Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua

Vibrato 6 x 54

Notes of earth, cedar, pepper, and cocoa 

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout 12% ABV

Knob Creek RESERVE SINGLE BARREL 120 proof

C'est si bourbon . . .

Today’s side-by-side was stouts. First was Expedition Stout, a Russian Imperial, Stout, from Bell’s Brewery out of Comstock, MI. This was really good, a very thick coffee, taste and a weird heat on the finish, almost like it was a chilli beer. Next up was Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout from Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company out of Lexington, KY. This was really good with a heavy bourbon flavor in the middle. All in all these were both good stouts, but I’d take a Founders or a Baptist over both of them.

Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout

Eugene's Alesong Brewing and Blending announces their Spring 2020 featuring three release parties.

Press Release

EUGENE, OR:  Alesong Brewing and Blending will release four new beers on March 14th and host three separate release events over the following week for customers who pre-order beers and Blender’s Circle Club members (info and sign up at alesongbrewing.com/join).

“Señor Rhino is back!” says cofounder, Doug Coombs, “We’ve heard the requests and after a GABF medal last fall, we couldn’t be more excited to be releasing a new version of it alongside three other awesome beers.  And with three release events, there’s even more chances to come say hello and try them all!”

·         Señor Rhino – Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, this luscious imperial milk stout was aged in a blend of bourbon and tequila barrels and conditioned on cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa nibs and ancho chiles.  2019 GABF® bronze, wood and barrel-aged strong stout.  Full distribution.

·         Framboise – Alesong’s take on the classic Belgian sour beer with raspberries: perfectly refreshing for sunny spring days!  2020 Best of Craft Beer Awards, bronze. Full distribution.

·         Kentucky Kilt – The fan favorite returns! This Scotch ale aged in bourbon barrels oozes with notes of vanilla, caramel and toffee.  Tasting room and club members only.

·         Farmhouse Cuvée – A delicate and complex blend of tart, oak-aged farmhouse ales, this beer is available to Blender’s Circle members only.

In conjunction with the new release, Alesong will also be hosting three events for members and guests who pre-order bottles to pick up their beer and taste the new vintages.  The new beers will all be available for tasting at the brewery and Señor Rhino and Framboise will hit broader distribution beginning the week after the release.

March 14th and 15th, 12-5 P.M. – Brewery release party.  80848 Territorial Highway, Eugene.  Tastings of the new release with custom chocolate pairings, live music, bottle pickup, views galore!  Open to members and public with bottle pre-order.

March 17th, 5-8 P.M. – Eugene release event.  Alesong Packaging Hall (1000 Conger Street, Unit C, Eugene).  Tastings of the new release, bottle pickup.  Open to members and public with bottle pre-order.

March 18th, 5-8 P.M., - Portland release event.  Bad Habit Room (5433 N Michigan Ave).  Tastings of the new release, bottle pickup.  Open to members and public with bottle pre-order.

ABOUT ALESONG BREWING AND BLENDING: Alesong Brewing and Blending is a small artisan brewery based in the heart of Southern Willamette Valley wine country that crafts unique and small-batch beers with a focus on oak aging and Belgian-inspired techniques, brewing both wild and non-wild beers, using locally grown fruits, herbs and a host of special yeasts and other microbes.  Once the beer in the barrels has matured, the team samples and selects each barrel individually to blend. Paying homage to old-world Lambic blenders and artisan winemakers, Alesong believes that the final, balanced blend of a barrel-aged beer is much more satisfying than the sum of its parts or each individual barrel by itself. For more information, visit alesongbrewing.com.

from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide http://bit.ly/2PFAuAE

The Highest-Rated Stout in Every State [MAP]

While IPAs are having a moment, stouts continue to quietly rank among the most popular beers in the country. And with the category’s vast array of styles — from dry Irish stouts to pastry and milk stouts galore — there’s a stout out there for every palate.

To learn which stouts are favored among a broad range of beer lovers, VinePair consulted Beer Advocate’s highest-rated beers in the United States. From there, we selected the highest-rated stouts with at least 50 ratings, and found the top pick per state. Though the selection process meant some states were not ranked (sorry, South Dakota), the results show a tantalizing array of dark and roasty brews.

From classic English-style oatmeal stouts to a bevy of bourbon-barrel-aged imperials, these are the most highly rated stouts in every state except Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Click here to see a full size version of the map!

State Beer Alabama El Gordo Good People Brewing Company Stout – Russian Imperial | 13.90% Alaska Blessed Anchorage Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 14.00% Arizona White Russian Imperial Stout Sun Up Brewing Co. Stout – American Imperial | 9.20% Arkansas BDCS Ozark Beer Co. Stout – American Imperial | 10.20% California Fundamental Observation Bottle Logic Brewing Stout – American Imperial | 14.30% Colorado Medianoche – Coconut WeldWerks Brewing Co. Stout – American Imperial | 14.10% Connecticut Imperial Stout Trooper New England Brewing Co. Stout – Russian Imperial | 8.50% Delaware Bourbon Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Stout – American Imperial | 18.30% District of Columbia Mexican Radio Bluejacket / Arsenal Restaurant Stout – Sweet / Milk | 7.40% Florida Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout – Double Barrel Aged Cigar City Brewing Stout – American Imperial | 11.00% Georgia Mexican Siberius Maximus The Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stout – Russian Imperial | 11.00% Hawaii Not enough reviews Idaho Black Cauldron Imperial Stout Grand Teton Brewing Co. Stout – Russian Imperial | 9.50% Illinois Bourbon County Brand Stout Goose Island Beer Co. Stout – American Imperial | 14.70% Indiana Marshmallow Handjee 3 Floyds Brewing Co. Stout – Russian Imperial | 15.00% Iowa Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout Toppling Goliath Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 12.00% Kansas Owd Mac’s Imperial Stout Free State Brewing Co. Stout – Russian Imperial Kentucky 70K Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse Stout – Sweet / Milk | 13.00% Louisiana Rêve Parish Brewing Company Stout – Sweet / Milk | 7.20% Maine Mott The Lesser Tributary Brewing Co. Stout – Russian Imperial | 10.50% Maryland 10 Layer RAR Brewing (Realerevival) Stout – American | 8.60% Massachusetts Triple Shot Tree House Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 9.70% Michigan CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout) Founders Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 11.30% Minnesota Darkness Surly Brewing Company Stout – Russian Imperial | 12.00% Mississippi Black Creek Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 8.50% Missouri Barrel-Aged Abraxas Perennial Artisan Ales Stout – American Imperial | 11.00% Montana Ivan The Terrible Imperial Stout – Barrel-Aged Big Sky Brewing Company Stout – Russian Imperial | 11.60% Nebraska Black Betty Imperial Stout – Whiskey Barrel-Aged Nebraska Brewing Company Production Brewery & Tap Room Stout – Russian Imperial | 11.30% Nevada Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial Stout Joseph James Brewing Inc. Stout – Russian Imperial | 9.50% New Hampshire RIS Stoneface Brewing Co. Stout – Russian Imperial | 9.50% New Jersey A Night To End All Dawns Kane Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 12.20% New Mexico Cafe Con Leche La Cumbre Brewing Co. Stout – Sweet / Milk | 7.50% New York Imperial Biscotti Break – Bourbon Barrel-Aged Evil Twin Brewing Stout – American Imperial | 11.50% North Carolina The Event Horizon Olde Hickory Brewery Stout – American Imperial | 12.25% North Dakota Not enough reviews Ohio Appervation Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery Stout – American Imperial | 15.00% Oklahoma Bourbon Paradise Prairie Artisan Ales Stout – American Imperial | 13.70% Oregon Double Stack Great Notion Brewing Stout – American Imperial | 11.00% Pennsylvania Sunny Side Up (Little Amps! Double Coffee) Al’s of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing Stout – American Imperial | 9.50% Rhode Island InfRIngement Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. Stout – Russian Imperial | 11.00% South Carolina Mexican Cake – Maple Bourbon Barrel-Aged Westbrook Brewing Co. Stout – American Imperial | 10.20% South Dakota Not enough reviews Tennessee Astronaut Status Wiseacre Brewing Stout – American Imperial | 12.20% Texas Bourbon Barrel Temptress Lakewood Brewing Company Stout – Sweet / Milk | 11.30% Utah Big Bad Baptista Epic Brewing Company Stout – American Imperial | 11.70% Vermont Beyond Good And Evil Hill Farmstead Brewery Stout – American Imperial | 10.00% Virginia Kentucky Christmas Morning Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Stout – Sweet / Milk | 10.60% Washington The Rusty Nail Fremont Brewing Company Stout – Oatmeal | 13.30% West Virginia Miner’s Daughter Oatmeal Stout Mountain State Brewing Co. Stout – Oatmeal | 5.20% Wisconsin Black Gold Central Waters Brewing Co. Stout – American Imperial | 11.00% Wyoming Zonker Stout Snake River Brewing Company & Brewpub Stout – Foreign / Export | 6.00%

The article The Highest-Rated Stout in Every State [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/best-highest-rated-stout-every-state/

Xocoveza Charred (Stone)

Brewery : Stone Beer : Xocoveza Charred Style : Imperial Milk Stout / Imperial Sweet Stout / Imperial Stout Variance : Brewed with Lactose, Flaked Oats, Coffee, Vanilla, Pasilla Peppers, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Cocoa

9.5 / 10

God Damn Stone! Xocoveza made our “top reviewed beers for 2016” list and clearly they weren’t happy with that so they had to go ahead and already be a contender for one of the top reviewed beers of 2017. Basically if Xocoveza wasn’t already good enough, Stone came along and aged it in Kentucky bourbon barrels for 6 months and created something that I wouldn’t say is better than the original, but is just as amazing which still says a hell of a lot. A nice cinnamon and chocolate flavor starts things off before some coffee and vanilla creaminess mixes in while also adding some bourbon and oak to the taste all while leading into a spicy pepper heat with some winter spices and booze to wrap things up. This beer has so much going on that it would put a Guy Ritchie movie to shame (so good) but it just makes this beer worth savoring every sip just so you can give your mouth a second to process what the hell you just tasted. If we were to bring back some good ol’ fashioned MTV style claymation with Celebrity Deathmatches again and put Xocoveza Charred up against Charred Walls Of The Damned, this beer would fuck those metal dudes up because this really pulls no punches with flavor and shreds harder than any band on Metal Blade Records could ever hope to. Anyways, for you pros out there, if you ever get the chance to pick this up and you pass on it I promise I will personally come down there and stick my now emptied bottle directly up your piss hole because this is a beer not to be missed. For you newbies, this is a fantastic way to get into barrel aged brews because of it’s depth of flavor so make sure you seek this one out!

Written by: Steve B.

New Items Dec 16, 2019

LOCAL Greater Good Limited Release:  Bourbon Barrel Aged Good Night Moon!

12/22oz Bottles Item #  04087  $165.00  (only 10 avail.)

Chocolate Milk Porter - A Limited Seasonal Release: This year we teamed up with Heaven Hill in Louisville Kentucky to mellow this classic GG on their bourbon oak barrels in an 8 month aging process!  Heaven Hill imparts a sweet decadent truly American whiskey flavor to our popular Imperial Porter and dances on Good Night Moon’s coffee and chocolate malt foundation in perfect rhythm.  (11.1%)

  Boulevard Limited Release:  Brandy Land!

6/4 Packs Item #  09424  $64.50

SPICED IMPERIAL STOUT AGED IN APPLE BRANDY BARRELS  

Brandy Land is a cinnamon-infused, double-mashed imperial stout that slumbered 12 to 24 months in casks that held bourbon and apple brandy. Boasting notes of chocolate, espresso, baked apple and spiced wood, Brandy Land’s delectable blend ends with a warm, lingering finish.  (12.4%)

 New limited release from Two Roads:  Two Die For!

4/6 Pack Cans Item # 03646  $37.00

1/6 Bbls Item #  03599  $78.00

1/2 Bbls Item #  03598  $175.00

This super decadent stout is brewed with a healthy dose of chocolate and real raspberry that together create a luscious brew that just might remind you of something you’d find in your favorite box of chocolates.  (7%)

Switchback Limited Release: DOOLEY’S BELATED PORTER!

4/6 Packs Item #  54408  $31.00

Our Porter features a blend of roasted and caramelized malts giving it a luscious malt signature that has an earthiness derived from the non-traditional use of ­flaked barley in the grain bill. The bold use of only Simcoe hops for both bittering and aroma highlights this hop varietal and balances the malt to create a robust, yet smooth finishing porter. (5.7%)     

 Introducing Saint Archer Gold!!

4/6 Packs 12 oz Slim Cans Item # 01400  $26.20

2/12 Packs 12 oz Slim Cans Item # 01401  $26.20  ($2.55 off 7 cases)

 Learn more at:  https://www.saintarcherbrewery.com/story/

Havoc By A.J. Fernandez

Havoc Toro (6.5 x 52)

Ah leather, with a hint of cedar, dry earth, some baking spice, and barnyard. The finish is creamy with a bit of earthy mustiness. 

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout

12% abv

coffee, caramel, chocolate and espresso notes.

10 of the Best Pastry Stouts in Our Beer Fridge Right Now Ranked

Pastry stout, in simplest terms, is an unofficial beer style that takes the sweet, rich, dessert-like side of stout to the extreme. Beyond that, there are no rules. However, for the sake of this tasting, parameters were as follows: Beers must be labeled as stout, include at least two confectionary-inspired adjuncts, and make us lick our lips and crave another sip.

Ingredients in so-called pastry stouts can be as common as coffee, as saccharine as syrup, or as unusual as pasilla pepper. Baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla are paramount. Chocolate and cherry make frequent appearances, too. Overall, if it started as a dark, roasty beer and ended tasting like a liquid baked good, calling it a pastry stout is fair game.

VinePair tasted dozens of pastry stouts collected over the course of several months. Below are 10 of our favorites right now, ranked.

10. People Like Us Covfefe Imperial Stout

Copenhagen, Denmark ABV: 10.3%

Covfefe, a jab at a famous Trump tweet, is brewed with toasted pecans, vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and coffee. It begins with marshmallow, graham cracker, and cinnamon aromas — “a liquid s’more,” one taster said. Prickly carbonation carries the full-bodied texture deftly across the palate, with coffee and rich umami notes balancing its sweetness. A warming sensation leaves behind bittersweet dark chocolate flavors on the finish.

9. Stone Xocoveza

Escondido, Calif. ABV: 8.1%

Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, Xocoveza (pronounced “choco-veza,” as in “chocolate cerveza”) is an imperial stout made with coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and, yes, chocolate. Full-bodied yet lighter on the palate than others in the category, it brings spicy heat to the pastry stout game. “If you like a peppery Mexican hot chocolate, this is the beer for you,” one panelist said, comparing its recipe to sweeter versions of the style. “If you’re looking for rich chocolate, go with another one.”

8. Great Divide Mexican Chocolate Yeti 

Denver, Colo. ABV: 9.5%

Cinnamon, clove, and a minty, “menthol-y” note jump out on the nose of this champurrado-inspired  imperial stout. “It’s definitely very chocolatey,” one taster said. A cayenne-like kick adds a touch of heat to the sweet chocolate flavor, while bitter coffee brings balance to the finish.

7. Wiley Roots Wooden Spoon and Whisk: Maple Vanilla Breakfast Scone

Greeley, Colo. ABV: 11%

Pouring dark, reddish brown with a strong maple syrup aroma, this imperial milk stout — made with maple syrup, vanilla, and milk sugar — is a “maple-glazed confection.” Panelists compared its flavors to Trader Joe’s Maple Leaf Cookies and “boozy pancakes with dark maple syrup — not the runny diner stuff.” This beer definitely pushes the limits, but is “a definite winner in the sweet, strong breakfast beer department,” one taster concluded.

6. Bruery Midnight Autumn Maple

Placentia, Calif. ABV: 9%

The Bruery’s roasty riff on its fall seasonal Autumn Maple Ale is packed with pastry stout regulars like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, and maple syrup. It also adds, according to the Bruery, “a whole lot of yams.” Decadent and viscous, it’s right on the verge of being syrupy without tasting too heavy.

5. New Realm Wooded Reserve Barrel Aged Series: Golden Pastry Stout 

Atlanta, Ga. and Virginia Beach, Va. ABV: 10.5%

An outlier for its bright amber color, this self-described “golden pastry stout” is aged in Barbados rum barrels with coffee and cacao. It also stands out for its complex, “counterintuitively refreshing” flavor, as well as its “almost spritzy” mouthfeel, panelists said. Caramel, chocolate, and burnt sugar notes pleasantly mingle on the palate, finishing with delicate coffee flavor.

4. Left Hand Brewing Chai Milk Stout Nitro

Longmont, Colo. ABV: 5%

“Exactly like a chai latte” is how several panelists described this smooth, creamy, chai-spiced milk stout. “Put it in a Starbucks cup, I’d never know the difference,” one panelist said. Floral aromas and baking spice “reminiscent of pumpkin spice” on the silky palate made this beer a crowd-pleaser.

3. Avery Brewing Bon-Bon Cerise 

Boulder, Colo. ABV: 14.6%

Decadent in every way, this super-boozy, barrel-aged brew has Kentucky bourbon and dried fruit aromas. It also smells, overwhelmingly, of “chocolate-covered cherries.” On the palate, the chocolate is more subdued, akin to powdered milk chocolate. The finish is similar to cherry pie, cooked fruit and all. Our panel agreed, “It has a lot of layers to it.”

2. Garage Brewing Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout 

Temecula, Calif. ABV: 7.1%

Peanut shell and chocolate candy burst from this relatively light-bodied beer. Its lower alcohol, compared to boozier pastry stouts, make it easy to drink. “It tastes like root beer with peanut ice cream,” one taster said. Panelists also agreed it’s “dead-on Reese’s Pieces — the candy, not the cup.”

1. Goose Island Bourbon County Café de Olla

Chicago, Ill. ABV: 13.9%

Bourbon County Café de Olla riffs on the Mexican spiced coffee drink by adding coffee, cassia bark, orange peel, and panela sugar to Bourbon County Stout. Although Bourbon County’s 2019 variants are pretty much stellar across the board, Café de Olla provides a journey of flavors, beginning with coffee bean and citrus peel, and culminating with a hint of cinnamon on the finish. This beer continues to unfold, layer by layer, ounce by ounce. “Share this with multiple people,” one panelist said, adding, “I’d be happy savoring a very small pour.”

The article 10 of the Best Pastry Stouts in Our Beer Fridge Right Now, Ranked appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/10-best-pastry-stouts-ranked/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/10-of-the-best-pastry-stouts-in-our-beer-fridge-right-now-ranked

Alesong Brewing and Blending releases five new creations, February 11th from 12 pm - 6 pm. Online sales available.

Press Release

EUGENE, OR:  On Sunday, February 11th from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Eugene’s Alesong Brewing and Blending will release five new beers in bottles and is hosting a celebration at its wine country tasting room and brewery (80848 Territorial Highway) for its mailing list members who purchase bottles in the presale (sign up free at alesongbrewing.com/join).  The celebration will take place in the barrel cellar, where the new beers will be available for tasting for the first time and paired with custom chocolate confections, live music and a food cart. 

The tasting room will be open to the public as normal, but the release celebration in the cellar and access to the new beers will only be for those who pre-order, with a 6 bottle purchase waiving the $20 entry fee.  The new release will be available for all in the tasting room and select restaurants and bottle shops the following week.

“We are more than happy to help anyone out who is looking for an excuse to ditch their New Years’ resolutions…” jokes cofounder, Doug Coombs. “And what better way to get through the rest of these cold winter days than with a few big, spirits-barrel-aged creations or a juicy peach ale to conjure memories of the sunshine?” 

New beers being released include: 

Four Pirates – Four Brothers’ swashbuckling Caribbean cousin. Rum barrel-aged Belgian-style quad

Kentucky Kilt – Bourbon barrel-aged scotch ale: William Wallace meets Old Forester

Pêche – Juicy! But not that kind of juicy… Barrel-aged, mixed-culture farmhouse ale refermented on whole local peaches

Rackhouse Reserve – A cuvee blend of our finest spirits barrels. Imperial milk stout aged in a combination of bourbon, whiskey and rum barrels

White – Back by popular demand and in bottles for the first time! Our take on a Belgian-style Witbier

People interested in signing up on Alesong’s mailing list to pre-order beers for pick up at the release party or direct shipping (AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, MA, NE, NH, NY, OH, OR, PA, WA, WI) can sign up and find out more info atalesongbrewing.com/join

ABOUT ALESONG BREWING AND BLENDING: Alesong Brewing and Blending is a small artisan brewery based in the heart of Southern Willamette Valley wine country that crafts unique and small-batch beers with a focus on oak aging and Belgian-inspired techniques, brewing both wild and non-wild beers, using locally grown fruits, herbs and a host of special yeasts and other microbes.  Once the beer in the barrels has matured, the team samples and selects each barrel individually to blend. Paying homage to old-world Lambic blenders and artisan winemakers, Alesong believes that the final, balanced blend of a barrel-aged beer is much more satisfying than the sum of its parts or each individual barrel by itself. For more information, visit alesongbrewing.com.

from News - The Northwest Beer Guide http://bit.ly/2n6BW0H

New Pix on My Beer Pix

Fresh Pix from https://mybeerpix.com/2018/03/mikhail-stone-espresso-imperial-russian-stout/

Mikhail Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout

The actual full name is Small Batch Escondido Satirist Mikhail Bulgakov author of The Master and Margarita Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels.  According to the back label, they age it 14 months in American Oak Kentucky Bourbon barrels.  This particular bottle has a brewed date of July 17, 2016 and bottled date of October 2017.  The result is a 13.5% smooth elixir that doesn’t really taste like beer other than the black malts which come through.  It has the color of dirty motor oil, but isn’t think at all.  It reminds me a little bit of coffee liqueur more than a beer.  It turned out to be enjoyable & the others I tasted it with were pleasantly surprised.  The claimed it was more of an after dinner drink.  When I first saw the bottle, I thought it said milk stout.  It definitely shares the smoothness of one.   I have no idea how much it costs as it was a gift from the neighbor.  Given it’s a small batch, I’m sure it’ll sell out.  His usual spot for finding unique beers is Hollingshead Deli in Santa Ana which is where I assume he found this one.

Last night's selections

Asylum 13 maduro

Toro 6 x 52

Deep notes of coffee, sweetness, white pepper and spice make this toro a must have smoke. It is a Nicaraguan puro with a mouthwatering maduro wrapper and an excellent construction. Handmade in Nicaragua, the Asylum 13 Maduro Toro was developed by Christian Eiroa.

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout

12% abv

Jet black and with a nearly inky tone, Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout slowly releases a dense heavy-cream foam As the robust scent of espresso and cream fill the nose, so do the barrel nuances of char, vanilla, caramel and coconut. Expectedly sweet on the tongue, a toffee-sweet maltiness is wrapped with sweet cream, caramel and honey for a decadently rich introduction in taste.

Brewery & Beer List released, for this year's Denver Rare Beer Tasting.

Press Release

DENVER, CO – The beer list for the ninth annual Denver Rare Beer Tasting is a mix of rare, vintage and exotic brews from 68 of America’s most highly regarded craft brewers.

The Pints for Prostates fundraiser will be held on Oct. 6 in Colorado during the same weekend as the Great American Beer Festival. The beer list is a collection of barrel-aged, stylistically experimental, uniquely flavored and one-off brews giving beer aficionados the chance to explore cutting edge craft beer.

“Brewing craftsmanship and passion will be on display at this year’s Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is the only time these amazing breweries and beers will come together in a single location,” said Rick Lyke, founder of Pints for Prostates. “We’re fortunate to get this kind of support from 68 amazingly creative breweries helping us to reach men through the universal language of beer.”

The provisional beer list for the event includes:

 ·       Against the Grain Olive You From My Head Tomatoes*

·       Alaskan Sea Smoke Aged in Laphroaig Scotch Barrel 

·       The Alchemist Skadoosh & Focal Banger*

·       AleSmith Rye Barrel-Aged Vietnamese Speedway Stout

·       Avery Black Eye

·       Bell’s Traverse City Whiskey Dagger Stout

·       Big Sky Barrel-Aged Ivan The Terrible Imperial Stout

·       Black Project Roswell*

·       Brooklyn Pendragon

·       The Bruery Hoarders Cuvée 2017

·       Cascade Pêché Fumé

·       Cerebral Rum Barrel-Aged Work From Home & Nectarine Drupaceous*

·       Coronado 2013 Barrel-Aged Old Scallywag

·       Crank Arm Roue Trois Rouge*

·       Crux [Banished] PCT Porter

·       Destihl Highway to the Danger Saizone*

·       Dry Dock Bligh’s Barleywine (3 year vertical 2014, 2015, 2016)*

·       Ecliptic 2016 Barrel-Aged Rastaban Oud Bruin

·       Firestone Walker Parabajava

·       Forager Magnus*

·       Fremont Barrel-Aged Unicorn Tears & Black Heron Project: Barrel-Aged Brett Saison

·       Full Sail 2008 Bourbon Imperial Porter & 2010 Old Boardhead Barleywine

·       Fullsteam Flanders-style Gold

·       Funky Buddha Mexican Coffee Tequila Barrel-Aged Stout

·       Grand Teton 2015 American Sour

·       Great Basin 385 Scytale Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout*

·       Great Divide Sour Hibernation Aged in Red Wine Barrels

·       Grimm Brothers Once Upon a Time

·       Hardywood Park Kentucky Christmas Morning & Mamaw's Mean Cobbler

·       Haw River Sazerac (High Country Cocktail Series No. 2), Bodhi Loves Chachi & Saxy Machismo Special Reserve

·       Intrepid Sojourner Barrel-Aged Imperial Turkish Coffee Stout*

·       Jester King Montmorency vs. Balaton & Bière de Coupage

·       Jolly Pumpkin Vampire

·       Joyride Tour Time Barleywine & Bourbon Barrel Aged Tour Time Barleywine*

·       Kane 2015 A Night to End All Dawns*

·       Lakewood Cuvée de Vélo*

·       Libertine 2017 Good Vibrations*

·       The Lost Abbey 24 Steps   

·       The Lost Borough 2016 Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout*

·       Maui Skull Island Stout

·       Mikkeller SD Nurp On Wood*

·       New Belgium Straight from The Source

·       New Holland Dragon's Milk: Michigan Winter

·       NoDa Brewing 2017 Coffee Blend Monstro

·       Ozark Onyx 2017 Bourbon Double Cream Stout*

·       Pappy Slokum Brewmaster's Barrel Series #1*

·       Perennial Barrel-Aged 17

·       Perry Street 2015 Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Tripel*

·       Prison City Barrel-Aged Wham Whams*

·       Rhinegeist Double Oaked Mastodon*

·       River North Vicennial: Shadowman

·       Rogue Straight Outta Newport

·       Rowley Farmhouse Ales Cabernet Barrel-Aged Frambozen*  

·       Samuel Adams 2017 Utopias & Kosmic Mother Funk

·       Saranac Utica After Dark

·       Scratch Filé Saison*

·       Side Project Brewing Derivation Blend #7* 

·       Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Chateau Otra Vez

·       Spangalang Conjunction Junction

·       Stone Xocoveza Extra Anejo

·       Sun King Jimmy Jam

·       Three Floyds Battle of Charro II

·       Überbrew Alpha Force RAPDOM*

·       Uinta Cahoots Port Barrel-Aged Flanders-Style Red Ale

·       Unknown Awkward in Indonesia & 2016 Dirty Commie Heathen*

·       Verboten Little Nonsense: Double Cask

·       WeldWerks Peach Climacteric & Medianoche Reserve

·       Yazoo Vérifiez vos Fruits!

 (* Indicates first brewery appearance at Denver Rare Beer Tasting.)

Twenty-six breweries will be pouring beer at the event for the first time, while eight breweries have participated in all eight previous Denver Rare Beer Tastings. Breweries representing 28 states are on the list.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX is being sponsored in part by Cargill Craft Malt, Tavour, Grandstand Glassware & Apparel, and DRAFT Magazine, with logistical support from MicroStar.  Participating brewers donate these amazing beers, along with sought after silent auction beer experiences and collectibles.

While the unique beers are at the center of the event, attendees enjoy an experience that goes beyond what is in their glass. A special beer centric lunch created by Jensen Cummings of Brewed Food is included as part of the afternoon. Guests will have the chance to bid in an exciting Beer Lover’s Silent Auction. Denver Rare Beer Tasting ticket holders will be entered in a drawing for a five night Carolinas on My Mind Beer Adventure for two to Charlotte and Asheville, N.C., and Greenville, S.C. During the event, attendees can also participate in the Brewers Health Initiative, a free men’s health screening.

For the ninth consecutive year the Denver Rare Beer Tasting is sold out. VIP tickets sold out in just a few minutes and General Admission tickets were gone in less than two weeks, a new record for the event. The event will be held this year on two floors of the McNichols Civic Center Building at 144 W. Colfax Ave.

“Craft beer fans from across the U.S. and several foreign countries will get the chance at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting to sample a collection of beers that few people get the opportunity to enjoy, while rubbing elbows with some of the world’s most talented brewers,” said Lyke.  “Our goal is to encourage guys to take charges of their health, while raising funds to fight prostate cancer.”

Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity and all net proceeds from Denver Rare Beer Tasting go towards the group’s awareness mission and help to fund the education and support programs of the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, and free prostates cancer screening programs provided by the Prostate Conditions Education Council.

About Pints for Prostates Pints for Prostates reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular men’s health screenings by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 161,000 new prostate cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2017 in the U.S. More information is available at http://bit.ly/1HMlyY2. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@pints4prostates).

from News - The Northwest Beer Guide http://bit.ly/2uPYDYV

News: Oregon: Astoria: Fort George releases the comprehensive Stout Month list

Press Release

It started with a simple enough idea: take a versatile, yet underappreciated style like stout, brew as many as your boss will allow, and put them on tap all at once. This was the idea Jack Harris, co-founder of Fort George, had over twenty years ago as a young brewer working for McMenamin’s Cornelius Pass Roadhouse.

“Nobody else was doing it,” Jack explains. “I certainly wasn’t paying any attention to marketing or filling niches, it was sort of dumb luck on my part that folks really responded to the idea of celebrating a variety of stouts during the cold, dark days of February.”

Throughout the years, as he moved from town to town, he took the stouts with him. “It’s the people I’ve worked with since then that have taken the idea and run with it. That’s what makes Stout Month such a big deal,” he continues. “It gets more sophisticated, elaborate, and popular every year.”

And now that he has his own brewery, February at Fort George is forever dedicated to Stout Month, a twenty-eight day celebration of the darker ales. Taps will pour invitingly black, overflowing with new stout releases each week, and all centered around the darkest single-day stout festival in the world -- the Festival of Dark Arts.

Release the Stouts

Sit down for a heady pour or test your tongue on a blind stout taster tray. New stouts are on tap every week (with 19! from Fort George this year).

Released February 1st

May The Oats Be With You - oatmeal stout

Tuesday’s Lunch - roasted peanuts and blackberries (PB&J stout)

Coffee Girl - brewed with Brasilian Santa Luzia coffee beans from Coava Coffee Roasters

From Astoria with Love - Russian Imperial Stout

Voluptas - fig & oatmeal stout

Matryoshka - bourbon barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout

Matryoshka with Cocoa Nibs (+bottle release)

Released February 8th

All Seeing Pie - bourbon barrel apple pie stout

Viva La Stout - Mexican chocolate stout

Polish’s Black Walnut Stout

Released February 15th

Kaiju Stout - plum and black tea stout

Keg Nog - milk stout spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla beans

Barrel Aged May The Oats Be With You - aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels 

Released February 19th

Matryoshka with Cocoa Nibs & Raspberries (+bottle release)

Subtle Hyperbole - Candy Cap mushrooms, molasses, graham crackers, and cinnamon

Dark Matter - oatmeal stout aged in Pinot Noir and bourbon barrels

Released February 22nd

Nostalgia Trip - sassafras, sarsaparilla, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean (root beer stout)

Kentucky Girl - Coffee Girl aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels

Itsy Bitsy Stout - dry Irish stout.

Matryoshka with Cocoa Nibs will be available in 500ml bottles on February 1st, the second release from the Sweet Virginia Series bottle project. That’s followed by Matryoshka with Cocoa Nibs & Raspberries on Sunday, February 19th. All three Matryoshka stouts will be on tap in the Lovell Taproom that day. Bottled variations of Matryoshka are extremely limited and available only at the brewery.

Carnival of Stouts

Voted by Willamette Week Oregon Beer Awards as the Best Beer Festival in 2016, the Festival of Dark Arts is much more than a stout fest. It’s a full sensory immersion into art, craft, music, and macabre entertainment, with over sixty rare stouts all over the Fort George block. The event will sell out, but you can check http://bit.ly/1xes2cf for full ticket, stout, and entertainment information. Buy tickets while you can or mark your calendar for next year - FoDA is always held on the Saturday of President’s Day Weekend.

When/Where:

Festival of Dark Arts

Saturday, February 18th, 2017

2pm to 10pm

Fort George Brewery Block

1483 Duane Street

Astoria, Oregon

Details:

Live music with Hillstomp, 1939 Ensemble, Ryan Sollee (Builders and the Butchers), Máscaras, Three for Silver, and many more.

Dark Art Gallery, glass blowing, iron forge, tattoo artists, ice sculptor, fire dancers, contortionists, etc. etc. etc. 

Pig roast, cigar tent, chocolate & coffee, and other stout pairings.

60+ rare stouts pouring all over the block.

Traveling Carnival of Stouts

Can’t make make it to the coast? Get a taste of Stout Month at these events around the Pacific Northwest.

Fort George Stout Month Night

Arch Bridge Tap House

207 7th St, Oregon City, Oregon

Saturday, February 4th - 5pm to 8pm

Tap list: Cavatica Stout, May The Oats Be With You, Coffee Girl, Matryoshka

Beer. Cider. Love.

Beer Belly

1205 SW Washington St, Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, February 14th - 5pm to 9pm

Tap list: Five Fort George beers (including Matryoshka, May The Oats Be With You, and Coffee Girl) paired with five ciders from Finnriver.

Road to the Dark Arts

Watershed Pub & Kitchen

10104 3rd Ave NE, Seattle, Washington

Thursday, February 16th - 11am to close

Tap list: From Astoria with Love, Viva La Stout, Tuesday’s Lunch, Voluptas, Polish’s Black Walnut Stout, Coffee Girl

The Black & The Bitter

Beerworks

323 E Main St, Medford, Oregon

Wednesday, February 22nd - 6pm to 9pm

Tap list: Matryoshka, Beta IPA 12x (Test Batch for 3-Way IPA), and more

Fort George Stout Month Night

The Park Way Tavern

313 N I St, Tacoma, Washington

Wednesday, February 22nd - 6pm to 9pm

Tap list: From Astoria with Love, Viva La Stout, Tuesday’s Lunch, Voluptas, Polish’s Black Walnut Stout, Coffee Girl

Fort George Stout Month Cellar Night

Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom

3090 SE Division St, Portland, Oregon

Thursday, February 23rd - 5pm to 8pm

Tap list: From Astoria with Love (2016), Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout (2016), North VIII (2015), Matryoshka (2017)

The Black & The Bitter

Cascade Locks Ale House

500 NW Wanapa St, Cascade Locks, Oregon

Saturday, February 25th - 6pm to 8pm

Tap list: Cavatica Stout, May The Oats Be With You, Beta IPA 12x, Suicide Squeeze *Special Edition IPA

Stout Month begins Wednesday, February 1st at Fort George Brewery. Bring your loved ones, your beloved growler, and your love of everything dark. Fort George promises you won’t go away light-handed. For more information about Fort George Brewery and Stout Month, go to http://bit.ly/1BS41un.

via Northwest Beer Guide (aka, The Pickled Liver) http://bit.ly/2iGQmjb

10 of the Best Pastry Stouts in Our Beer Fridge Right Now, Ranked

Pastry stout, in simplest terms, is an unofficial beer style that takes the sweet, rich, dessert-like side of stout to the extreme. Beyond that, there are no rules. However, for the sake of this tasting, parameters were as follows: Beers must be labeled as stout, include at least two confectionary-inspired adjuncts, and make us lick our lips and crave another sip.

Ingredients in so-called pastry stouts can be as common as coffee, as saccharine as syrup, or as unusual as pasilla pepper. Baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla are paramount. Chocolate and cherry make frequent appearances, too. Overall, if it started as a dark, roasty beer and ended tasting like a liquid baked good, calling it a pastry stout is fair game.

VinePair tasted dozens of pastry stouts collected over the course of several months. Below are 10 of our favorites right now, ranked.

10. People Like Us Covfefe Imperial Stout

Copenhagen, Denmark ABV: 10.3%

Covfefe, a jab at a famous Trump tweet, is brewed with toasted pecans, vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and coffee. It begins with marshmallow, graham cracker, and cinnamon aromas — “a liquid s’more,” one taster said. Prickly carbonation carries the full-bodied texture deftly across the palate, with coffee and rich umami notes balancing its sweetness. A warming sensation leaves behind bittersweet dark chocolate flavors on the finish.

9. Stone Xocoveza

Escondido, Calif. ABV: 8.1%

Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, Xocoveza (pronounced “choco-veza,” as in “chocolate cerveza”) is an imperial stout made with coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and, yes, chocolate. Full-bodied yet lighter on the palate than others in the category, it brings spicy heat to the pastry stout game. “If you like a peppery Mexican hot chocolate, this is the beer for you,” one panelist said, comparing its recipe to sweeter versions of the style. “If you’re looking for rich chocolate, go with another one.”

8. Great Divide Mexican Chocolate Yeti 

Denver, Colo. ABV: 9.5%

Cinnamon, clove, and a minty, “menthol-y” note jump out on the nose of this champurrado-inspired  imperial stout. “It’s definitely very chocolatey,” one taster said. A cayenne-like kick adds a touch of heat to the sweet chocolate flavor, while bitter coffee brings balance to the finish.

7. Wiley Roots Wooden Spoon and Whisk: Maple Vanilla Breakfast Scone

Greeley, Colo. ABV: 11%

Pouring dark, reddish brown with a strong maple syrup aroma, this imperial milk stout — made with maple syrup, vanilla, and milk sugar — is a “maple-glazed confection.” Panelists compared its flavors to Trader Joe’s Maple Leaf Cookies and “boozy pancakes with dark maple syrup — not the runny diner stuff.” This beer definitely pushes the limits, but is “a definite winner in the sweet, strong breakfast beer department,” one taster concluded.

6. Bruery Midnight Autumn Maple

Placentia, Calif. ABV: 9%

The Bruery’s roasty riff on its fall seasonal Autumn Maple Ale is packed with pastry stout regulars like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, and maple syrup. It also adds, according to the Bruery, “a whole lot of yams.” Decadent and viscous, it’s right on the verge of being syrupy without tasting too heavy.

5. New Realm Wooded Reserve Barrel Aged Series: Golden Pastry Stout 

Atlanta, Ga. and Virginia Beach, Va. ABV: 10.5%

An outlier for its bright amber color, this self-described “golden pastry stout” is aged in Barbados rum barrels with coffee and cacao. It also stands out for its complex, “counterintuitively refreshing” flavor, as well as its “almost spritzy” mouthfeel, panelists said. Caramel, chocolate, and burnt sugar notes pleasantly mingle on the palate, finishing with delicate coffee flavor.

4. Left Hand Brewing Chai Milk Stout Nitro

Longmont, Colo. ABV: 5%

“Exactly like a chai latte” is how several panelists described this smooth, creamy, chai-spiced milk stout. “Put it in a Starbucks cup, I’d never know the difference,” one panelist said. Floral aromas and baking spice “reminiscent of pumpkin spice” on the silky palate made this beer a crowd-pleaser.

3. Avery Brewing Bon-Bon Cerise 

Boulder, Colo. ABV: 14.6%

Decadent in every way, this super-boozy, barrel-aged brew has Kentucky bourbon and dried fruit aromas. It also smells, overwhelmingly, of “chocolate-covered cherries.” On the palate, the chocolate is more subdued, akin to powdered milk chocolate. The finish is similar to cherry pie, cooked fruit and all. Our panel agreed, “It has a lot of layers to it.”

2. Garage Brewing Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout 

Temecula, Calif. ABV: 7.1%

Peanut shell and chocolate candy burst from this relatively light-bodied beer. Its lower alcohol, compared to boozier pastry stouts, make it easy to drink. “It tastes like root beer with peanut ice cream,” one taster said. Panelists also agreed it’s “dead-on Reese’s Pieces — the candy, not the cup.”

1. Goose Island Bourbon County Café de Olla

Chicago, Ill. ABV: 13.9%

Bourbon County Café de Olla riffs on the Mexican spiced coffee drink by adding coffee, cassia bark, orange peel, and panela sugar to Bourbon County Stout. Although Bourbon County’s 2019 variants are pretty much stellar across the board, Café de Olla provides a journey of flavors, beginning with coffee bean and citrus peel, and culminating with a hint of cinnamon on the finish. This beer continues to unfold, layer by layer, ounce by ounce. “Share this with multiple people,” one panelist said, adding, “I’d be happy savoring a very small pour.”

The article 10 of the Best Pastry Stouts in Our Beer Fridge Right Now, Ranked appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/10-best-pastry-stouts-ranked/