Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel No. 2 Review

Brewery: Saint Arnold | Beer: Bishop's Barrel No. 2
Style: Old Ale | ABV: 7.8% | IBUs: 13
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Time for a fresh old Saint Arnold beer, as we have a new Bishop's Barrel release to review. Bishop's Barrel is Saint Arnold's new experimental barrel-aged series, and the second installment just dropped. I was a big fan of the first release, so I've been looking forward to trying this one.

Luckily for me, it was released on President's Day and I had the day off, so I braved the elements and waited again outside Petrol Station here in Houston with a rowdy crew of beer geeks and was able to score a few bottles to bring home.

This time around, we have Saint Arnold's Christmas Ale (an Old Ale) aged with cherries in Chardonnay barrels. It was brewed in November 2011, racked that December, and finally bottled earlier this month (February 2013). 54 barrels were aged, yielding 1,146 cases of finished product.

When it came time to bottle, the brewers discovered that two of the barrels had taken on Brettanomyces wild yeast character, while another two barrels had taken on sour lactic bacteria character. Instead of dumping these barrels, after testing they were added to the final blend, and will hopefully add a little funk to the proceedings.

Saint Arnold describe the finished product as:

[L]ight malt up front, chardonnay in the middle and finishes try with a distinct tartness. The cherry throughout is a light note, never dominating.

A funky barrel aged beer from my hometown? Let's get to it!

Appearance: A hazy red-orange body with bright orange highlights. Up top, a half a finger of whitish head burns out almost instantly, leaving the faintest ring around the edge and no lacing.

Aroma: Sweet, tart, musty juicy cherries over biscuity malt and mild barrel character.

Taste: A mix of tart, sweet, and juicy cherries, white wine, caramel malt, vanilla and oak from the barrels, and just a hint of spicy booze. There’s a lot going on here, but everything is balanced rather nicely. Juicy cherry and biscuity malt in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with velvety-smooth medium carbonation and a drying finish.

Drinkability: Goes back about as you’d expect given the style and alcohol content.

Verdict: Bishop’s Barrel 2 is an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable beer. There’s less barrel character than the last release, but it’s still all rather solid and a total departure from the base Christmas Ale. I was hoping for a bit more funk and/or sour character, but when am I not?

Grade: A-

Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel No. 1 Review

Brewery: Saint Arnold | Beer: Bishop's Barrel No. 1
Style: Russian Imperial Stout | ABV: 12.0% | IBUs: 49
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Saint Arnold has been busy substantially increasing its portfolio substantially over the last few years. Along with new year-round and occasional brews, they've created two new series to accompany their Divine Reserve series. The first is Icon, originally conceived as a series of new beers iconic of their respective style. The second is Bishop's Barrel, a collection of inventive small-batch beers that have been graced with a period of barrel aging.

For now, Saint Arnold is releasing Bishop's Barrel via bars and restaurants. I've heard the logic is that this will help reward their loyal on-premise accounts and cut down on hoarding. Luckily for me some of these accounts chose to sell their bottles to-go and I was able to scoop up the first release after lining up outside Petrol Station here in Houston with a bunch of other beer geeks.

First in the Bishop's Barrel series is a big Russian Imperial Stout aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels. It was brewed in December 2011, racked in January 2012, and finally bottled in October 2012. Only 48 barrels were aged, resulting in just 948 cases, hardly enough to satiate the Saint Arnold army.

Saint Arnold describe the finished product as:

A pleasant sipping beer with the bourbon both present but not overpowering as you work your way through the glass. Oddly easy to drink for a beer this strong.

Let's crack open the barrel and see what lies inside.

Appearance: An inky black body with the subtlest of red highlights around the edge. Up top, half a finger of tannish head that fades in average time, leaving good lacing.

Aroma: Dark chocolate, molasses, licorice, booze, and a hell of a lot of barrel character with plenty of oak and vanilla.

Taste: The base beer has a decent amount of the typical dark chocolate, dark coffee, and dark malt Imperial Stout flavors, but is on the less-intense side. Again, there’s lots of big barrel on the edge (vanilla, oak, and full-on bourbon). Everything meshes well. The booze is masked well; it’s apparent throughout, but kept in check considering the amount here. Dark toasty grain, oak, and a hint of booze in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with velvety smooth medium carbonation and just a little warmth from the booze. Lighter in body than most of the style.

Drinkability: Drinks just a little faster than the healthy double-digit alcohol content and style would suggest.

Verdict: As a showcase for barrel aging, Bishop’s Barrel is off to a strong start with number one, as there’s heaps of barrel character all around this beer. I’m in love with the barrel character, but the base beer is just a little too thin in flavor and body for this to get absolute top marks. Can’t wait to see how this ages and what’s up next from the series.

Grade: A

Note: While this review is being published in 2013, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh in 2012.

While Waiting For New Reviews, Enjoy A Baby Goat

New reviews are on the way. In the meantime, check out the latest addition to the PintLog/Gray Stables empire, a Nubian buckling born yesterday.

We're getting him started on the good stuff, with his first milk bottle being an old Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale bottle. 

Want more adorable goat-ness or to learn more about the exiting world of dairy goats? Check out our site all about Nubian goats in Houston.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron Review

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewery | Beer: Palo Santo Marron
Style: American Brown Ale | ABV: 12.0% | IBUs: 50
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

There exists deep in the Paraguayan forests, a wood known as palo santo, or "holy wood." It's exceptionally strong, tough, and dense, with an interesting resinous character. When Sam and the gang at Dogfish heard about this stuff, they knew they had to brew up a beer to use with it.

They came up with an incredibly high-gravity brown ale strong enough to stand up to the wood. According to a video distributed with the first packs of Palo Santo Marron, the ingredient list is as follows. Chocolate, Crystal, and Black malt along with a dash of wheat create the backbone. As for hops, we're looking at Warrior, Glacier, and Palisade varieties. Everything is brought to life with a Scottish Ale yeast strain.

To imbue the resulting beer with the palo santo goodness, Dogfish crafted a massive tank built of the wood to ferment it in. This tank sits next to two other oak tanks of the same size. Clocking in at 10,000 gallons each, these tanks are the biggest wood brewing vessels built in America since Prohibition.

I've filed it under the American Brown Ale category, but as big and bad as this baby is, you could make a case for it being an American Strong Ale or even an American Imperial Brown Ale (kidding!).

Here's how Dogfish describe the finished product:

An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented Brown Ale. [H]ighly roasty and malty [with] caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this ale.

It's a little off-topic, but this bottle cap is one of best looking I've ever seen. So, there's that. Anyway, let's pry off that beautiful cap and dive in, shall we?

Appearance: A thick, inky black body that only lets a trace amount of red-hued light escape. It’s capped by a finger of rich tan head that leaves a few patches of lacing. Far from brown, this looks more like an Imperial Stout than a Brown Ale.

Aroma: Boozy, woody and malty; this is complex and inviting.

Taste: I’ve never heard of Palo Santo wood before, but from what I can tell it has a similar effect on beer that more plebeian woods do, that is to say it lends the brew vanilla and “woody” notes. There’s also plenty of character coming from the alcohol, but despite the massive percentage, it never dominates the flavor profile. While this is far from a traditional Brown Ale, I can see this family resemblance. I suppose you could call the beer underlying all of the fireworks a Brown Ale on steroids, or in the parlance of our time, an “Imperial Brown.” The aftertaste is a brilliant mix of oaky and boozy notes.

Mouthfeel: A somewhat syrupy, full body with decent carbonation and some good burn coming from the alcohol.

Drinkability: Solidly in sipper territory thanks to the profile and alcohol content, this is a beer that demands your attention.

Verdict: I had high hopes for this beer, and they certainly didn’t go unfulfilled. Palo Santo Marron is a big, bad brew with plenty of complexity and personality coming from the wood and booze. A twelve percent Brown Ale aged on exotic Paraguayan wood is the kind of madness we’ve come to expect from Dogfish, and the result is just as good too. I can’t wait to see how this ages in the cellar.

Grade: A

Budweiser Select 55 Review

Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc. | Beer: Budweiser Select 55
Style: American Adjunct Light Lager | ABV: 2.4% | IBUs: ~7
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into Pilsener glass

The lightest beer in the world. Oh, boy.

In what appears to be the last stop in the race to the bottom that is the low-calorie beer war, Bud Select 55 has reigned supreme as the lightest beer in the world since its introduction back in 2009. It clocks in at 55 calories (duh) and 1.9 grams of carbs. Pretty sure I've had water more fattening than that on occasion.

AB doesn't provide any information on the ingredient bill besides mentioning "caramel malts and a blend of imported and domestic hopping." Here's how they describe the profile:

Select 55 has a light golden color and offers aroma notes of toasted malt and subtle hopping.

I'm trying my best not to be condescending here (I swear). I suppose these types of beer serve a purpose. I must keep an open mind.

Alright, let's pop the top on this lightweight and see what it's like to drink a beer with the caloric content of three Cheetos and a stick of gum.

Appearance: A perfectly clear golden-straw body capped by about a finger of white head that fizzles out quickly and leaves just a hint of sudsy lacing.

Aroma: A faint and watery mix of sweet grains and a hint of grassy hops.

Taste: A twangy and sweetish rice body accompanied by some weak, almost-implied grassy bitterness. A crisp, clean, and damn-near flavorless aftertaste. Have you ever had Bud Light? How about water? Mix ‘em up and this is pretty much what you get.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with sharp carbonation.

Drinkability: Besides the fact that it’s bland, industrial beer-water this is a highly drinkable summbitch.

Verdict: If you want a buzz without too many calories, Bud Light already exists. If you don’t like the taste of beer, there are plenty of alternatives out there. If you want to cut the flavor, calorie count, and alcohol content off a Bud Light in half, potable tap water is available in almost all American households. So why the hell does this exist?

Grade: D-

Bell's Two Hearted Ale Review

Brewery: Bell's Brewery, Inc. | Beer: Two Hearted Ale
Style: American India Pale Ale | ABV: 7.0% | IBUs: ~50
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Highly rated beers not available here in Texas are like forbidden fruit for me. I pine for them, add them to a sad little wishlist, and wait patiently for the brewery to start distributing them here. Sometimes though, through various means I won't go into, an unavailable beer sneaks over state lines and I get my grubby little paws on a bottle or two.

That was the case with Bell's Two Hearted Ale. Bell's garner lots of buzz for a host of different beers, including a pair of IPAs: Two Hearted and Hop Slam (a Double IPA). Both have been on my wishlist for years, and a while back, a few bottles of Two Hearted found their way into my possession.

Backing up a bit, let's take a quick look at Bell's themselves. Dating back to 1985 when it was founded by Larry Bell, Bell's is one of the true pioneers of American craft brewing. The company was originally known as the Kalamazoo Brewing Company, named after the city the brewery was founded i, but changed their name to Bell's in 2005 to reflect what consumers called the brewery. They currently brew up a deep portfolio of well over 20 different beers.

Getting back to the beer at hand, it's worth noting Bell's are pretty stingy with the details here. They don't let slip the malt bill, but do note that the only hop used is the Centennial variety, which is employed during brewing, then again for a course of dry-hopping.

Bell's describe the finished product thusly:

Two Hearted Ale is defined by its intense hop aroma and malt balance. [A] remarkably drinkable American-style India Pale Ale.

Well it's been quite a wait, but let's dig into the illicitly totally legitimately sourced beer, shall we?

Appearance: A hazy golden-orange body capped by about two fingers of densely-packed off-white head that fades slowly and leaves brilliant lacing.

Aroma: Lots of juicy, citrusy, and slightly leafy hops over a caramel malt body. It sounds strange, but I get shades or fresh orange juice from time to time.

Taste: Up front, the mildly bitter hops lead the charge and are again juicy, citrusy, and a little leafy. Underneath, there’s a solid biscuity malt body keeping everything grounded. It’s balanced rather nicely, though the focus is (rightly) on the hops. That moderately-high alcohol content is totally masked. Biscuity malt and juicy in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation and a drying finish.

Drinkability: This goes back without any issue whatsoever, and would probably make a great session choice if it wasn’t for the slightly beefy alcohol content.

Verdict: It’s clear why Two Hearted has built such a great reputation; this is just a straightforward, well-crafted, and satisfying American IPA. After this introduction to Bell’s I can’t wait to try another of their beers.

Grade: A+

Anchor Humming Ale Review

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Co. | Beer: Humming Ale
Style: American Pale Ale | ABV: 5.9% | IBUs: 65
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass
Anchor's newest seasonal, Humming Ale hit the package market back in 2010 and slots in as the fall seasonal. Fall beers are usually pumpkin related or malty, so it's always nice to see something that bucks the trend like this American Pale Ale.

Humming is actually a well-established beer term with ancient roots. Instead of a specific style, it refers to a strong, effervescent beer with plenty of character, or just a damn good pint.

As for construction of this particular brew, Humming is built with Two-Row Pale malt and is hopped and dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin hops. Nelson Sauvin is a relatively new variety (developed in 2000) out of New Zealand with a fruity profile and can be used for bittering, flavor, and aroma.

Anchor is rather spare with the language when it comes to describing Humming, saying only that it is:

[B]old, frothy, effervescent ale, with hints of citrus.

Perhaps it speaks for itself. Let's get cracking and see if this is is really a humming brew.

Appearance: A golden body capped by two fingers of creamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves great patchy lacing.

Aroma: Lightly spicy and citrusy hops over a mild biscuity malt body.

Taste: Very similar to what the nosed promised, the profile is composed of juicy, delicately spicy, and moderately bitter hops over a calm biscuity malt backbone. Everything is balanced excellently. Husky grain and lingering bitter hops in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and a little creamy with medium carbonation and a drying finish.

Drinkability: Supremely drinkable, Humming is a great accompaniment to an early fall evening.

Verdict: A new Anchor beer is always something to look forward to, and Humming Ale doesn’t disappoint. It has all of the trademark deceptive simplicity, drinkability, balance, and craftsmanship you’ve come to expect from Fritz and the gang.

Grade: A-

Note: While this review is being published in winter, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh in fall.