Thursday, August 25, 2011

Oh Boy, We've Got a Busy Weekend Ahead

I'm not just talking about drifter workers like myself; Even you sixty hour a week crazy career people should take the time to enjoy the new beers that are begging to spend the weekend with you.

Konichiwa bitches! That's what this Stone collaboration would say if it could talk. Even without a voice, it speaks volumes above the other recent collaboration brews Stone has done. The Japanese Green Tea IPA was done with Baird Brewing out of Japan and Ishii Brewing out of Guam and all proceeds from sales of this beer go to relief programs for the recent Japanese tsunami. The Japanese Green Tea IPA is brewed with Sencha green tea and Crystal hops, along with seldom used Pacifica and French Aramis hops and finished with Japanese Sorachi Ace hops, It is really a Double IPA, at 9.2% ABV and 70 IBUs. It also has the unfortunate visual of a beer filled with sea monkeys, as there are floaties galore in the 12 oz. bottle. Relax- it's just green tea leaves. If you have the guts to drink one of those sick-looking boba teas, you can handle this beer. $3.99 a bottle.

The 15th Anniversary of Stone beers brings a reminder of the 11th Anniversary Ale, as both are in the "Black IPA" category. This one is a monster 10.8% ABV though, compared to the 8.7% ABV of the 11th Anniversary. This one also features Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops along with Columbus and Pacific Jade. It is also officially called "15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA", a jab at the Pacific Northwest's claim of "Cascadian" relating to any Black IPA, with Escondido being home to Stone. I had this tonight and could only wonder what a great beer it could be without the dark malts involved. I have to admit I'm not a fan of Black IPAs in general, preferring a lean malt-billed IPA instead. That being said, it is a very good beer, somehow hiding that 10.8% ABV. A very easy drinking DIPA that retails for $6.99 per 22 oz. bottle. I found that if I drank the beer very cold that the hops were still pronounced, while the chocolately malts were more subdued and made the beer much more enjoyable for me.

Last in our weekend warmup is another collaboration, this one between the breweries of New Belgium and...Clutch? What does a Baltimore-area band know about brewing? Maybe it's those brewers beards they sport. I know that members of the band went to tour the New Belgium facility only to find that the brewery was closed. Lucky that they ran into New Belgium brewer Eric Salazar at a restaurant and the next thing you know, they were brewing a beer together. Wish that kind of thing could have happened the first time I went to Falling Rock Tap House in Denver years ago when I showed up but they were closed for the first time in forever for a company party. If I had Clutch's luck, I would be drinking free beer at Falling Rock for life. Sour grapes aside (for the briefest of moments), this beer is a, whaddya you know...Sour. A Sour Stout, to be more precise- a blend of chocolate, coffee, and black malts and dark wood-aged bacterical beauties. The result is the 9% ABV Clutch, available in 22 oz. bottles for $8.99. Enjoy the weekend!

3 comments:

DanM said...

Where can I buy all these beers in ABQ?

ABQbeergeek said...

Jubilation and all the Kelly Liquors should have them by now.

Deckstar said...

You can get Stone's 15th Anniversary on draft at both O'Niell's locations. Limited supply, so get it soon!