Cellared 2013.11.17 650ml
Drank 2015.06.05
Green Flash Barleywine Style Ale
Bitter. Not shockingly so. But a friend had a but and complained about it for 20 minutes while trying to spit the taste out of his mouth.
Nicely malty and smooth. But not especially outstanding.
Cellared 2013.11.17 650ml
Drank 2015.05.16
Spiteful G.F.Y. Stout
I held off drinking this a few times because the ABV at 8% was lower than I wanted. I just drank a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace so 8% is just right now.
The body is thinner than I want in a big stout. The smell is chocolate and coffee. Richly so. It has a nice roasty bitterness to it. But I am not blown away. It is not as good as FIS. Good. Not great. I was not necessarily expecting more. But I was hoping for more.
Cellared 2013.11.17 650ml
Drank 2015.05.07
Left Coast Ale Epeteios
It isn’t actively bad nor offensive. It tastes like a stout. A bit of roastyness and bitterness. The body is a bit thin. The alcohol is very well hidden. There just isn’t enough taste. I think Founders Porter is better. And for something with this high a price point, it is very disappointing. Perhaps this is the reason I’ve never seen anything else from this brewery.
At no point was this a bad experience. It just wasn’t good enough for someone with any kind of limits on time. Eventually dying for example.
Cellared 2013.11.17 650ml
Drank 2015.05.03
Smuttynose Gravitation
Something is off about this. I don’t know if it is supposed to taste this way. It isn’t so off that it might not have been intended to taste this way. It just doesn’t taste like a delicious quad. It is a bit metallic and fishy. It has the expected sweetness and and yeast-forwardness. But there is something off putting about the fishiness and metal.
As I was pouring, I thought I grabbed the wrong beer. I thought it was a barleywine. The color was not what I expected in a quad.
Cellared 2013.10.20 650ml
Drank 2015.04.14
Left Hand Wake Up Dead
Sweet and good. Nice mouthfeel. Well perceived alcohol. Generically good. Nothing stood out. Never had this fresh. I think I recall it being not too expensive.
I used this recipe for a leg of lamb for Super Bowl Sunday. It turned out drier than I like. But I didn’t wind up cooking it myself though I prepared it. It was cooked on high heat instead of low for too long.
1.5 – 2 tbsp cumin
1.5 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp pepper
6 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 limes, juice
.5 cup red wine
Cellared 2013.10.20 650ml
Drank 2015.04.07
Pipeworks Closer Encounter
It is still pretty hoppy. Quite bitter. Rich mouthfeel. There is a bit of a sour tang that isn’t unpleasant. The alcohol is not well perceived. It is very tasty. The stout base doesn’t come through the hoppiness so it taste a bit like an American Barleywine with the hops. I quite like the lingering bitterness though. It is very different than the sweetness from many big stouts.
Cellared 2013.10.20 650ml
Drank 2015.04.03
The mouthfeel is spot on for a barleywine. It is rich and thick. It isn’t hoppy but it tastes if it used to be. It is bitter but there is a bit of a hop sharpness to the bitterness. Maybe a bit like an older IPA. I like the old hoppiness. It adds complexity.
Cellared 2013.10.20 750ml
Drank 2015.03.22
Nice Quad flavors. Deep and rich. Thin mouthfeel. A bit thinner than I think is optimal for a quad. But the flavor is rich.
Cellared 2013.10.20 22oz
Drank 2015.03.17
Lots of orange on the nose. Not much or none on the tongue. Great mouthfeel. Bitter. Great overall stout base. Could be roastier. Nothing like Passion Abduction. It is good to great but not standout.
I’m glad this wasn’t oxidized as I’ve heard early Pipeworks bottles don’t really hold up well.