Top Shelf Thursday, January 2014

Alright, back into the swing of things.  2014 has not been terribly hospitable so far, what with sub-zero temps & all the havoc they can wreak, but here at The House we’re trying to re-establish our routine following the crazy celebratory upheaval of December.  Our taplist consolidation is complete, we just got our supply of Nugget Nectar in, & we christened January with a Top Shelf Thursday featuring breweries never before included in one of the tastings.  New beer for a New Year!

We popped the tops on some lighter brews to start things off, like the Four from Portland, Oregon’s Upright Brewing.  This Franco-Belgian-style farmhouse ale came across crisp, earthy, & pretty dry, incorporating Oregon-grown ingredients.  Both Four & the subsequent AleWerks Caledonia weighed in at only 4.5% ABV, packing a lot of flavor into small packages.  Caledonia is described as a “Scottish-style India Pale Ale” – we couldn’t figure out what that meant, exactly, but may have had to do with a stronger malt profile bracing the hops.

The heat rose only incrementally with Kili Wit, a Belgian-style white from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales made with Oregonian hops & African spices.  Logsdon has garnered a lot of attention for their funky farmhouse ales, & the Kili packed a subtle but surprising tartness that nicely complemented the traditional seasonings.  Our path continued in the Belgo-American vein with Pyrus Saison from St. Louis’ 4 Hands Brewing.  The use of pear juice brought a sweetness to the fore, while the addition of orange zest & white peppercorns melded well with the naturally spicy notes of the farmhouse yeast strain.  And speaking of yeast: Lambickx Kriek, from importers Vanberg  DeWulf, hit chords of all kinds of microfloral harmony.  This cherry-aged lambic, blended by Don Feinberg of Brewery Ommegang, delivered the sour & funk with some deep, dark, juicy & nutty notes from the fruit.

We veered into “snowy night” territory & the alcohol climbed with Blind Spot, an 8.2% winter warmer from High Water Brewing.  While some found the addition of cardamom, dried ginger, star anise, & grains of paradise overwhelming, others pleasantly likened the blend to a comforting molasses cookie.  The bear hugs continued with Velvet Glove from Iron Fist Brewing (“An iron fist in a velvet glove” – get it?).  The use of oatmeal in this imperial stout gave it a smooth, easy texture that hid the 9% ABV remarkably.  And what could be cozier than the smoke & whiskey notes of Smoked & Oaked from Epic Brewing?  This Belgian-style strong ale was made with cherry wood-smoked malt & aged in whiskey barrels for a beer that evokes an evening by the fireplace (sipping on a potent drink).

Though it took nine courses in the flight to get here, it just wouldn’t be a Top Shelf Thursday if we didn’t reach ABVs in the double digits.  Few in attendance were new to St. Bernardus Abt 12, part of the holy trinity of Belgian quads – nor was anyone complaining.  This complex-yet-delicate abbey ale engendered a lot of discussion & differing opinions on its merits compared to Rochefort 10 & Westy 12.  And what better way to wrap things up than with Wulver, the bourbon barrel-aged wee heavy from Thirsty Dog?  The heavy caramel malt of the strong Scottish-style ale married seamlessly with the vanilla & oak of the wood, & just makes you go “Mmmmm…”.

After a break in December, it was nice easing back into things with some friendly beer & friendlier faces.  As always, many thanks to all who ventured out & had a good time.  Doesn’t look like Old Man Winter plans on giving us a break any day soon, so it might be time to kick up the heat a few notches come February (barleywine, anyone?).