# Beers In BC And So Cal



## Trent (15/8/07)

Gday
Just another allotment from me on my (strangely very frequent) trip to Canada and the US. I have had a whirlwind 5 days in Canada, and as such havent been able to get on the net too much. This thread will basically just be beer reviews, and some stories of what has been happening to me so my mates can keep up to date with my travels. That, and to give anyone coming over here soon an idea of beers they may like to try. Currently midnight in an airport hotel in Vancouver, and I am flying out to LA in the morning. I have reviewed 19 beers so far, and had a few others just because I wanted to try em (like saison du pont for $7 a bottle), but mainly I have tried to stick to local beers.
Hope ya's enjoy my reviews and pics (that will come later, forgot my USB cord again), and if ya dont like the thread, ya dont have to read it (I get nototriously boring when talking about beer!)
It may be a slow process, cause this trip is looking like it will continue at a frenetic pace, but I will post stuff whenever I get a chance.
All the best
Trent


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## Trent (15/8/07)

Well, straight off the plane to YVR, on zero sleep, I requested my brother in law that picked me and the mrs up to take us to a beer store called Brewery Creek (14th and Main in Vancouver). I am starting to hate the canadians after this place, cause they have the most amazing selections of beers, including the champagne beer Dues from Flanders at $24 a bottle. But I digress. 
I picked up a fair few beers, and they will be the first few beers off the rank to review.
No sooner had we gotten to his apartment that I cracked the TREE BREWING LIMITED RELEASE HEFEWEIZEN at 5% alc and $5.25 (cheaper at the state liquor stores)
Typical German Hefe, pale in colour, nice dense white head, and fairly fizzy. The clove was more dominant than the banana in the aroma, and that carried on to the flavour, though the banana was a little more stand up in the mouth, madeit almost equal parts clove, banana and bready wheat. Nothing out of place, med-low body, high carbonation, moderate bitterness and slightly sweet. Got a little cloying towards the end, but it was a very enjoyable beer, if ya like weizens.
Gotta go to bed now, I am knackered and have an early flight.
Type at ya again soon
Trebt


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## Trent (16/8/07)

Another quick one before I jump on the plane...
After heading out to dinner at Shabusen, an all you can eat sushi and bbq place, we headed home and cracked a bottle of PHILLIP'S RASPBERRY WHEAT. (5%, $4.50, 650mL)
I reckon the brewer, Matt Phillips is one of the best brewers in Canada, and I always enjoy anything brewed by him, just to warn you.
Poured pink in colour, slightly hazy, the colour was a little darker than I was expecting, tending a touch on the copper side of pale. There wasnt too much wheat in the aroma, but loads of raspberry. Not the raspberry cordial type aroma, but fresh raspberry. The body was light, there is a "raspberry explosion" that, unlike other raspberry beers I have tried, doesnt finish tart, it is very well balanced. Bitterness is moderate, and it is very easy to drink, and vert tasty. Probably not the kind of beer you would drink all night, but deifinitely something for a hot summers arvo, and something that would definitely get your girlfriend into beer.
All the best
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

Gday
Safe and sound in sunny LA, it is nice and warm, and the beer selection is too big (if there is such a thing). Before I go on with any more reviews, I also got a taste of a beer aclled Tall Tale Pale Ale at Sydney airport. I was expecting at least an aussie pale, or hoping for an APA style. The poster for it calls "the best beer in the world.... allegedly". It poured really pale, like a lager, and was quite carbonated, again, like a lager. I only had a small sample, thanks to the nice lady serving, and she assured me it was the TTPA, so I can only go on that. The aroma was of some slight sweet maltiness, and something very similar to DMS (if it wasnt DMS). There was no real hop flavour or aroma, and it had a moderate bitterness, moderate-light body, and for mine tasted very similar to the major lagers our country seems to produce. Maybe I was nervous, maybe it is just a play to get tourists to buy it, but for mine, it was a mega-lager style beer, and I probably wont be going back for a full glass anytime soon...
Back to the reviews.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

R + B BREWING'S RAVEN CREAM ALE - 4.8%, $5.25, brewed in Vancouver
For some reason I was thinking of cream ale as being pale, but apparently they can be dark too. This puppy poured crystal clear, and dark amber to brown. There was a light roast to the malty aroma, medium-low hop aroma, the label says they are NW hops, but I cannot pick which ones. Slightly sweet malt at the start, ofset by med-high bitterness, and dries out really quickly at the end from a small amount of roast barley? Moderate hop flavour, it is actually kinda like a more bitter, hoppier version of a scottish 80/-. Emminently drinkable, plenty of flavour, but dry enough to drink all night. Its a very good beer, and it is apparently also available on tap in alot of Vancouver bars. Highly recommended.
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

R+B BREWING'S RED DEVIL PALE ALE 5.2%, $5,25, 650mL
Deep burnished copper in colour, slightly hazy. Sweet caramelly malt aroma, moderate earthy hop aroma, maybe fuggles? Firm bitterness, balancing out the sweet caraml/toffee malt presence. Medium earthy hop flavour, medium body, slightly dry in the finish, with lowish carbonation. I am probably drinking it a little too cold (straight out of the fridge), but it is still quite nice. It would be a great winter beer, English style bitter, I would serve it about 10C.
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

GRANVILLE ISLAND'S RASPBERRY WHEAT BEER 5%, $6.20, 650mL
Deep red/pink, fluffy white head. Intense raspberry aroma, though it is more like Cottee's Raspberry Cordial. Slightly thin in the mouth, med/high carbonation. Flavour is intense raspberry, but really sweetish, as if they had poured raspberry concentrate in secondary, or maybe raspberry juice to flavour it, which would also explain the deep red colour. Med/low bitterness, clean, but maybe too "artificial" a flavour for the raspberry. Still an enjoyable beer, but could definitely do with a more subtle fruit influence.
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

PHILLIP'S BREWING'S SURLY BLONDE - TRIPEL 9.1%, $4.60, 650mL
A little darker than I was expecting, about the colour of Saison Dupont, an orange/amber. There is some spiciness, and malty sweetness on the nose, with some moderate phenolics. Its almost a funny flavour, not as dry and easy drinking as a Belgian Tripel, medium body and a residual sweetness that seems to become cloying as you go along. Moderate carbonation, but definitely Belgian influenced with the yeast character. Very smooth, and a nice beer, but not as good (IMHO) as his other offerings. This bloke is a very talented brewer, so this beer disappoints me a little, though it is far from bad.
T.

EDIT - I am editing all my posts up till today so they now will have photos on them. The pic here of me is me posing (at my wife's request) to imitate the way I always hold the bloody beer up to the light! The beer in my hand is Phillips Surly Blonde, and you can see it is closer to orange than a tripel colour usually would be.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

PHILLIPS BREWING'S BLUE TRUCK ALE - 5%, $10.90 for a 6 pack of 340mL bottles.
This beer is brweed in honour of the blue truck that they used to deliver their beers in the first few years. Dont run no more, so they brewed it to give the thing immortality.
Drank it out of the bottle, so I have no idea of the colour and stuff, but I guess it would be a nice amber colour. There is a medium-med/high bitterness, and a nice whack of citrusy hops, most likely cascade. It is there in the nose, and in the flavour, but the malt supports it well. This is a very well balanced APA, not over the top, but full of flavour, and drinkable all night long. This is the kind of beer I expect from Matt Phillips - well balanced. If you are ever in Canada, and are after a good beer to drink at a bbq, this is a great one.
T.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

HOWE SOUND BREWING'S GARIBALDI HONEY PALE ALE 4.8%, $6.95, 1L growler. Brewed in Squamish.
Honey/amber colour, with a dense white head. Equal parts honey, malt and hops, with maybe a touch of DMS in the aroma. The honey is definitely noticeable on the aftertaste, moderate bitterness, some DMS presence, moderate hop flavour, and a moderate malt presence. fairly thin in body, and not as hoppy as I would like, but it is quite an easy drinking beer, helped along by the slightly drying finish. It is labelled as a Pale Ale, but in the blurb on the back, they state it to be a golden ale. Judging by the lower hop flavour and bitterness, they should have used that term in big letters on the front, rather than on the back.
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

HOWE SOUND BREWING'S RAIL ALE NUT BROWN 5%, $6.50, 1L growler, Brewed in Squamish
Very deep crimson brown, reminiscent of a well aged old ale. Toasty nutty carmel/toffee aroma, no real hop presence. Deeply toasty toffee flavour, with hints of nuttiness on the palate. Medium bitterness, medium-full body, low carbonation and very well balanced - I would probably have to say this is one of the best brown ales I have ever had. Was sad to see the end of the bottle.
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

PHILLIP'S AMNESIAC DOUBLE IPA 8.5%, $4.60, 650mL
Didnt write any notes on this one, but seeings as it is one of my favourite beers in the world, I can give it a memory shot. Deep amber in colour, strong malt and hop aroma, smells very much like cascade. Med/full body on the palate, very firmly bitter, but kept in check by the solid malt backbone, they are very well balanced against each other. The hop flavour is very assertive, and lingers long into the aftertaste, but there is nothing that stands out more that any other element in this beer, if that makes sense. Alot of double IPA's tend to be too unbalanced one way or the other, but this one isnt. If I could ever get this much hop flavour and aroma into a beer, and still have it taste as smooth and balanced as this one, I would be a very happy little brewer.
All the best
Trent


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## Trent (16/8/07)

PHILLIP'S LONGBOAT DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PORTER 5.2%, $4.30, 650mL
This beer pours jet black, with an off white head that stays remarkably well for a beer that uses chocolate. The aroma has a low roastiness, with chocolate, and some low fruity esters. The flavour is pretty much similar to the aroma, but the chocolate is definietly the backbone of this beer. It has a medium hop bitterness, low hop flavour, moderate carbonation and is every bit as chocolatey as Young's Double Chocolate Stout, but with alot less roastiness. Absolutely delicious.
T.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

Couple of pics from when we were on our 3 day boat trip in and around the gulf islands (the islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland)

First one is of the mrs Lara looking very happy, with some decidedly unhappy live dungeness. The people in the next boat to us caught too many to eat in one night, so they gave us 3 between the 6 of us, so we got one half each. And they were yummo.

Next is Lara's old man Don cleaning the little blighters before we threw em in the pot. Basically, you just knock em on an edge to kil em, then twist on half of their body off (it comes pretty easily), then the other half, they just come right out of the top part of the shell. Then ya clean em in the water, and chuck em in the pot. Easy.

Third pic is of some of the crazy tree's and driftwood they get roaming around the waterways up there (but these are actually corralled into a little pen in a harbour.) The beaches are littered with big tree trunks. Its not just the bears and sharks ya have to worry about if you are a surfer in Canada!

T.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

When we spent our time on the boat, we moored in this nice little inlet that had one of them "floating wharfs", that has the poles driven into the ground, but the actual wharf floats around them with the tide. I was told that they have about 18 feet tides, but paid no real attention, and was sitting my beer on top of one of the poles when we arrived there late arvo. The next morning I got a hell of a shock to see how much higher the poles got at low tide! Anyway, I took a couple of pics, but couldnt get one at dead low tide, cause we had to make our way to Dodd Narrows to make it through at slack tide , otherwise we wouldnt be getting through (the water really funnels through at a rate of knots). 

First pic, the poles next to the boat at high tide

Second pic, the pole next to the boat 2/3 of the way to low tide.

Third pic is from our boat coming into dodd narrows. The angle makes it look narrower than it is, but with 15'+ tides, you dont wanna be trying to go through agaisnt the run of water!

Last pic is of a boat heading out into a nice sunset. Just me getting all "artsy fartsy", but I liked the shot.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

We finished our trip on the boat, and headed to Victoria on Vancouver Island, for a whopping 30 hours to visit all Lara's friends. Needless to say I was actually quite keen to go beer tasting rather than catching up at Dim Sum in Chinatown, after having a bbq with everyone the neght before.
There are heaps of brewpubs, and microbreweries in Victoria, and I went to Phillip's first, but the fridge had blown, so their taps werent cold, hence no tastings. So, I walked down to SPINNAKERS, when I was gonna head after the Phillips visit anyway. 
Spinnakers is a real brewpub, making all their own beer on premises, and if you need reminding you are in a brewery, just go and play pool. These photo's should really go under the heading of "you know you're in a brewpub when...." (pics to come soon)


First pic is the view of the actual brewpub itself

Second and third pics are of the 2 pool tables surrounded by bags of malt!

4th pic is of the pool table with a grain mill in the corner. I later discovered that the mill is there because it is directly above the mash tun (its on the floor below.)


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## Trent (16/8/07)

First cab off the rank was their DOC'S PALE ALE served at 10C, on a beer engine. 3.8%, OG 1041
I had to try all their beers in the 120mL sample glasses, cause it was midday, I hadnt eaten, and we had a family bbq that arvo before we got the ferry back to the mainland and the airport.
Anyway, it was a gold/amber in colour, with light toffee malt and a low earthy hop aroma. On the palate, there was sweet malt up front, a med/high hop bitterness, and moderate hop flavour. Medium body, and a very tasty beer in the ordinary bitter style (though probably a bit pale in colour)


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## Trent (16/8/07)

Beer number 2, their ESB - 5.2%, OG 1050
A clean malt aroma, with a low hop aroma. A pale brown in colour, clear, with a nice head. Medium-full body, with a clean caramelly maltiness, offset by the med/high bitterness. Moderate earthy hop flavour, with a dry finish. There are actually quite a few fruity esters as you come back to it after trying some other beers, and it warms up a touch to probably 13C or so.
t.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

JAMESON'S SCOTTISH ALE - 6.4%, OG 1070 Served on beer engine
Very dark brown, with ruby highlights. Deep maltiness in the aroma, with a SLIGHT smokiness and a little roast, exactly how a good wee heavy should smell. There is a deep caramel flavour, and low bitterness, but it finishes sweet, rather than dry, with a tang that tstes artificial, almost as if they used sugar to boost the body after it had been filtered. I have no idea if this is what happened, or even if they filter (it was crystal clear though), but this was the impression I got. The sweetness got a bit cloying for mine towards the end, and I couldnt drink a pint of it. Quite a full body, but needs a dryer finish to work for my palate.
T.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

TITANIC IMPERIAL STOUT 7.75%, OG 1075. Served on tap, but at 10C I believe.
Coffe, roasty and chocolate aromas, with moderate hops and low esters. It is jet black with ruby highlights when held to light, and has a nice off white head. The body is fairly thin, for an imperial stout, so it is definitely on the low end of the style, but it is still very smooth. Roasty, coffee and chocolate flavour, low hop flavour, med/high bitterness with a low residual sweetness, but still finishes slightly dry. WAY too easy to drink for a beer like this, I really enjoyed it.
Also available in 650mL bottles for $4.89 in BC Liquor stores, or $5 at Spinnakers

EDIT - I forgot to take pics of my first few beers, so I took a pic of another line up that someone had ordered for their table. L to R, they are the hefeweizen, raspberry wheat, ESB, IPA, Dunkleweizen, and the Imperial Stout


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## Trent (16/8/07)

HEFEWEIZEN - 5%, OG 1048 served on tap at 4C.
Served with a slice of lemon on the rim. No perceptible clove, but plenty of banana and some slight vanilla on the nose. Pale gold in colour, and quite hazy. Despite the banana being the dominant aroma, there is strangely almost no banana in the flavour, only clove. I took another few smells of the beer, and there is still no clove, just dominant banana and vanilla. How do they do that? Anywy, there is a mderate-medium bitterness, possibly even a little too much for the style, but it is still very easy drinking. Med-light body, and a high carbonation.
T.

Pic is of the dunkelweizen on the left, and the hefeweizen on the right


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## Trent (16/8/07)

DUNKELWEIZEN 5.5%, OG 1052
Colour is dark brown, very dark, but crystal clear, as if it had been filtered. Very light banana and clove aroma, almost buried by the choc malt. There is a very light bready element to the aroma aswell. The flavour is pretty much exactly as the aroma sounds, most of the flavours are muted by the chocolate malt, though they are there in the background. I think that they probably should have used some caramunich II or melanoidin malt to get the toastiness and colour rather than chocolate malt or choc wheat (which is what I assume they used). Moderate to medium bitterness, and equal parts banana and clove linger into the aftertaste. Not bad, but probably too choc like to be a great dunkelweizen, and probably needs to be left with all the yeast in the beer.
T.


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## Trent (16/8/07)

ICEBERG PALE ALE - 6%, OG 1050 served on tap at 4C
Apparently a late hopped NW pale ale, first served on May 15 (2006?) to celebrate both Spinnaker's 20th Anniversary, and the North American craft ber renaissance.
Anyway, I had the glass about 6" away from my face, and I could smell the citrusy, resiny hops that are the signature of the NW of the US. It smells like all cascade, though doubtless there is a bit of a mix in there. Pale amber in colour, very clear, topped by a dense white head. First sip is like BAM!!!, and I am almost positive it is all cascade. There is HEAPS of hop flavour, high hop bitterness, though, as with almost all classic APA's, it is a bit unbalanced in the sense that there is not quite enough malt to balance the bitterness, but it is still very very tasty. The bitterness and hop flavour linger looooong into the aftertaste, drying the finish out a bit. Very enjoyable beer, though it probably does your tasting palate no favours :beerbang: 
Also available in bottles 650mL, $4.89

Pic is of the IPA (on the left) and the Iceberg Pale Ale on the right.


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## Trent (19/8/07)

Sorry about the delay in reviews, fella's, I have been fairly busy drinking a little too much! Only got another couple for canada, and then we are into US territory...

SPINNAKERS IPA - 7.1%, OG 1060
Moderate malt aroma, with a moderate english hop aroma, possibly EKG. Pale amber to gold in colour, with a nice white head. Medium body, med/high bitterness, with a medium english hop flavour. The malt is mnore prominent in this one, and it doesnt have the caramel/toffee expected (by me) in an english IPA, but it is very nice none the less. 
After having some chips and a glass of water, I came back to this one, and it had quite a bit of fruity esters and plenty of english hop character. It was muted after the APA, but is quite a hoppy beer, and well balanced (that balance thing seems to be a bit of a theme in the canadian beer scene). It finishes malty, but the bitterness and hops seem to stand up well, I really liked this beer. 
On the plus side also, a few local boys came in, and that is all they ordered, despite being chastised by one of the waitresses with "you have 2 weeks a year to drink our raspberry wheat, and all you want is IPA. Amazing".
Also available in bottles, $4.89 for a 650mL bottle.


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## Trent (19/8/07)

On the way ou tof spinnakers, I got to meet the Head Brewer Rob, and the assistant brewer Tommy, who were both really friendly and helpful, showed me round the brewhouse, and they even gave me a few more beers to sample.
Their raspberry wheat (which I didnt try in the bar) was a nice pink colour, and, much like the Phillips raspberry wheat, had a really good firm fruit presence, while not being tart, or overpowering, and still tasting remarkably fresh, like real, rather than fake, raspberries. Rob told me that they use 100lb of fresh picked raspberries in their 800L brew. Moderate bitterness, quite easy to drink, very nice.

He also gave me a smple straight out of the bright tank of their new beer, an apricot clove wheat beer, with a bollock load of apricot in it. Not sure if they were dried apricots, or freesh and crushed, but there was plenty of apricot pulp floating in the glass (that was going to get taken out by fining though, not filtering). The apricot was sufficiently prominent, quite smooth and refreshing, and the clove was just like in a hefeweizen. Tere was no detectable banana. I think they used some 3068 yeast to get the clove, it is basically an apricot hefeweizen without the banana, and it was very good. Would be an excellent summer drink, anybody in BC in the next few weeks, try some on tap, and see how it is (and if you do try it, please let us know how it turned out!)

Gotta run, only one more beer review from BC, but I m starving, and am about to head to Third Street Promenade to get a burger and shake at Fatburger - the best burgers on the planet!
All the best
Trent

Pics are just of the brewery fermenters and HLT etc...
In the second pic, the mash tun is in the far left corner, directly under the grain mill upstairs. You can see the funnel that directs the crushed malt in.


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## Trent (20/8/07)

UNIBROUE'S TROIS PISTOLES - 9%, $6 for a 750mL bottle.
I looked EVERYWHERE to try and get this beer, it was sold out in most shops, so I was very happy yo get my hands on a few bottles in the last shop in Victoria to have any in stock...
Poured pretty much black, with brown/ruby highlights, a massive rocky head, and a complex aroma of yeast, chocolate mlts, esters and phenolics, with a hint of metallic, but very Belgian. The flavour was of complex malt, prunes and raisins, medium bitterness, moderate alcohol warming and finished fairly dry. The flavour and complexity lingered long into the aftertaste, very good dark strong ale, that could also do very well to be aged for a few years. Them Frenchie's can really make a good belgian style beer.
T.


Pic 1 is of a solar powered compacting trash can that they have quite a few of along the Victoria foreshore. I thought it was a clanger, so had to take a photo of it. They are right into conservation and stuff over there.

Pic 2 is of the Trois Pistoles beer that I had at the family bbq, note the ridiculous rocky head on the thing.

Pic 3 is of the hot tub set up at the house where we had the bbq. Terry (the owner) reckons it is amazing to sit out there when there is snow (fairly rare on the island). I'd be a bit worried about the cougars and bears though!


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## Trent (20/8/07)

After our whirlwind trip to Canadialand, we jumped on the plane to LA, and were immediately reminded about the smog in the city by the large, strange shaped brown with red stripe clouds outside the city (and that was before we even got to the ground!)
Traffic was pretty bad, so it took us a while to get to me mates house in Santa Monica, but when we did, we ducked straight down to the nearest mexican hole in the wall for some cheap mexican food. How I have missed the $4 carne asada burrito's :super: 
My mate has been good to me, stocked the fridge with good beer for us to get into, which we did when he got home from work. So, without firther ado, I can start on some of the Seppo beers


STONE'S 07/07/07 VERTICAL EPIC ALE - 8.4%, $5.30 / 650mL bottle (all prices from here in USD)
The blurb on the back says it has taken its inspiration from saisons, and golden tripels, plus been spiced with ginger, cardomom, and the peel of grapefruit, orange and lemons, and was bittered with Glacier and Crystal hops.
Deep orange in colour, with a low white head. Incredibly complex aroma of phenolics, esters and spices. There is no real way to pick out any single one spice, so they have done it correctly (IMO). The only one I can really pick out is what I think is cardomom, but I wouldnt have picked it if I hadnt read it on the bottle. Ginger and spritzy citrus in the mouth, low carbonation, and a malt complexity that finishes sweet, and the depth of flavour is added to the by the yeast. Moderate/low bitterness, I can see how they claim it to be inspired by 2 beers, it is neither a typical saison nor tripel, but has elements of both. As the beer warms, the ginger gets alot more dominant in the flavour, maybe even a little too much so, and there is a slight alcohol warming (to be expected in an 8.4% beer). I think that this beer will probably age exceptionally. If only I lived in North America somewhere, I would have the most amazing beer cellar! Only problem would be I wouldnt be living in Oz, but.
T.


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## Trent (20/8/07)

STONE'S 9TH ANNIVERSARY ALE 7.8%, somewhere around the $4.50 mark
This beer has been sitting in my mate Hoover's fridge since the week after I left here in 2005, cause they didnt release it until a few days after I left LA. So, considering it was a strong american wheat with all amarillo late, I wasnt expecting too much, but didnt wanna tell him that after he had resisted drinking it for all that time.
It poured a deep orange in colour, with a low head. Sadly, the oxidation aroma's and flavours were about all I could get, as it was well past it's prime. Hoover was quite prepared to drink it, but in the end I had to convince him to tip it out. Quite disappointing, but I could see it would have been a nice beer in its prime.
T.


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## Trent (20/8/07)

BIG SKY BREWING'S MOOSE DROOL BROWN ALE - 5.1% $6 a 6 pack(?)
Dark, dark brown in colour, crystal clear, filtered (no yeast sediment) and a low off white head. It was served too cold, but still had deep caramel and choc aromas with some low hop aroma. Flavour is almost a deeply scorched (but not burnt) toffee with a medium bitterness, medium hop flavour, and a reasonably sweet finish. As it warms, it tastes like there is maybe a touch too much crystal malts in there, but it really is a very nice, well balanced beer. Another excellent brown ale (to go with those from Canada)
Hoover picked it up while he was on a work assignment in Montana, I am not too sure what states it is available in, but we cnnot find it anywhere around Southern Cal. If you ever get a chance to try some, you will not be disappointed.
T.


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## Trent (20/8/07)

BIG SKY BREWING'S SCAPEGOAT PALE ALE - 4.7%
Malty aroma, with a wierd, lemony hop aroma, maybe glacier? There is an almost lemony flavour, with a moderate bitterness, moderate body, and nowheere near as good as Moose Drool. Given all the amazing pale ale's available over here, and the quality of moose droll, this is a disappointing attempt. Quite drinkable, but still disappointing.
T.


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## Trent (20/8/07)

Hoover got me all sorts of beer, including the Trader Joe's (a really cool supermarket chain) anniversary ale, 2006. 9%, dark strong ale, made by Unibroue in Canada. We popped the top, and guess what? After all that running around to get a bottle of Trois Pistoles in Canada, and Hoov had one sitting in the fridge for me in LA all along. Only cost him $5 but, Maybe that means that Woolies will bring out an anniversary american barleywine, and Coles will bring out an anniversary Imperial Stout? :lol: 


SAM ADAMS SUMMER ALE - no alc content specified, $6 a 6 pack
Not too much aroma, light lemony citrus aroma, low bready wheat aroma aswell. Crystal clear, deep gold colour. Medium light body, some DMS or something, and a light zestiness. Moderate bitterness, easy to drink and quite inoffensive, should probably be drunk fairly cold though. Funny little aftertaste that could be from the grains of paradise?
FOOTNOTE - I went to the wedding rehearsal dinner last night at a very fancy Italian restaurant, right on the ocen in Santa Monica. They had a very ordinary beer list, but I went to the bar and asked to see all their beers (cause for some reason, waiteers only tell you about the bud/miller/coors/heiniken they have), and they had this beer. I drank it all night long as a session beer, and it was very enjoyable, and even cheaper than the corona/peroni/heiniken etc... and the same price as bud etc... at $4.50 a bottle. 
T.
Gotta go get ready for the wedding, will write again tomorrow, if possible.

Pics are of the Sam Adams, and one of the view from my table at the rehearsal dinner. Thats Santa Monica pier in the back of the pic, with all the ferris wheel, roller coaster and shit lit up.


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## Trent (21/8/07)

Wow
I have had SO MANY g ood beers blatelety that O can hardly remmebember, bu I just went to PIZaa port with my good mate blake, and I tried a dozen different beers, most over 8%, and up to 12.6%. SOOOOOOO pissed, will try and be smarter tomorrow.
Lotsa fun
T


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Hmmm,
That last post wasnt too cluey! There is a story that goes with that one, but that belongs with the Pizza Port section of reviews (if you will be able to call them that, cause I didnt really keep any notes there). BUT, the second day I went up to Whole foods and grabbed a few beers. They have a great selection of beers, I was trying to take the picture without the flash so I didnt get in trouble, so it is a little bit wonky, but you get the idea. They had 2 stands of "singles" (640mL-750mL bottles), then a whole aisle of 6 packs that I didnt photograph, and then a stand of belgian stubbies, which I didnt photograph either. There are alot of really good beers there, especially seeings as it is a grocery store!
The last pic is of the beers that I decided to buy, cause there were just too many.
Trent


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## Trent (26/8/07)

First cab off the rank for the night was the LAGUNITAS SONOMA FARMHOUSE SAISON STYLE ALE, which is a bloody mouthful of a name! It was 6% alc, and cost $3.79 for a 650mL bottle.
It was an orange/golden colour, with a sweet malt aroma, some DMS and quite oddly, the mistake of cigarette ash. My mate didnt get that aroma at all, Lara could a little, but it was quite clear to my nose. Anyway, the ashy/smoke flavour was very light up front, malt sweetness and some other flavours only describable as "barnyard" in the middle, and then a drying finish, thanks to the high carbonation. Moderate bitterness, and the sweetness lingers in the aftertaste despite the dry finish. Definitely different to saison dupont, but still very enjoyable. 
There is some fruitiness as it warms, leaving definite pear in the aftertaste. Tasty.
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

After the saison, it was onto the bicycles for a peddle up to Father's Office, a little whole in the wall in the swanky part of Santa Monica. They have 40 something beers on tap, and about the same in bottles, some excellent beers, but being $8 for a pint (equal to an aussie schooner - 15oz), it was more expensive than buying a 22oz bottle from the supermarket, so we had a few that I couldnt really get elsewhere, then headed home to Hoover's for some more beers that I had already bought.
I would have put up pics of their beer taps, but they went cranky at me and told me it is company policy that nobody is allowed to take pics of the line-up. They had no probs with me taking pics of the beers I drank, but couldnt get the taps in the background  

First one I had was one I have never even heard of, nor seen anywhere. It was called - 
IBARAGI BREWING'S HITACHINO JAPANESE CLASSIC ALE - The menu called it a "classic IPA, aged in cedar casks - spicy, with hints of fenugreek." How could I resist that? 7% odd, $8 for the 330mL bottle poured into a glass (never got to see the bottle.)
Deep red/amber with a thick off white head, quite hazy, but possibly from bad pouring? There was a sweet piney aroma, that I am not sure if it is hops or cedar. After tasting, it is definitely an IPA, quuite bitter and malty, extremely spicy, which has to be the cedar. Not even sure how to describe this one, but I feel that the cedar has overpowered nearly everything in the beer, kinda like a badly spiced beer (as in you cannot taste the base beer clearly). As I made my way through it, it grew on me, and I actually got to enjoy it. It was good for a one off drink, I certainly wouldnt drink 2 glasses of it, but I think that ya probably would need to to really be able to get used to the flavour and get to really like it. Glad I did it, first Japanese IPA I have tried, just not sure I will go back and drink another, unless they tone down the cedar influence a touch.
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

The next 2 beers are ones that Hoover and I just shared, cause with a bowl of sweet potato fries, and 2 beers each (plus tip), we were in for almost $USD50! I didnt write too much about em, but the first pick is the Perdition, the second pic is the Tripel.

RUSSIAN RIVER'S PERDITION - Rum and raisin notes, like a good dubbel. Deep caramelly malt, with a dry-ish finish, medium bitterness, and a med-light body. Reddy/brown colour, and clear. It is like a smaller, more attenuated (as in dryer and lighter bodied) version of Chimay Red. Quite enjoyable and easy to drink. I think it is somewhere around the 7% mark? Just dont quote me on that one.

CRAFTSMAN'S WHITE SAGE TRIPEL 9% alc. - Spicy aroma of strong sage, almost woody. Orange in colour, and cloudy. It surprisingly tastes like ginger beer to me. Moderate bitterness, with a sweet finish. Not something you could drink all night, though my mate Hoover loved it. The bloke sitting next to me that was s elf professed expert in beer told me that craftsman always use way too many spices in their beers. This beer it seems he had them pegged, but he told me their hefeweizen tasted like there was clove used in it. I told him that clove belongs in a good hefeweizen, and he quitened down on it then. Apparently a fairly local microbrewery, that maybe should be sought out if in LA (as I dont think there are too many micros in LA)
Trent


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Rode our bikes back to Hoov's, and cracked open a bottle I have been anticipating
OMMEGANGS THREE PHILOSOPHERS - 9.8% alc, a quadrupel with 2% cherry lambic added. $8 for 750mL bottle.
You get the plum and raisins from the quadrupel, cherries, and a slightly sour, winey aroma. Colour is a deep reddy/brown, and there is a lovely thick rockey head on it. The flavour is very complex - sour cherries, winey, dry and malty all at the same time. Takes a little while to get used to, and I am not too sure that I like the cherry in beer even though it is quite common in Belgium (dont really like cherries in general). It is honestly probably a bit too young, I may try and age a bottle back at home and see how it tastes in a few years time. This one was the 2007 release.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

After the 3 philosophers, we cracked into a mixed 6 pack I had bought earlier, and I didnt take any notes or pics, bar a pic of one of the beers. I know that we had 3 Mendocino brewing beers, I believe a Pale Ale and an IPA, and then their Eye of the Hawk, according to the BJCP a "stock ale" like arrogant bastard. The first 2 were decent beers, but not really that memorable, the other 2 beers out of that 5 were obviously even less memorable, cause I have no idea of their names!
Eye of the Hawk actually poured alot lighter than I was expecting, after having it lumped in with AB. It was filtered and force carbed, so crystal clear, but I remember it being quite malty and flavourful. One of my mates over there absolutely loves it, even more than Arrogant Bastard, so I was expecting big things, but as I was a little bit tipsy, cannot remember correctly, other than the fact I was quite impressed with it. If you are in the area and see it for sale somewhere, I say you will be very well served by tring it.
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

The BISON BREWING ORGANIC CHOCOLATE STOUT was quite a nice drop, but again, one that I didnt take notes on. It looked like a stout, though wasnt quite as chocolatey as I was expecting. It was a very nice drop, not quite as dry as a dry stout, nor really too sweet, but I recall it being very well balanced, and easy to drink. It was 5% odd, and cost $3.29 IIRC

OLD NICK BARLEYWINE was quite a dark looking beer, and Hoov said it was very "maloasses-ey", which is was to start with, but after a few sips, showed its true colours as a very well balanced english barleywine, from Young's obviously. It was quite drinkable with heaps of malt flavour, 7.2% alcohol, $3 odd, but ya can probably get it out here in Oz, so I wont go into it. No pics of that either!
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Next night, after the rehearsal dinner, I had drank more than my fill of Sam Adams summer wheat, so dragged a good mate and his girly up to the Beanery, a bar on third street promenade, with something like 42 beers on tap. Not all are great, with some of the usual suspects like Bud Lite and crap on the menu, but it had some good German weizens, and some great American micro offerings. I had a pint of Arrogant Bastard for old times sake (cause I used to start all my nights out when I lived here with an AB before heading onto SNPA for the rest of the night), and then HAD to follow it up with a SNPA. What a rough life, eh?

ANywya, the ARROGANT BASTARD was quite a deep brown, nice off white head, and the really strong hop aroma (smells like chinook) that I remember. The malt is also obvious. Taking a sip, it is actually a really well balanced ale, like a nice hoppy american brown, that has finished really high. The malt sweetness is there, but kept in check by a quite assertive bitterness, and plenty of hop flavour. They all play off each other, and I thought to myself that if it werent 7.2% alcohol, it would probably be quite an enjoyable session beer.

After that, I had a SIERRA NEVADA PALE ALE, which is a sensational beer in its own right, the archetypal American Pale Ale. It tasted a little muted after the AB, so I will recount the bottle I had the next night (after the wedding reception, still looking for something to drink with Hoover). Lovely full cascade aroma, nice clean gold-amber malt abd a wqhite head. Enough malt sweetness to keep the firm bitterness from being too much, and a gobful of lovely cascade hops. It is amazing that the APA style has gone so far away from this beer, because it is remarkably well balanced. I say that because alot of APA's now are super bitter and/or hoppy, with the malt barely noticeable. I was at the end of a night of drinking, and it still had that "wow" factor, while being easy to drink. If you are ever on the west coast of the US, and dont seek this beer out, you are doing yourself a massive disservice. 5.6% alc, and you can pick it up for $3 for a 650mL bottle just about anywhere, or around $7 for a 6 pack. Delicious.
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Next day was the sunday, and we were at the wedding. Hoover and I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to get there, cause Lara was in the wedding party limo. Everyone went in Limo's, but I prederred to head down the coast highway to check it all out with Hoov. The wedding was about 90 mins south of us when you take into account the traffic, so 2 un-named people may have grabbed "road warriors" in the form of 725mL Miller Lite cans. As it is illegal for ANYONE in a car to have alcohol with them, let alone OPEN CONTAINERS (as they are called by the cops), I will not name the 2 people involved. I can only tell you from my experience with that beer is that it is your typical megaswill, no real hop flavour or aroma, light in body, heaps of carbonation, almost watery, and not something that I enjoyed all that much. I heard that the 2 road warrior drinkers also had to get their vehicle to stop twice along the way to go to the dunny!
Anyway, the wedding was great, in a glass chapel that overlooked the ocean, and the Santa Catalina Island. Fog obscured the island on the day though. On the way back, Hoover and I went back up the PCH, and I took a couple of pics.

Pic 1 The chapel from outside, I think this was after the wedding.

Pic 2, the view from outside the chapel (zoomed in, of course)

Pic 3, the corner with the most american flags in the world. Who says that Americans arent patriotic?!? For some random reason that I dont understand, this corner has more american flags than the average US Army base!


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## Doc (26/8/07)

Trent said:


> After our whirlwind trip to Canadialand, we jumped on the plane to LA, and were immediately reminded about the smog in the city by the large, strange shaped brown with red stripe clouds outside the city (and that was before we even got to the ground!)
> Traffic was pretty bad, so it took us a while to get to me mates house in Santa Monica, but when we did, we ducked straight down to the nearest mexican hole in the wall for some cheap mexican food. How I have missed the $4 carne asada burrito's :super:
> My mate has been good to me, stocked the fridge with good beer for us to get into, which we did when he got home from work. So, without firther ado, I can start on some of the Seppo beers
> STONE'S 07/07/07 VERTICAL EPIC ALE - 8.4%, $5.30 / 650mL bottle (all prices from here in USD)
> ...



Trent, that beer sounds awesome. Would have been a complex explosion of flavours.

Bastard.

Doc


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Doc
That beer WAS awesome, and I plan on keeping a bottle for a year or 3 to see how it turns out down the track! I will keep you posted.
Anyway, here are a few more pics that I forgot to put up earlier to keep in line with my chronoligcal order of things. 

First pic is some of the Gulf Islands between mainland Canada and Vancouver Island, as seen from the plane. Pretty nice area.

2nd pic is of some crazy kinda smog cloud as we were starting our descent into LA. Just to remind us of where we were heading to, I guess! Pretty wierd looking, huh?

Last pic is of some of the urban sprawl that is LA. It doesnt really show too much of it, but when you fly in, this is the kind of thing that stretches as far as the eye can see. Hardly anything above 3 stories, and just sprawling, monotone and dreary looking. LA isnt that bad when ya know where to go, but jeez it can look awful from the air.
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

FATBURGER
Well, my favourite burger place in the world is called Fatburger (so named back in the 50's or so, when "fat" meant good, as in Fats domino, chubby checker and the fat boys, etc..., or so they tell ya on their little tray posters) and they usually have lovely posters on the wall saying things like "if our burgers were as bad as some, we would need a clown to cheer you up too", and "beware of psychic burger shops (the kind that make your burger before you order it)" In'n'Out give em a run for their money as the best takeaway's in the states, but I think Fatburger takes the title. Just. But I digress.
Anyway, they do really good, made to order burgers, and they have the BEST thickshakes, seriously. They cost a bit, not far off $4, but are amazing. SO, I went down there and had me a Kingburger and a chocolate shake, and dont I look happy? (pic 1)

pic 2 is of a sign advertising their triple king challenge, where if you can actually finish a triple king burger, ya get a t-shirt, and have your photo put up on the wall to say ya did it. The catch? A regular kingburger is a 1/2lb patty, so a triple king is 1.5lbs of meat (approx 700g). I couldnt even finish my kingburger, fries and shake (though I finished the shake!) Serious eating to finish a triple.

In the last pic, is a picture of one of the many MINIATURE LIONS that patrol the third street promenade. Dont finish your triple kingburger, and they may eat you. Be very careful when walking past them, they are very vicious! Dont ya love the things people will do to their dogs?
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Well, the wedding reception was a blast, I got to hang out with some of my best friends in the world, and the restaurant had amazing food, and an excellent beer list. Started out drinking Anchor Steam, which was very nice, but I obviously didnt take any notes (but I did take a pic), and then discovered they had Chimay red on the menu! I also had Blanche de Chambly and Hoegaarden (2 very similar beers), and god knows what else. I had at least 6 different beers, but about 6 anchor steams aswell. VERY fun night, that ended in the groom busting out some aged cigars for the final people left at the reception. Anyway, just a few quick pics of a ridiculously fun night.

anchor steam 

me, the bride Dodi and her dad Cap'n Mike, enjoying some very fine cigars post reception

Me and the brides brother Mikey, Stogie Kissin'. That kid is a deadset clanger.

Me and the boss (Lara)

For some reason the end of the night is when we decided to go crazy with the camera, though pics 2 and 4 are from Hoover (professional photographer usually, though only taking pics for fun at the reception)
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

Morning after was a recovery breakfast at some ritzy restaurant on top of the hotel where the bride and groom, and alot of the family stayed (in separate rooms from the honeymoon suite, of course!)
A bloody mary to kickstart, and the food was amazing, as was the view, so here are some pics of the view.
Actually, I should just say ONE pic. Looking north up towards malibu, but ya cant see it in the pic.
T.


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## Trent (26/8/07)

After breaky, we got a lift down to San Diego (more specifically Oceanside), and it is there that I will put up my pics from my Pizza Port night, and then all my pics and reviews from my visit to Stone. If you are reading these as I put em up, I will be doing that tomorrow, cause I am knackered now and am off to bed.
For some reason I love taking pics of the traffic in SoCal, partly cause I am wierd, but mainly cause it bloody fascinates me that there can be that much traffic on the roads, especially given that San Diego is 1/3 the size of Sydney, and still seems to hit gridlock every morning and arvo at the 805/5 merge, where it a total of 13 lanes wide! I always wanna show mates the gravity of the traffic here.

Pic 1 is of traffic heading south from LA, just as we were about to come to a dead stop in a 110km/h zone. Again. Took us over 2 hours to cover what should been a 1hr 15 trip, and it was monday lunchtime! And 5 lanes each way.

Pic 2 is of the beer selection in a petrol station, right there next to the regular drinks, and near the food! Hilarious they sell beer in petrol stations, especially given ya get in all sorts of strife for having alcohol anywhere a driver can possibly reach it. And I just LOVE the fact that it is pretty much all megaswill, but they have SNPA in there.

Pic 3 is just to show you that America can be a little bit religious at times. I can think of much worse swearwords than that, but if it annoys em that much, I will just go back to saying jesus every time I drop something  What they were trying to advertise with that is beyond me, and what they are carrying in there is also a mystery. Bibles?
T.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

Alright, finished work for the day (jeez that stuff is tiring!), so I can go on with the Pizza Port story that led to me posting that drunken drivel a few posts back!
Got to San D, or Oceanside, to visit my good mate Blake, but he was at work, so I got a few other mates to pop round, Tim and Alex. I hadnt seen Alex for over 5 years, so it was good to catch up with him. After some mexican to eat (mmmm.... California Burrito :super: ) we headed to Pizza Port to catch up with yet ANOTHER mate, Tom, who does some lawyer work for Stone. 
ANYWAY, I was so excited to try all the beers that these guys offer, and got up to the bar to check out the 37 (yes, thirty seven) different beers they had on tap, though I think only 31 taps were on. Told the bloke behind the bar I wanted to try all the beers, in sampler size glasses (about 100mL), he just goes "um, we dont really have any sampler glasses. We broke em all over the summer, and nobody has ordered any more. You are gonna have to buy pints". Excuse me?!? :blink: I actually thought he was taking hte piss, but he wasnt. Tim and Alex stepped up to the plate, despite driving, and said that I could order whatever 3 beers I wanted to try each round, and I could have one, and they would have the other 2, and we could share. Good blokes. Tom had to take off, so he couldnt be part of it, so we started ordering em in 3's.
First up we got a carlasbad cream for alex, a sharkbite red for Tim, and a Sticky Stout (imperial stout) for me. The imperial stout was actually quite easy to drink, though only 8%, planty of roast and choc notes, with good solid bitterness. 
Then I tried to sharkbite red, which was actually quite sweet, but firmly bitter and really hoppy. 6%
After these 2, I tried the carlsbad cream, which is only 5% odd, and it tasted like nothing after the first 2! I got some nice hoppiness out of it, and it seems to be a really nice beer, so if you ever go, get one of them BEFORE the imperial beers!
Tim couldnt finish the red ale, cause it was too cloying, so I got half of that one aswell.
The night was well on the way to becoming a big one.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

Next round, we got Avery's Little Rascal, a Port Warm Waters, and a Green Flash Summer Saison .

Little Rascal is a belgian wit style I think. I wasnt too bad a beer, in fact Tom recommended it (along with the saison, and speedway stout), but it tasted a little watery for mine, and not something I would go back for quickly. Trying it on a clean palate may be a different story though

Port Brewing's Warm Waters is a hefeweizen and was served with a lemon. One sniff, and I pulled the lemon out, and threw it into the bin, telling hte barman he should probably never serve a german style hefe with a lemon in it (or maybe ask if they want one). Big banana and clove notes in this hefe, very well balanced, low bitterness, all the good things in it that you expect out of a german style hefeweizen. Only strange thing is I think it was filtered. Definietly one of my beers of the night, along with the next beer....

Green Flash is apparently a brewery located here in San Diego, I have never heard of them before, but after tasting a few of their beers when I was over there, I had to wonder why I hadnt. Their Summer Saison I think is 6.7% and was an excellent saison. Had all the yeast flavours, maltiness, slight tartness (from memory) and a lovely orange colour. Cant remember too much about the beer apart from that, other that I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you see anything by green flash, you would be well served by buying it.

Beer in pic are left to right - little rascal, warm waters, saison.
T.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

Next round had Avery Piglet, which is apparently a scottish ale style, but I didnt find that. Wasnt too keen on that one. Port Brewings Carlsbad Chronic (with the use of hemp seeds) was actually pretty good. I think I might have had another stout of some description, but I cannot recall. Maybe it was old viscosity? I know it was 10%. And this is where my night started getting blurry. I think we had one more round after this, and then Blake and his girlfriend Season turned up, all fresh as daisies and ready to drink.
Next round was on Blake, as Tim and Alex had to drive back to San Diego, so our first beer together was Alesmith's Speedway Stout at a paltry 12.6% alcohol. THIS was a good beer (not that the others werent). Big, black, viscous and surprisingly easy to drink, this was probably the beer of the night. I dont really recall getting too much coffee notes out of it, even though it is reputedly "dry beaned" in secondary. Dont recall any specifics except that this was a sensational imperial stout, and when they poured them, all the light went dim, cause they were so black (little joke - look at the picture). Probably not something to drink by the pint, but try it one day - not an unpleasant experience.
T.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

I think we had one more round of beers that I cannot recall, before they announced last drinks, so Blake goes up to the bar and comes back with a pitcher of 547 Haight, a 10% double red ale. Actually, I think the round I cannot recall saw me drinking the Garibaldi strong pale ale. Dunno how it was. Anyway, back to the double red ale. It was everything that the Sharkbite was and more - obviously. It was bitter, hoppy, super malty and as the pint wore on, cloying. I think I struggled through my pint, so Blake had to drink 2 pints, poor bugger.
After port closed, we went to another bar and got a pint each of Stone Pale Ale while we waited for our cab to turn up and take us home. Dont ask me what the pale tasted like cause I cannot tell ya :huh: 

Took a few pics of the beer list and the bar in general at Port, wouldnt it be nice if we had some bars like this in Oz? 

Pic 1 - Port beers that were on tap. The Old Viscosity is nice and black, and been aged in bourbon barrels.

Pic 2 is of the "guest beers" list that night

Pic 3 is of the bar in general. Look at all them taps! The ones with the upside down cups on em were empty (pic was taken at closing time)


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## Trent (28/8/07)

BREAKFAST BURRITO
Every morning we would walk down to the mexican takeaway next to the beach, and get our favourite breaky - a breakfast burrito. Mexican food is so damn good, and so damn cheap over here, but as far as a heartstarter, not much beats a good breaky burrito. OK, I admit, huevos a la mexicana is probably the best, but that seems to be more a mainland mex thing, rather than a tex-mex thing. But I digress.

Basically, it is a massive flour tortilla, wrapped around scrambled eggs (cheesy), with "home fries" (basically potato that has been parboiled, then cut into little 1cm cubes, and fried crispy) and some bacon, that has also been fried crispy, and chopped into timy bite size pieces. Add some really good mexican hot scause, and you have a breakfast to rival a stout! Had to take a pic of the burrito, way too delicious to forget. And at $3.50, ya cant go wrong.
T.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

Well, the surf really sucked while we were there, it was bloody tiny, so me and Blake had to take out his two 9'6 longboards to try and make the most of the small conditions. Here is me trying not to nosedive on a late take off. Strangely enough, I even succeeded, but I did do alot of swimming after the board this session. It was about 30C out, water was about 23C, it was great, cionsidering it was freezing back home in Oz!
Only problem was, cause it is winter for me, I stayed out for about 4 hours, and got sunstroke, but it didnt really hit me till after my visit to Stone with my mate Tom the lawyer. Wow, what an arvo, but that is next post.
Here you can have a laugh at me trying to keep myself from nosediving! Lara reckons it looked like I was trying to swat flies :lol: 
T.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

Stone has moved into a new place since I was last here, and what a bloody place it is. Out in the middle of nowhere, sadly, and no real public transport option (though they are building one in the town nearby), but they have made some beautiful gardens, some amazing granite benches anbd stuff, and about thirty something beers on tap, and 85 odd in the bottle. They even print the beer and food menu's on a daily basis, so I grabbed a beer menu, and will put up a pic of it when I get a chance to TAKE a pic of it!

First beer was ALESMITH's X, an Extra Pale Ale. Didnt take a pic of this one, but it was very pale in colour, with a clean citrusy aroma. It had a firm bitterness with clean citrusy hops, and a med-light body. If ya cant tell, I took concise notes when I was out there, rather than detailed ones.

BALLAST POINT'S LONGFIN LAGER - Dont think that I have had a lager the whole time I have been over here, so I figured I may aswell try one from B.P, cause the make some very high wuality ales. It had a malty aroma, with some DMS, and was extremely pale in colour. Light body, with DMS in the flavour, basically just a very good example of a premium american lager, but certanly not my cup of tea.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

LAGUNITAS' SIRIUS
Gold/amber in colour, lightly malty with some citrusy hops on the nose. Medium high bitterness, and sweetish malt, citrusy hops. Kinda similar to an APA, but also different, if that makes sense? Anyway, they call is a "high altitude cream ale" and I thought it was a very nice beer, well worth drinking, and would be quite sessionable. Lots of beers over here that are worth drinking, huh?
T.


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## Trent (28/8/07)

Next up was PETRUS OUD BRUIN
Now, I love a sour beer as much as the next bloke, maybe more, so these next few beers really tickled my fancy. The Petrus wsa quite a deep brown, with an aroma that could be described as leathery and acidic, maybe a light touch of bret in there. The flavour was sweet, almost cola like, with a low acidity that finished dry and clean. Excellent beer.

DUCHESS DE BOURGEIOGN (sp?) - This one had an almost cola-like aroma, with a light acidity, and it was pretty much the same colour as the Petrus. There is a medium-high acidity in the mouth with a sweeter finish. It is very complex, and this is apparently one of Tom's Top 5 beers. I can see why, its kinda an amazing beer. Wish I could brew like this...

The pic has the Petrus on the left, and half drunk. Why couldnt they have had THESE beers at port last night when I was forced to drink by the pint?
T.


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## Trent (29/8/07)

There were 2 blokes sitting right next to me and Tom at the bar, having a businessmans lunch or something, and ordering some really nice beers. When they ordered a Lost Abbey 10 Commandments, Tom said to the bartender "And 4 glasses!", just joking around, but the barman bought us 4 glasses. The 2 businessmen didnt seem too stoked on the idea of sharing such nice beer with us, but humoured us a little, and asked Tom which of the 10 commandments he had broken. So, Tom replies "right now, its envy. And if you dont share some of that beer with me, I'll have to add wrath to the list!" :lol: They laughed so hard that they shared the beer with us, so we were very happy.

LOST ABBEY'S 10 COMMANDMENTS 9%
Well, somehow I have lost my notes on this beer, but I recall it being a really dark brown colour, almost black, with all the aroma's ya would expect from a belgian style dark strong ale, and also a slightly cherry flavour (though it is brewed with raisins). There is a slight acidity in the aroma that doesnt translate into the flavour. It is extremely complex, malty, and very tasty. Something that probably deserves to be cellared for a few years. Sensational beer. I felt very lucky to get to try it, cause it is gooood.


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## Trent (29/8/07)

To repay the blokes genourosity in sharing their 10 commandments with us, Tom ordered something special to share with them, and at $22 a bottle, I wasnt sure what to expect, as it is a blended lambic with fruit. I have always heard that lambics are a very sour beer, but all the lambics I have ever tried taste like super sweet fruit drinks! I was not holding my breath, but what I got was probably my "beer of the trip", and it wasnt even american. Kinda like a beer epiphany for me really, and I will forever hunt out the best that this style has to offer. Enter......
CANTILLON'S ROSE DE GAMBRINUS
This is a raspberry brewed blended lambic. It poured a really vibrant pink colour, and there was a fair amount of acidity and raspberry on the nose, but when I took that first sip - wow. Every sucked on one of those lollies "sour warheads"? Well, it was like that, it turned my saliva really thin, and I pulled a sour face. It was so sour it was ridiculous, but strangely, in a very balanced way. It wasnt something that was disgusting, it just added something to the incredible complexity of the beer, the raspberries didnt add any sweetness, only flavour, and the finish (IIRC) was quite dry, and almost palate cleansing. This was a beer that deserves to be known as "world class", and unless I am mistaken, Cantillon is considered one of the permier lambic makers in the world, and I can see why. I dont recall any real bitterness, the sourness did the bittering, it is really hard to describe, but something you have to try for yourself one day. If Tom hadn't been driving, I would have requested a bottle of Cantillon Gueze, just to see what a good one tastes like. I am taking a bottle of this home for my cellar, it is like the champagne of the beer world. I dont swear on this forum, usually, but this beer was ******* amazing. Couldnt recommend it highly enough.
T.


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## goatherder (29/8/07)

Can I be the first to say "you lucky bastard"?

I am green all over.


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## Trent (29/8/07)

Thanks goatherder, I feel pretty bloody lucky too!
Anyway, after the cantillon, I decided to take a wander around and take a few pics of the new set-up at Stone, incase ya's might be interested

Pic 1 - The main bar at stone

Pic 2 - The bottles and taps above said bar

Pic 3 - The outside bar - look at all them taps, and a solid granite bar

Pic 4 - I guess ya could call this the beer garden

T.


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## Trent (29/8/07)

Some more pics from Stone

Pics 1 and 2 - The much lauded (on their website) Stone Gardens

Pic 3 - Some kinda water feature thingy they have in the beer garden

Pic 4 - Tom reckons this is where the staff chill on their breaks

Pic 5 - Solid granite table. The have about a dozen of these things around the place. Wouldnt like to have carried it in!

T.
PS Off to bed now, will put up some pics of the fermenters etc... tomorrow.


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## Doc (29/8/07)

Trent said:


> BREAKFAST BURRITO
> Every morning we would walk down to the mexican takeaway next to the beach, and get our favourite breaky - a breakfast burrito.



When I first heard of the breakfast burrito I was disgusted. Got talked into it by a mate, and loved it.
Great for an average head after living it up at Russian River the night before too 

Doc


edit: and double oaked aged arrogant imperial stoned bastard for being at Stone. I get their monthly newsletter and wish I was closer. Did you try some of Mikes Beer Cheese ?


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## Trent (30/8/07)

Doc
That was classic! I have never been called so many names in the once sentence before :lol: Sadly, though, I didnt try any of Mike's beer cheese, didnt even think of it  Next time, I will try some. I tell ya what, though, being closer to Stone would not be a bad thing ('cept for the fact you would never wanna go to work!)

Here are a few pics of their fermenters, mash tuns, etc....

The first pic is th eoverview of the fermenting room. We were there fairly late in the arvo, and no-one would take us for a brewery tour, so this is the view from the offices above (the perks of being there with a Stone consultant). Note the 1200L fermenters in the bottom left hand corner :blink: In the middle, are their "triple batch" fermenters, at a whopping 360 barrel (approx 50,000L) and on the right hand side are their single batch fermenters, 120 barrel (approx 16,500L) They will do about 70,000 barrels this year and I think there is somewhere around 130L in a barrel, so you do the maths. The CEO was telling me that if they ran at full capacity, they could be around 250,000 barrels in a year  Thats alot of brewski's. If they ever get that big, I sure hope their quality doesnt slide, though you'd assume it would have to. 

Pic 2, is of their HLT and mash tuns. I think that there are 2 mash tuns so they can be doing 2 brews at once, but I didnt confirm this. The little door on top of the closest one (and maybe all three) is glass/perspex and has the stone emblem etched in there.
T.


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## Trent (30/8/07)

After wandering around, I decided to try the Old Guardian Barleywine for old times sake. It weighs in at 11.26%, so is a very big beer, but to be quite honest, I found it to be pretty well balanced. All the hops, malt, bitterness, everything seemed well balanced, almost to the point of making this an easy drinking beer. Wish I had a few more bottles to bring home, and replace the ones that WERE in my cellar. For what it is worth, I found the draft version to be much smoother than the bottles version, though it could have something to do with the fact I had been drinking sour beers beforehand.

Pic 2 - Before I left, I tried a sampler of the oaked arrogant bastard that they now carry as a permanent fixtue in 6 packs. HAve to say that it tasted way to "green woody" for mine, and I didnt really like it. Basically an AB with some woodchips thrown into it I reckon. Still, if yer into woody beers, this would be a good one (though as with the Japanese IPA, the first few sips were terrible, until my palate got used to it, so it could be a very nice beer)


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## Trent (30/8/07)

Just as a quick one, here are both sides of the beer menu for the day at Stone. You can see on the draft menu, that they have the date printed on there, so I can only assume that they print them up every day, due to rotating different beers, etc...


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## bconnery (30/8/07)

Trent said:


> To repay the blokes genourosity in sharing their 10 commandments with us, Tom ordered something special to share with them, and at $22 a bottle, I wasnt sure what to expect, as it is a blended lambic with fruit. I have always heard that lambics are a very sour beer, but all the lambics I have ever tried taste like super sweet fruit drinks! I was not holding my breath, but what I got was probably my "beer of the trip", and it wasnt even american. Kinda like a beer epiphany for me really, and I will forever hunt out the best that this style has to offer. Enter......
> CANTILLON'S ROSE DE GAMBRINUS
> This is a raspberry brewed blended lambic. It poured a really vibrant pink colour, and there was a fair amount of acidity and raspberry on the nose, but when I took that first sip - wow. Every sucked on one of those lollies "sour warheads"? Well, it was like that, it turned my saliva really thin, and I pulled a sour face. It was so sour it was ridiculous, but strangely, in a very balanced way. It wasnt something that was disgusting, it just added something to the incredible complexity of the beer, the raspberries didnt add any sweetness, only flavour, and the finish (IIRC) was quite dry, and almost palate cleansing. This was a beer that deserves to be known as "world class", and unless I am mistaken, Cantillon is considered one of the permier lambic makers in the world, and I can see why. I dont recall any real bitterness, the sourness did the bittering, it is really hard to describe, but something you have to try for yourself one day. If Tom hadn't been driving, I would have requested a bottle of Cantillon Gueze, just to see what a good one tastes like. I am taking a bottle of this home for my cellar, it is like the champagne of the beer world. I dont swear on this forum, usually, but this beer was ******* amazing. Couldnt recommend it highly enough.
> T.



Mate that is pretty much the reaction I had on drinking this beer. I tasted it alongside many of their other offerings at the actual brewery and this one still stood out. There is just so much to this beer it is unbelievable. I still consider this to be one of the two best beers I have ever had, and for many years I considered it the best. 

Sickly sweet fruit lambics, made with extract or syrup, are blinding people to the way that these beers should be made and Cantillon knows just how that is. 

Their gueze and lambics are sensational too but there is something about the addition of the fruit, apparently it is rasberry and a little cherry I believe, that sends this beer into another world.


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## T.D. (30/8/07)

Trent said:


> Last pic is of some of the urban sprawl that is LA. It doesnt really show too much of it, but when you fly in, this is the kind of thing that stretches as far as the eye can see. Hardly anything above 3 stories, and just sprawling, monotone and dreary looking. LA isnt that bad when ya know where to go, but jeez it can look awful from the air.
> T.



Every time I have ever gone to LA I have been absolutely gob-smacked by the scale of the place. Its usually on the way to Canada so I rarely see much more of it than the airport (which is probably not the best that LA has to offer).


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## Trent (30/8/07)

BConnery
Glad to hear that you also enjoyed this beer, especially when it was at the actual brewery. I would have to rate it as one of the best beers I have ever had also.

TD 
Just keep on avoiding LA, it isnt my fave place in the world. If you ever have to stop there, head straight to San Diego, much nicer IMHO, but Santa Monica is pretty nice from a tourists perspective. Hardly had to set foot out of there this trip, and I quite enjoyed it.

Back to the beers...
On the way back from Stone we stopped at another bar (called Churchills, I think), and had a pint each of 
GREEN FLASH'S WEST COAST IPA - 6.7%, served on a beer engine
Cant find my notes on this beer either (lost me wallet somewhere it seems), but it poured a deep amber colour, settling like a guiness does, it looked pretty wierd to see! Anyway, it has a really strong aroma of citrus and piney hops, and some malt. The flavour was great, it was malty, bitter and really really hoppy. The hops were citrusy, and also fairly piney, but it was a really nice blend. The malt stood up to the bitterness very well, and complimented the hops. Very high bitterness, but everything else was right there in your face too. Very well balanced IPA, probably one of the best I have had over here, and nice and creamy on handpump. As I said a few posts back, Green Flash is a brewery I havent heard of before, but I will be looking for their products every time I am back over here - they seem to make excellent, well balanced ales.
The bottle selection at this pub was also really good. Pics 1 and 2 are of the IPA settling and being drunk. Pic 3 is of the bottle selection there. How I want a pub like this near my house.
T.


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## Trent (30/8/07)

Ended up not being able to drink any more after that IPA, cause I think the 3-4 hours in the sun in the morning, followed by plenty of beer tasting, combined to give me sun stroke (curse the wimpy aussie winter sun!) SO, I had to bypass a glass of Alagash Curieux with Blake, which is a bourbon barrel aged beer (belgian style I think).
Lucky enough for me, though, that Tom gave me a bottle of Stone's 7th Anniversary Ale, a bigger version of the Pale Ale, from memory. I wasnt sure how it would last, and seeings as Hoover held onto the 9th anniversary ale for me for 2 years, I saw it as only fitting to open it with him, so if it were any good, he could enjoy it too.

STONE'S 7TH ANNIVERSARY ALE - 7.7%
Poured a deep red/amber colour, with some low oxidation notes on the nose, no real hop aroma (as ya would expect after 4 years). In the mouth, there is sweet oxidised malt, that is checked by a firm bitterness. There is not much hop flavour, as expected, again, its 4 years old. The beer is actually very much like a well aged strong ale, almost barleywine-esque. I wasnt really expecting much from it, especially after the oxidised aroma, but this beer is exceptionally good. I just wish some of my beers would stand up this well after ever 1 year! If you have a bottle stashed away in your cellar, you are very lucky, and it is drinking very well, so get into it!
T.


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## Trent (30/8/07)

Next cab off the rank was OMMEGANG'S ABBEY DUBBEL - 8% IIRC, and $7 for a 750mL bottle
Poured a deep brown, almost black, with dark ruby highlights. I couldnt really get too much out of the aroma. It tasted like a young dubbel, slightly metallic, with dark fruits, but also kinda green. There is a slight acidity that I assume will mellow with time. Moderate bitterness, with a malty finish. This beer is something I have actually heard some very good reports about, but I think it needs to age some more. Probably something to buy a case of every 6 months and stick it in the cellar for a few years.
T.


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## Trent (30/8/07)

Final beer I had in the US was FULL SAIL'S IPA. It says it is brewed by their small staff of 47, and on the lid it says "brewed to stoke stoked to brew". Probably not the best IPA I have ever had, but there is a fair bitterness there, a bit of malt, could do with some more, and a decent amount of hop flavour. Pours an amber colour, and is nice and clear. It is fairly well balanced, and very drinkable, something you could have a session on. Didnt take any notes, but I did enjoy this beer.
T.


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## Trent (30/8/07)

Well, back in Australia, and I didnt even have a single drink on the flight home! Havent counted up the beers I tried, but I would assume it is somewhere in the vicinty of 60 or 70 different ones, including the ones I just drank and didnt review (or maybe even mention) on this thread. I can only conclude that some of the best beers on the planet are either made, or available, in either Canada or the US, and the next time you hear someone say the yanks cant make good beer, please tell them "Trent said....."
After much weight, and hoping they would make it back safe and sound, my beer cellar is going to be looking alot healthier. I may sporadically put up a review of some of these beers on this thread, as alot of thos eI bought back I have never even tried. I wont tell you where my cellar is located, incase someone goes and raids it :lol: I have to keep it several hours drive from me, so I cannot raid it myself! Anyway, here are all the beers I bought back with me.
Thanks for reading, and I hope ya's have a better idea of what beers to try if ya ever get the chance to head over that way.
All the best
Trent


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## sam (31/8/07)

Quite the trip Trent. I'm looking forward to getting into the states some more.

A quick question, how much beer can you bring back from Canada to Australia per person?

And living in Vancouver, 3 blocks from Brewery Creek, I can confirm, this is the best bottlo in BC fer sure. They just got in some of the Flying Dog stuff and Rogue, including the imperial 2007 stout and imp. IPA in the ceramic bottles. Trying the IPA tonight. Yeah.


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## Trent (31/8/07)

Sam - / rant on
Considering australia is supposed to be a nation of beer drinkers, we have some strange rules regarding how much beer you can bring in. Years back, before Lil' Johnny and Uncle Pete "reformed" our taxes and stuff, you were allowed to bring in the equivelant of one carton of beer, or 2 bottles (1.5L) of spirits. NOW, since their "reforms", you are allowed to bring in 3 bottles of spirits, or 3 bottles of beer. Tell me THATS not encouraging binge drinking. Sadly, you will have to declare all the alcohol you have in your posession, and dont try and get away with it, cause everything gets x-rayed coming back into the country now. They have some crazy system on how much it will cost, basedc on the amount of alcohol in each beer x the volume x the amount of bottles x their alcohol excise (very expensive IMO). Then they add onto that what they think all these beers cost you, then take 10% of that total, and add that "fake GST" to your excise total, and hey presto - you may have to mortgage the house. 
Still, better to have to pay the excise and have a great cellar, than be stuck drinking VB. Its the same alcohol tax system that see's micro brew here prohibitively expensive, and needs to be upgraded badly. Anyone know wher ethat petition is on this site? / rant off
All the best
Trent


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## goatherder (31/8/07)

Great thread Trent, I've enjoyed every post. You're living my dream...


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## Trent (21/9/07)

Gday lads
I am just trying one of the beers I bought back, and as promised, I will update some of them for you (dont hate me!). I have cracked one that my mate Blake sent me home with as a gift - a $US15 bottle of Allagash Curieux "ale aged in oak bourbon barrels". At 11% I was expecting a big beer, and what I got didnt disappoint, though it has kinda amazed me a little. I can see why my mate spends 15 a bottle, in the land of $3-5 imperial beers (650mL bottle) This beer is a 750mL monster, pours a light amber, slightly hazy, with a dense, long lastiung white head. First thing you smell is the oak, it has an almost indescribable spiciness, that is prominent and subtle at the same time. I have had other oaked beers that smelt (and tasted) like liquid wood, but this is different. You get the woody spiciness, then some sweet malt, and another aroma that is very hard to put your finger on. After my first sip, I can tell you that aroma is bourbon! It doesnt really smell very strongly of bourbon, but jeez, can you taste it :beerbang: It isnt even on the front of your palate, but after you have swallowed, about 3 seconds after, you get the taste in your mouth like you have been drinking straight Jack Daniels (only way to drink it in my opinion), and it is incredibly smooth. Starts out sweet, then you get that woody spiciness, medium-moderate bitterness and then you can taste the oak. A few seconds later, it is the bourbon, and some fairly strong (yet not really hot) alcohol prescense that warms the throat as it slides down. There is alot going on in this beer, and it is fairly hard to describe properly. Despite the moderate bitterness, the sweetness isnt cloying, cause it is "bittered" with the oak, and the alcohol presence seems to dry it out a touch. It is extremely complex,and I wish that I had've bought a dozen for the cellar! At about $AUS20 a bottle, it is much better value than most wines, and WAY more complex. Almost feels like a waste to drink it like I am, but I will enjoy it none the less.
I am kinda glad I didnt have this beer over there, as I woulda had to bring at least 6 home, on top of the 19 beers I already did, and the Rose de ganmbrinus woulda had a contender for "beer of the trip" title. I would have to say this is the bext beer I have had on Aussie soil. Anyone going through the states, FIND THIS BEER!!!!
I think I may have said it before in this thread (and to anyone who would listen to me in the states), but OH! the cellar I would have if I lived over there. Imagine if all the $5 bottles of shiraz out here were the quality of grange hermitage - THATS the kind of cellar I would have....
All the best, and sorry if i am starting to drivel, it IS 11% you know!
Trent


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