscuity malts. Apricots and oranges can also be detected. Alcohol is present, as well, but doesn’t detract.

Flavor: Slightly hot on the tip of the tongue. An immediate hop bitterness is balanced somewhat, but the end is all grass and pine and lemon and stays on the back corners of the tongue for ages. Very grassy aftertaste. A little alcohol can be tasted if the beer’s left in the mouth long enough.

Notes: Very nice Double IPA. Not as well-balanced or creamy as Three Floyds Dreadnaught, but still a world-class beer. I’d like to see a Double IPA fermented with a fruitier yeast, maybe even a Belgian strain. The quasi-fruity hop resins may match well with the right yeast esters. I think I know my next homebrew project.

Rating: 4 out of 5

July 12, 2005 - #3 of 365

Brewer: Allagash (Maine, USA)
Beer: 10th Anniversary Ale
Style: Double Witbier
abv: 10%

Background: Bottle number one of my case of six. Only 4800 bottles available.

Appearance: A tripel’s doppelganger (if you mix Flemish and German, that’s kind of a pun). Orangish-gold with a huge white head. A lot of bubbling inside the glass. Medium lacing.

Aroma: Holy shit. I started whistling the Old Spice tune after the first whiff. The spice notes are backed by the orange peel of Allagash’s regular witbier and some faint vanilla notes from the oak aging. When it gets down to the middle of the glass the vanilla asserts itself more strongly and mixes with the orange peel and some banana. At the bottom of the glass it’s all vanilla, and strong enough to be mistaken for the scented candle I give my mom every Christmas. A little swirling brings back the spice aroma, albeit in a smaller proportion.

Flavor: Take the spiciness of your favorite tripel and mix it with the summery flavors of your third favorite witbier and you have the 10th Anniversary Ale. Earthy, citrusy, spicy, and wonderful. Dry, slightly grassy finish that stays with you for a while. Alcohol is entirely undetectable—a feat in itself.

Notes: Mouthfeel is a little thinner than expected, but still somewhat creamy. Also, I have the Old Spice theme stuck in my head. Thanks a lot, Allagash. Oh yeah, great beer, too. Sure am glad I have five more bottles.

Rating: 4.3 out of 5

July 11, 2005 - #2 of 365

Brewer: Ayinger (Aying, Germany)
Beer: Altbairisch Dunkel
Style: Dunkel
abv: 5%

Background: From a bottle at The Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Served cold in a quasi-wheat beer glass.

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a creamy light brown head. Medium lacing.

Aroma: Light aroma of dark malts—caramel, chocolate, and coffee.

Flavor: Matches the aroma, but with added dark fruits.

Notes: Very subtle. Not a beer that blows you away, but one that is clearly well-made and true to its style. Went well with wiener schnitzel and cabbage. I found the carbonation excessive.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

July 10, 2005 - #1 of 365

Brewer: North Coast Brewing Company (California, USA)
Beer: Red Seal
Style Amber Ale
abv: 5.2%

Background: On tap at Magnolias at the Mill in Purcellville, Virginia. Served at a near-perfect cool temperature in a pilsener glass.

Appearance: Dark amber with a one-finger head. Clear, with little effervescence. Low to medium lacing.

Aroma: Wonderfully balanced light malts and spicy west coast hops. Pine and citrus dominate the hop aroma. (A more suitable glass could have had a positive effect on aromatics.)

Flavor: Goes hand-in-hand with the aroma: very well-balanced. The hop flavor is more perfumey (a bouquet of flowers comes to mind) than the aroma and is more subdued than expected.

Notes: Excellent American adaptation of a fairly subtle style. Could rival Three Floyds Alpha King as a session beer, though it would fall far short in a flavor comparison.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

First beer?

To kick off Beer Year, I've decided to have my birthday dinner at Magnolias in Purcellville, VA. Here's their beer list (that's a link--I need to change this template). I'm leaning toward the Bear Republic Red Rocket. If I get a meal with a kick to it I'll try the Avery IPA. And I'll obviously be ending the evening with a draught Allagash Tripel, one of my favorites.

Sometime next week I'll be eating at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, WV. Their website has a menu for wine, but not beer, though I'm told they have some good ones on tap, including Ayinger Altbairisch-Dunkel. I would rather, however, get something that we don't sell at the store.

Speaking of the store, we got our hands on a bottle of Lindemans Cuvee Rene, which gives me another one I don't have to spend money on for the first week. We also got glassware from Merchant du Vin at a ridiculously low price, but that has no direct effect on the Beer Year, so forget that I mentioned it.

A five gallon keg (I think it's a quarter of a regular-sized keg) of St. Bernardus Abt 12 costs $130. I'm considering it. But it won't count toward the Beer Year, so forget that I told you about that, too.

Another month guaranteed?

We found out recently that we can get beer from the Roanoke Valley Wine Company, which gets it from this importer. Note the Oud Beersel, Brasserie des Rocs, Girardin Black Label, and St. Bernardus. Also note the availability of kegs and six liter bottles.

20 liters of St. Bernardus Abt 12 may be a good way to end the summer.

If I had no financial concerns, I would rename this "Very Good Beer Year."

The Ale-iad

The Year

I will be 21 years old on July 10th of this year, a day which will mark the beginning of a period of 365 days almost too special to be called a year. You see, I am uniquely qualified to make my 21st year on Earth a thing to remember, an Event which shall live in the minds of the great minds who follow me as surely as any siege of any city in Asia Minor brought itself to bear on those who came before me.

Mantlets will be built about the walls of Ale-ium, and the bottled soldiers within will be worn away by attrition, slowly and methodically, until there is one Champion--me.

What does all this mean? It's simple, really. I will be drinking one beer that I have not yet sampled each and every day of the Beer Year--from July 10, 2005 to July 10, 2006.

I'm not going to lie: it will be very easy. I have the good fortune of working at a store that sells beer, and a little less than half of the almost 300 beers we sell have not known the meticulous attention of my palate. There will be other sources, as well. Hell, I could do at least two Beer Years shopping only at the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg.

Getting a hold of the beers is just part of the Year, of course. The most difficult aspect will be keeping beer in the fridge for extended periods of time. I have no willpower, and, if possible, even less when it comes to beer. Fortunately, Food Lion is open 24 hours and carries many crappy brands that I have never drunk.

Which beers qualify? Those that I have not drunk in a manner suited to evaluation. This means that beers of which I have had one or two ounce samples may be used as Beer Year beers. A rough list of those beers that I have tasted sufficiently is my ratebeer.com "Rated Beers" list, though it will not be the final word.

I will be updating this website every day of the Beer Year with the beer of the day, complete with tasting notes and other relevant information.

Good day and good Year,

Mike "Ajax" Seder