Kev's Beer of the Week - Old Rasputin

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 3/30/12

North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin

Kev Rating: A
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.00%
IBUs: 75

Availability:  Year round, most decent Craft Beer stores have it at some point during the year
Had: 4-pack, purchased MANY times, last done so at The Spirited Gourmet in Belmont
Region: Fort Bragg, CA

I have been lucky enough to have this beer many times over the years.  It is one of the best readily available stouts out there today.  Anytime I'm craving a stout and don't have a particular whale I'm hunting, I pick up a 4pack of the Old Rasputin.  It is an intense robust imperial stout in every way.  From start - big roasted malt and chocolate, to finish - bitter chocolate and woody hops coming through - it is a consistent winner.  If you like stouts or are trying to like stouts (it takes time for some people), give this one a shot.  I've never met someone that simply went "eh" after trying it.  I highly recommend the Old Rasputin.  

Also, they release a Barrel Aged version of the Rasputin each year.  I've been lucky enough to have the last two versions - XII & XIV - both aged in Bourbon Barrels.  If you do find one of these rare barrel aged versions, I recommend picking one up to share with a friend, you wont be disappointed.

Kev's Beer of the Week - Double Crooked Tree IPA

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 3/23/12

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

Kev Rating: A
Style: Double/Imperial IPA
ABV: 13.60% (not for the faint of heart or amateurs)
IBUs: 98

Availability:  February, but limited.  I have seen it at a few of the more serious Craft Beer stores in the area
Had: 4-pack, purchased from Glendale Liquor's in Waltham, MA
Region: Marshall, MI

Ok, so I guess I've not only been on an IPA kick lately, but a Double/Imperial IPA kick!  Last week I showcased the Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.  This week, we take it up a notch with the Double Crooked Tree IPA.  While the Hoptimum was a screaming hopfest, the Double Crooked Tree IPA is a well balanced hoppy & malty beer.  The nose was full of citrus and piney hops.  The first sip was actually way more smooth than I expected, more caramel then big ole hops.  Don't worry though, the hops are there - just masterfully balanced.  The finish is very satisfying - clean & crisp!  Tread VERY LIGHTLY with this one, it is far from a session beer at 13.6%, but it did cap off the night for me very nicely.  I highly recommend seeking out a 4-pack or single (if allowed) of this beer as it's quite the example of a GREAT Double/Imperial IPA.

Kev's Beer of the Week - Hoptimum

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 3/16/12

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

Kev Rating: A-
Style: Double/Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.40% (sneaky high)
IBUs: 100

Availability:  Rotating, but difficult to get your hands on them on the East Coast.  They are at select Craft beer stores right now.
Had: 4-pack, purchased from Gordon's in Waltham, MA
Region: Chico, CA

This is an INTENSE hop experience.  I see why they sell it in 4-packs!  What surprised me most about this one is that the nose was pretty calm.  The other night I was enjoying the Alesmith IPA and Bex from across the couch was like, "WHOA - that's hoppy!".  This one I had her sniff to be sure I wasn't losing my sense of smell, and she had no such reaction.  HOWEVER, upon first sip I was greeted or smacked or frying panned to the head with major hop overdose.  This is NOT for the faint of heart.  However, after the few waves of hops (piney, resiny, sticky, floral, & citrus) the assault is complete.  This is a great example of Sierra Nevada not being afraid to roll the dice, this beer is not for everyone...but damn did I like it!  Cheers!

Kev's Beer of the Week - Kate The Great 2012

I started my blog with a post about the 2010 batch of Kate the Great (http://brewforall.blogspot.com/2011/12/introduction.html), but I couldn't pick another beer as my beer of the week for this week.  It would be an injustice to one of the best beers on the planet - Kate The Great.  So, without further ado, my beer of the week for this week is:

 

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 3/9/12

Portsmouth Brewery Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout 2012

Kev Rating: A+
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.00% (est)
IBUs: ?

Availability:  One day a year, only at the Portsmouth Brewery.  3/5/12 was the day this year.
Had: This is my 2nd Kate the Great day (2010 & 2012) and 3rd time having it
Region: Portsmouth, NH

This year, I brought Nick to experience the day that is Kate the Great day at the Portsmouth Brewery.  I picked him up at 9:30am on Monday, 3/5.  First stop was Dunkin' for some coffee & breakfast sandwiches.  We then jumped on the Pike and headed to 95 North.  We hit a bottleneck around the exit for Route 2 (lane closures) and then had smooth sailing all the way up to NH Exit 7.  We pulled into the best parking garage in Portsmouth ($0.75/hour) and made our way up to the top floor - yup, they were packed!  Then the moment of truth, how bad will the line really be?  Well, I already knew the answer as an awesome blogger set up a beer cam to watch the lines and it was about 200 people deep BEFORE I even left my house at 9am.  

 

Check out his recap in pictures & clips of Kate the Great day here - http://seacoastbeveragelab.com/kate-great-day-2012-live-blog/.

We exit the garage & turn the corner, BOOM, the line is from the front doors, down an alley, and to the end of the block.  We happily got in line at about 11:15am, and oh yeah it was about 30 degrees and very windy.  Fast forward until about 3:15pm (after many bathroom breaks and shot breaks (for Nick)) and we're about 8 people (large group of 7 in front of us) from getting into the Brewery.  Then the magic words, "we have a booth for 2".  Nick and I wipe off the chill from the cold & wind and eagerly follow the still bubbly hostess.  We sit down, take off our monster winter jackets and within moments have two beautiful glasses of Kate The Great staring us down.  -->

<-- After cheering each others glasses, we take our first sips.  While I have had this one before, Nick hadn't and is a fellow beer geek.  I was probably staring a bit too much to see his reaction, but what can I say, I love seeing appreciation for good things!  KtG  is strong in roasted malt, thick espresso/coffee notes, a bit of chocolate, and I think manna from Heaven. Nick was happy, I was happy, all was good in the world at that moment.  After some lunch and 2 more glasses each we called it a day around 5:45pm. 

Last stop before heading to the car was over to the Retail Shop to purchase my 4 bottles of Kate and pick up a new Kate The Great T-shirt - yes, I do actually wear my 2010 one. --> 

 

The only thing better than having 3 glasses on tap was the knowledge that I still have 4 bottles of this heavenly nectar to enjoy at a later date!!!!  That is a wonderful feeling.  Now comes the hard part...do I drink 'em all myself (if you know me, that's not gonna happen - I'm a giver), do I share a few, age one, two, etc.. All will work out in the end, because - I have four glorious bottles of the best beer on the planet!

Til' next year - who's coming?!

Kev's Beer of the Week - Troegs Nugget Nectar

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 3/2/12

Troegs Nugget Nectar

Kev Rating: A
Style: Imperial Amber
ABV: 7.50%
IBUs: 93ish ("ish" courtesy of Troegs)

Availability:  February (yearly) - 6-packs.  EXTREMELY popular beer; therefore gone SUPER fast - people buy it by the case...for reals.
Had: Many times, most recently purchased from Gordon's in Waltham, MA
Region: Hershey, PA

Couldn't have said it better myself, so I'm going to use the description from Troegs, "Squeeze those hops for all they’re worth and prepare to pucker up: Nugget Nectar Ale, will take hopheads to nirvana with a heady collection of Nugget, Warrior and Tomahawk hops. Nugget Nectar intensifies the malt and hop flavors to create an explosive hop experience."

My 2 cents - big piny hops up front and then the star is grapefruit throughout, a delicious very hyped beer - it meets the hype.