New Belgium Cocoa Mole

It had been a while since I’d had a beer so mind-numbingly delicious that it made me jump out of my seat and do the jig out of sheer joy, but New Belgium is really onto something with their Cocoa Mole ale. Color me impressed! Part of NB’s Lips of Faith series, Coca Mole is so good it’s almost orgasmic. The concept is genius. Spice a beer with ancho, guajillo, and chipotle peppers, then balance all that heat with cocoa, cinnamon, and caramel malts. Whoever came up with that stroke of brilliance should have a statue erected in his honor. And the execution is every bit as good as the idea. The sweet and hot notes go together perfectly- making for a rich, bold brew that’ll sustain you on a cold, blustery day. At nine percent alcohol, this bad boy has serious bite – but that’s all part of the fun! I bet this would age remarkably well if you had the patience to cellar it, but if I buy any more bottles I won’t be able to resist drinking them right away. It’s just too freakin’ good! A bomber of Cocoa Mole won’t come cheap, but I guarantee it’s worth every penny you pay. Absolutely an A+ beer. Get it while the getting’s good!

http://www.newbelgium.com/

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer

As January nears its end, the winter warmer season is winding down. It’s soon time to start thinking about, gasp, spring beers! But I’ve got one last winter ale post for you. Pyramid has been in the beer-making business for 28 years – practically an eternity in craft brewing terms. And the Snow Cap, with good reason, is one of their best known beers. This warmer is different from the typical winter seasonal in that it’s crafted in the English style. And I sure do love my English beers! Notes of caramel, chocolate, burnt fruit, and roasted grain provide the main thrust of flavor, but there are plenty of Nugget, Willamette, and East Kent Goldings hops for balance and a crisp finish. And at seven percent ABV, the alcohol content is just right for a “warming” effect. While a lot of winter ales come off tasting “thin”, the mouthfeel on the Snow Cap is fuller and creamier (perhaps not stout creamy, but creamy nonetheless). All in all, this is what a winter ale should be. It’s smooth, balanced, and delicious. The flavor, while on the malty side, is no slouch in the hop department (47 IBUs). If beer geeks describe it as “solid” but “not extraordinary”, that’s hardly an insult. We’re talking about winter warmers. They’re supposed to be solid but not extraordinary. This might not be a “sexy” sub-genre of craft brewing, but in my book the best microbrewers are the ones that can make tasty versions of unassuming styles. From hereon out, I’m stocking up on Snow Cap every winter. It makes my short list of essential cold weather seasonals.

http://www.pyramidbrew.com/

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

I’ve had my ups and downs with winter seasonals this year, but I may have just hit an all-time high with Anderson Valley’s Winter Solstice. Hooray! Finally we get a winter warmer that’s neither a glorified IPA nor a “mild” tasting bore! In business since 1986, AVBC is one of America’s longest tenured (and best!) craft breweries. I’ve had some of their other beers before, but Winter Solstice is by far my favorite. Although far from assertively hopped, it’s got a ton of flavor. A sprinkling of holiday spice (nutmeg, vanilla) is nice, but the sweet malt backbone suggests something more like caramel apple brown bread. Overall the taste is a delicious combination of toasty, roasty and sweet - with bitter hops cutting through on the back end for balance. I like the creamy, smooth mouthfeel, and of course every sip sends a nice “warming” sensation straight down to the belly. I could drink this all day. If you, like me, have been a little disillusioned with winter warmers, give AVBC a shot.

http://avbc.com/

Heavy Seas Winter Storm Category 5 Ale

I firmly believe that winter is the best beer season of them all. But to be honest, I’ve had several winter seasonals already this year that ranged from disappointing to mediocre to just plain crappy. What is going on?! Is this Opposite Year? Hats off to Heavy Seas for getting me back on track! Winter Storm is a smooth and delicious winter warmer – and an inventive one at that. It’s an “Imperial ESB” chock full of English malts and balanced nicely with American and English hops. I tend to prefer my winter ales on the malty side, and this one surely fits the bill. At 7.5 percent ABV, it’ll warm you up on a cold night without knocking you out. Herbal and citrus hop notes are pronounced but in no way off-putting, and all in all this typifies a “rich but smooth” wintertime brew. The usual malt suspects (caramel, bread, toasted grain) are large and in charge, but the hop bitterness definitely competes for your attention in an entirely good way. It’s all topped off with a warming, fruity finish that gives way to a lingering hoppy aftertaste. Balanced, flavorful, and straight up great-tasting, Winter Storm is a first class beer in every respect. Probably when you hear the term “winter ale”, an ESB is not what comes to mind. Maybe that needs to change!

http://www.hsbeer.com/

Beer of the Year!

Happy holidays to you all! If you’ve ever wondered what Christmas is like at the Rutledge household, I will tell you that this year’s family celebration began with a ghost pepper salsa eating throwdown, which quickly caused my dad to make strange screaming noises and go sprinting towards the bathroom in a panic. Upon his return, he announced that he ought to have this salsa on hand the next time he’s forced to give a urine sample at the doctor’s office. For the next several minutes we were all subjected to a detailed account of his recent doctor visit and how they “surprised” him with the unreasonable request for a urine sample - which he was unable to provide despite a most vigorous effort over a ten-minute time period (“I wasn’t prepared for that!). I am still unsure if there was any connection whatsoever between his consumption of the fire-hot salsa and his immediate need to urinate, but my father has never been one to let facts get in the way of a good story (or in most cases, a not so good story).

It seems that a precedent has been set wherein all future Rutledge holiday gatherings will be required to include some sort of eating challenge. I am a traditionalist at heart and will surely spend the next 51 weeks coming up with some way to up the ante. While we’re on the topic of holiday traditions, one new one I’m starting in 2011 is to end the year good and proper with my official beer of the year proclamation. I last posted a beer top ten in May, and there has been great chart movement in the ensuing months. Here, then, is the new list in all its glory:

1. Rogue Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale
We have a new #1! Founders Breakfast Stout relinquishes the top spot to a mighty red ale brewed in honor of the coolest Deadliest Catch captain. Hoppy at 80 IBUs, yet defined by a mighty, malty backbone, this is the man’s man’s micro brew. BEER OF THE YEAR, folks!

2. Founders Breakfast Stout
A beer so amazing, I feel almost guilty bumping it to the #2 spot. And, yes, by all means I do recommend you have this for breakfast.

3. Troegs Mad Elf
Is it just me, or is this year’s batch of this cult classic Christmas ale even better than usual? Or maybe it took me all those years to comprehend its greatness! I’m convinced that actual elves make this beer and sprinkle it with magic dust. Or is it fairies that have the magic dust? No worries, Troegs has cherries and honey.

4. Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Aphrodite
A cocoa-vanilla stout from Montreal. Tastes heavenly!

5. Stone Brewing Co. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
There are big beers, and then there’s this! Not for the faint of heart.

6. Smuttynose Baltic Porter
I love regular old porters, but there’s something about the Slavic fruity notes and extra heartiness that gives Baltic porters the leg up. Perfection.

7. Founders Dirty Bastard
Scotch ales are a particular favorite of mine, and this one’s my most favorite.

8. Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA
Remember when I didn’t like IPAs? My, how I’ve grown! Paid $13 for a bottle of this stuff, and it was worth every penny.

9. DuClaw Brewing Co. H.E.R.O. Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter
The winning entrant in DuClaw’s home brew contest, this beer sounds like the best thing ever…and tastes like it too!

10. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
There’s nothing like a Russian imperial stout in the cold weather months. This is the smoothest imperial I’ve had - which makes it hella dangerous!

On a side note, my wife asked me if the Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale was so good that I would be willing to give up my left testicle for an unlimited supply. I have decided that no beer is worth my left nut, although perhaps that may change in 2012. I’ll pose the same question to my dad next Christmas. He may have some interesting opinions on the matter.

Ridgeway Brewing Very Bad Elf

Ridgeway Brewing out of South Stoke, England gets into the Christmas spirit in a major way. In addition to brewing seasonal favorites like Reindeer Droppings and Lump of Coal, Ridgeway offers an entire line of Bad Elf beers that get progressively “worse” by degrees. There’s Bad Elf, Very Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf, Criminally Bad Elf, and Insanely Bad Elf (weighing in at a whopping 12 percent alcohol by volume!). Being a moderate sort of fellow, I went with Very Bad Elf. If you’re a bottle collector, you’re gonna want the entire line since the artwork on all of them is really freaking cool. But from purely a drinker's perspective, I feel like I made an excellent choice. Technically, Very Bad Elf is more of a winter warmer than it is a Christmas ale. I don’t taste a lot of holiday spices. What I do taste are the time-honored elements of an English Special Bitter, kicked up to 7.5 percent ABV for the cold weather season. This ale is based on a recipe going all the way back to 1795. It uses “an ancient pale malt” and a “rare variety” of Fuggles hops. So it doesn’t taste exactly like every other English ale you’ve had. It’s got a little uniqueness to it. All in all, though, it’s a classic tasting ESB with a nutty, sweet-roasted malt character and a balancing leafy hop bite. I enjoy beers that prominently feature caramel malts, and this one fits the bill nicely. The alcohol is well-hidden, so you get the “warming” features of a winter beer without the boozy taste. This is quite the tasty beer – sweet and roasty with a rich flavor and high drinkability. Very nice. Apparently certain states have banned the sale of these Ridgeway Christmas beers due to the artwork potentially appealing to children. Seriously? Do state legislators have nothing better to do? What a bunch of Scrooges!

http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=142

Victory Brewing Company Otto

I love a beer with a story. Victory Brewing Company founders Ron and Bill first experienced smoked beers in 1987 when they visited Bamberg, Germany. The two have, for a long time, brewed their own smoked beer (rauchbier) called Scarlet Fire - which I love! Not long ago, Ron and Bill came up with an idea. What if they added the smoked malts of a rauchbier to a Belgian style dubbel? Smoky and sweet: wouldn’t that be an interesting flavor combination? And so the ale called Otto was born. It’s named after St. Otto of Bamberg – “father of the monks” and best remembered for his missionary work with the Pomeranians. The title of the beer has been somewhat controversial due to the fact that Otto’s is the name of another craft brewery in Pennsylvania. I don’t know if Victory will be forced to change the name, but I sure hope they don’t change the beer! Bottle-conditioned and made with German hops, Trappist yeast, Munich malts, Belgian caramel malts, and of course smoked malts, this “smoked dubbel” is one of my all-time favorite Victory ales. From a perspective of uniqueness, it’s pretty much unprecedented. More importantly, from a taste perspective the combination really works. Because of the rich, smoky flavor, this beer comes off more like a rauchbier than a dubbel. Yet it does combine elements of both. The nose is smoky, and so is the taste upon first contact. But the Belgian yeast and candied fruit sweetness really come through in the finish along with some nice balancing hops. I’d say if you’re the kind of person who dismisses plain old rauchbiers as “liquid bacon”, you might find this a more palatable smoked beer. The smokiness, while certainly the prevailing note, is far from overdone. As the beer warms, the dubbel-like qualities do rise from the background and make themselves known. All in all, Otto is wicked drinkable for its alcohol by volume (above eight percent!), and in my opinion it’s got one hell of a nice flavor. Then again, I’m nuts about bacon.

http://victorybeer.com/