Kev's Beer of the Week(s) - Beer Camp Series

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 8/10/12

 

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #53 Floral IPA

Kev Rating: B-
Style: English IPA
ABV: 5.90%
IBUs: ?

Availability: Limited
Had: Purchased a mix pack from a store in Vermont
Region: Chico, CA

I saw these Beer Camp beers at a nice beer store in Vermont and decided to purchase a few of them as I've always enjoyed Sierra's beers.  

The Floral IPA was the first that I tried.  It started out grassy and floral (shocking I know).  Some malt came through to balance it out a bit (still a hoppy IPA) and then finished pretty well - crisp.  While I enjoyed this IPA, I definitely expected more as Sierra Nevada does hops so well.  

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 8/17/12

 

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #65 Red-oric Imperial Red Ale

Kev Rating: C+
Style: Amber/Red
ABV: 8.00%
IBUs: ?

Availability: Limited
Had: Purchased a mix pack from a store in Vermont
Region: Chico, CA

I saw these Beer Camp beers at a nice beer store in Vermont and decided to purchase a few of them as I've always enjoyed Sierra's beers.  

Next up, I tried the Imperial Red.  It was a bit bitter with some lemon or grapefruit coming through.  Then it had a bit of a caramel or candied aspect to the middle.  Red/Amber ales are not my favorite style, but this one was definitely tasty and packed a punch at 8% abv.

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 8/24/12

 

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #43 Sticke Pilsner

Kev Rating: B
Style: German Pilsener
ABV: 5.60%
IBUs: ?

Availability: Limited
Had: Purchased a mix pack from a store in Vermont
Region: Chico, CA

I saw these Beer Camp beers at a nice beer store in Vermont and decided to purchase a few of them as I've always enjoyed Sierra's beers.  

Beer Camp's third entry for me was the Imperial Pilsener.  Recently I've been expanding my foray into Pilsener's as they're typically not my favorite style.  However, this one was crisp, clean, and refreshing without that typical Pilsener aftertaste.  It had some really nice citrus hops up front and then was crisp throughout - really nicely done!

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 8/31/12

 

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #45 Snowed-In Stout

Kev Rating: B
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 9.00%
IBUs: ?

Availability: Limited
Had: Purchased a mix pack from a store in Vermont
Region: Chico, CA

I saw these Beer Camp beers at a nice beer store in Vermont and decided to purchase a few of them as I've always enjoyed Sierra's beers.  

The last of my Beer Camp beers was the Oatmeal Stout.  I saved this one for last and opened with a clean palate as I really enjoy a good stout.  The Snowed-In stout was strong up front with rich dark roasted malts.  Then it mellowed a bit with some nice chocolate notes.  I really enjoyed this small batch Oatmeal Stout and would definitely seek this one out again!

Kev's Beer of the Week - Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 4/27/12

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale

Kev Rating: C
Style: Smoked Beer/Brown Ale
ABV: 5.60%
IBUs: 30

Availability:  Very limited outside of the brewery
Had:  Picked up a bottle from Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont & shared it with Jimmy & George
Region: Newport, OR 

 

I first heard of Voodoo Doughnuts in Oregon because of various food shows I'd seen on TV.  I've always been a fan of Rogue beers and when I heard they were doing a tribute to Voodoo Doughnuts, I was definitely intrigued.  I finally got my hands on a bottle and decided to save it to enjoy with Jimmy & George.  George just got back from a trip to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA so I figured this would be a perfect "welcome home" beer to share.  Also, I didn't think I'd be able to stomach the whole 750ml bottle on my own.  

According to Rogue's website, "Rogue Ales has collided with Voodoo Doughnut to create Bacon Maple Ale! This unique artisan creation contains a baker’s dozen number of ingredients including bacon and maple syrup from one of Voodoo’s signature doughnuts."

After staring at the super pink bottle for awhile, I opened it up and poured it out into a few glasses.  I really didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised with the color - a nice light brown with a white frothy head.  

After putting my nose in the glass, it really was like smelling a big sweet doughnut.  I was hoping that this intense doughnut smell wouldn't translate completely to the first sip; it didn't.  The first sip was a bit of an odd one, mostly bacon/smoked malt.  After a few more sips to see if the smokiness would subside, I decided to let it sit a bit.  This was a good move, as it opened up a bit, it was more about the maple.  

 

If I saw this beer again, I probably wouldn't buy it, but for the novelty alone it was worth it.  And really, how many times do you get to say you had a Voodoo Doughnut inspired beer made with bacon and maple?!

Samuel Adams Infinium

A lot of us beer geeks choose to drink beer to celebrate New Year's Eve each year...my choice this year was something a bit out of my normal beer radar - a Champagne style beer.  I'm not a big fan of Champagne, so this is a European style that never really interested me much.  However, a known American Brewery decided to throw their hat in the Champagne Beer arena so I figured I'd give it a shot.  

Now, most of you that know me, know that I am not a huge fan of the beer lineup for Samuel Adams.  However, I am a big fan of what they've done for Craft Beer in the US and in New England specifically.  Most bars, no matter how crappy their beer selection is, will have at least one Sam Adams beer on tap.  That my friends is called progress.  

So, I picked up a bottle of Samuel Adams Infinium at the last minute (January 30th) so that I could enjoy this on New Year's eve.  The procrastination cost me about $6.00 as my 1st beer stop (Gordon's in Watertown) sold out of Infinium ($19.99).  I instead had to go to Martignetti's in Allston (which I love too) and paid $25.99...yeah, that's the highest I've seen it too.  Oh well. 

I started out the evening with a Founders Breakfast Stout (one of my favorite beers on this big ole' planet) to ensure that no matter what, 2011 would be going out on a good note.  After some food (thanks Bex) and a few more beers, I popped the cork on the Infinium.  It poured nicely into my Brugse Zot glass (thanks Lacey), had a nice straw color to it, and was pretty carbonated (shocking, I know).  First sip was not great...but after getting a few sips in, either my palate adapted or the beer opened up a bit.  It had good citrus hops up front, lots of bubbles, and then a caramel/sweet malt presence.  

Definitely more champagne than beer, but worth the experience; probably not the price tag.  This one is good to have once, shared with friends, and then probably not again.  I can say that I was not expecting much and was surprised that it had more flavor than assumed.  Last year I had a fantastic extremely rare stout (Goose Island Bourbon County Brand RARE Stout - aged in Pappy Van Winkle Barrels) and will probably go back to a similar plan to end 2012 - cheers to you all in this new year!

Kev Rating: C+
Style: Champagne Beer
ABV: 10.30%

IBUs: 10
Availability:  First brewed in 2010, was at almost every beer store I went to this Holiday season.
Had: 750ml bottle purchased at Martignetti's in Allston
Region: Boston, MA