Dogfish Head Oak-Aged Noble Rot Review

Name: Dogfish Head Oak-Aged Noble Rot

Style: Saison

ABV: 9%

IBUs: 18

On a recent visit to Wisconsin, I managed to grab a beer from Dogfish Head that I've actually been meaning to try out for a while and that beer is Oak-Aged Noble Rot. Now I know it's a pretty recent beer but the standard issue Noble Rot has been available for a few years now. Each time I'm able to get Dogfish Head, I always try to get something from them but sometimes the selection is slim pickings.

So what is Noble Rot? Well it's a Saison made with grapes and the name itself comes from a fungus that affects white grapes, which I believe is used in the brewing process. This will also be the second grape-based beer that I've had from Dogfish Head, with the first being their Sixty One, which I mistook for their Sixty Minute IPA back when I first acquired it. Needless to say, I'm curious to see how this turns out and, if anything, hoping it doesn't turn out similar to Sixty One.

Appearance - Fairly clear bright yellow color with no visible carbonation to speak of. The head is quite fizzy upon initial pour and doesn't stick around long and there's also no lacing to speak of left behind.

Aroma - White grapes and light funk mixed in with some Belgian Yeasts. In fact, I feel like I'm whiffing some Pinot Grigio right now.

Taste - White grapes, oak and Belgian yeasts make an appearance upfront, with some mild grape must and light lacto-funk towards the back. The aftertaste, fittingly enough, is rather dry save for a light mustiness that is reminiscent of white wine.

I know that Dogfish Head has always wanted to bridge the gap between beer and wine and as far as this goes, this is without a doubt the closest I've seen that happen so far. It looks, smells, and even tastes like a Pinot Grigio but there's also enough difference in the flavor to remind you that this is also still very much a beer.

As for myself, I enjoyed it and I think any seasoned craft beer fan looking for something different will more than likely find something to enjoy about this. Hell, I'll even go as far to say that wine aficionados will find this appealing.

Dogfish Head Oak-Aged Noble Rot - 9/10

New Glarus Smoke on the Porter Review

Name: New Glarus Smoke on the Porter
Style: Baltic Porter
ABV: 6.1%
IBUs: N/A

It's been over two years since I've reviewed a New Glarus beer, even though they are one of the most reviewed breweries on this website. So on my trip to Wisconsin, I managed to grab a four pack of their newest Thumbprint Series called Smoke on the Porter, which is a Baltic (Smoked) Porter and takes its name from a classic Deep Purple song. It's also been a good while since I've had a Baltic Porter, so let's try this out, shall we?

Appearance - Pitch black with no visible carbonation. The head is khaki colored and quite thin and there's not really any lacing left behind.

Aroma - Smoked and roasted malts with some dark chocolate notes and just a touch of bitter hops.

Taste - Smoked malts and roasted barley that start in the front and linger throughout. In the middle is where I'm getting some dark chocolate notes while the back opens up to some mild dark fruitness (i.e. plums). As for the aftertaste, it's more smoked malts with light bitter hops.

What can I say, other than it's a great, vibrant tasting Baltic Porter? It's got smoke, roast and even some light fruit to give it an enjoyable and solid flavor. I need to make my way over to Wisconsin more often if New Glarus is pumping out beers like this!

New Glarus Smoke on the Porter - 9/10

Leinenkugel's Maple Dunkel Review

Name: Leinenkugel's Maple Dunkel
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager
ABV: 5.8%
IBUs: N/A

Now's a good of a time as any to get some more fall seasonal beers in before we have to put up with winter seasonals for the next 4-5 months and for this review I've got Maple Dunkel from Leinenkugel's, which I picked up as part of a mix-a-six the other day.

As you can tell it's a beer made with maple syrup but I'm getting conflicting reports as to what style of beer this is. Beer Advocate calls it a Munich Dunkel Lager while Untappd and Ratebeer refer to this as a Dunkelweizen. Let's see what my palate tells me....

Appearance - Fairly clear yet dark brown/red color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is quite fizzy and only leaves a thin brown film along the side of the and there's nothing here in terms of lacing

Aroma - Well I'm certainly getting some strong maple syrup notes in here along with some caramel maltiness and some mild toffee notes.

Taste - Maple syrup and caramel malts upfront with some lager yeasts, chocolate notes and light roastiness in back. As for the aftertaste, it's a mild roastiness paired with an even lighter maple syrup flavor.

A dunkelweizen this most certainly isn't, since those banana and clove notes are nowhere to be seen here. So the prize for getting the style correct goes to BeerAdvocate. In any case, this is a good drinkable beer that's certainly worth checking out should you happen to come across it and the maple syrup used is definitely a nice touch.

Leinenkugel's Maple Dunkel - 8/10

Able Seedhouse + Brewery First Light Review

Name: Able Seedhouse First Light
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 60

The other beer which I grabbed from Able Seedhouse & Brewery is their First Light IPA, which came in the form of a can much like Supergiant before it. I have no idea why it's called First Light but maybe it's keeping in the theme of light, the sun, stars. etc.

Appearance - Mildly hazy dark orange color with a moderate amount of visible carbonation. The head has a light amount of foam to it but the lacing is rather sparse.

Aroma - Sweet citrus and mango notes with some mild bitterness. I'm also getting some flaked barley and mild caramel maltiness in here too.

Taste - Strong citrus hop notes upfront with a just a touch of bitterness along with some moderate caramel malts and more flaked barley in the back. Aftertaste is surprisingly sweet with more citrus notes and some light bitter hoppiness.

It's not a particularly complex IPA but it's certainly a robust one at that and I also think it's one of the best IPAs to come out of Minnesota in quite some time. Availability is currently limited at this time, but this one is worth grabbing should you so happen to see it!

Able Seedhouse + Brewery First Light - 9/10

A visit to Modist Brewing Company

I've seem to have fallen into a habit recently of visiting taprooms that I have never been to before and writing about them. Oh well, it's something I enjoy doing and will continue to do so. This past Sunday, as I was drinking my morning coffee, I was trying to figure out how to make the most of the day when I decided to pay a visit to Modist Brewing after I remembered an exchange I had with a friend of mine about Modist Brewing and how I lamented that I had yet to check it out.

Located in the North Loop area of Minneapolis right by Target Field, Modist Brewing is the brainchild of Keigan Knee, a former brewer at Harriet Brewing & Dangerous Man Brewing. To my knowledge, they've been open for approximately six months and have developed a loyal following in the relatively short period of time. When I arrived, the streets were quiet and maybe a couple cars on the streets in the neighborhood but the open patio had a stream of music coming from the inside.

The taproom itself is quite roomy, with the tanks off to the right side of the room and the taproom itself is fairly wide open, complete with a great patio area . On top of that there was quite a selection to choose from. So I pulled up a barstool and mulled over what to get. The bartender (I don't remember her name) was quite knowledgeable about the beer and helped me decide what to treat myself to first.

German Fat Cap (6.5% ABV, 82 IBUs) - A hoppy Oktoberfest and the first beer I had since it IS October after all. You've got a nice citrus and bitter hop profile which is balanced out with some Munich malts and toffee sweetness. Unlike Hopzeit from Deschutes, which I found to be disappointing, German Fat Cap accomplished what Deschutes failed to do. Out of all of the Oktoberfest beers I've had this year, this is probably my favorite and once again serves as proof that Oktoberfest beers can indeed be interesting if done right.

Smoove (5.5% ABV, 26 IBUs) -  A salted caramel lager. That's a thing now, isn't it? I've had a salted caramel Brown Ale, strong ale, and even an Imperial Stout but not an amber lager. This one's got a nice, albeit light, salted caramel flavor mixed in with some toffee malts, light floral hops and a touch of lager yeasts. On top of that, it's also quite crisp and refreshing. Since it was in the mid 70's that day, it's a beer that fit the atmosphere quite well.

Toats (4.8% ABV, 38 IBUs) - A hoppy oats/session beer. This one had a nice citrus hop flavor along with some toasted oats (Hence the name,) light yeast notes and some pale malts. It's a nice session beer with just the right amount of hops without necessarily giving up too much of your sobriety and it does just that.

It's easy to see why Modist's following is quite loyal and I was impressed with the quality of the beers that were available there. It's a refreshing change of pace to visit some taprooms and not have to be worried about the quality of the beer being subpar.

I also went to the taproom shortly after 12PM so I went at a reasonably slow time but if you're ever in the North Loop area of Minneapolis, this place is definitely worth checking out and perfect for hanging out at on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Able Seedhouse + Brewery Supergiant Review

Name: Able Seedhouse + Brewery Supergiant
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: 18

On a recent trip to Zipp's in South Minneapolis, I was looking for some beers that aren't readily available in the suburbs when I noticed a new Minnesota-based brewery has just started canning their beers, and they go by the name Able Seedhouse & Brewery. As you may have guessed from the name, they make both ciders and beer, though I haven't seen their ciders available yet on the retail side.

For this review, we have their Supergiant Blonde Ale. Why the name? I'm not sure but I do know that Supergiant is a classification of star sizes, which I know courtesy of my 8th grade year astronomy class. I'd say it's probably a big Blonde Ale, but at 5.1% ABV, I hardly think that this classifies as a big beer.

Appearance - Fairly clear yellow color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty foamy and there's a good amount of lacing left behind.

Aroma - Floral hops and pale malts with some light yeasts and maybe just a touch of pilsner-earthiness.

Taste - Floral and bitter hops mixed in with pale malts and yeasts. The back end of the flavor consists mainly of bitter hops and some more pale malts and it lingers for a few moments afterward.

It's a blonde ale and it doesn't do anything I'd consider to be new but it's nice, crisp and drinkable. If you're looking for something that goes down easy after a long day at work, Supergiant is the beer for you.

Able Seedhouse + Brewery Supergiant - 8/10

A visit to Oliphant Brewing

The last new brewery I visited last weekend was a brewery that has actually been around for quite a while and I had heard a ton of good things about their beers and the sheer creativity that these guys were known for. I'm, of course, talking about Oliphant Brewing located in Somerset, WI; The same town where my high school graduating class went for an over night camping party after our last day of high school.

We went right after hanging out at Pitchfork Brewing to watch the Packers game and met up with a couple of acquaintances we had sat with at Pitchfork. The best way I can describe Oliphant is like this: If you were to put a 14 year-old version me in charge of naming beers at a brewery, Oliphant Brewing embodies that. You've got references to Aliens, Arrested Development, Wayne's World, Macho Man Randy Savage, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force just to name a few. I've also heard that they've made beers with references to Dragon Ball Z, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, and many others that I probably am missing. I'll just let the picture below speak for itself.

As you can see from above, there's quite a few beers to choose from so I did the first thing that came naturally: order a complete flight of the beers on the list. As the first half was brought out to me, the bartender (nice guy, don't remember his name) rattled off what each of the beers were and gave me a brief overview of all of them.

With the task ahead of me, I got to work right away.

Facehugger Fiesta Pale Lager (5% ABV) - Light palt malts with some floral & light bitter hops throughout with a mildly yeasty but otherwise dry aftertaste. Nothing special but it's quite refreshing.

Party On Wayne Blonde Ale (7% ABV) - Yeasty and pale malt flavor profile with some floral hops to balance it all out. For a blonde ale, it's quite heavy for what it is in terms of alcohol content but it manages to be solid without any apparent booziness. Party on, indeed!

Milkman Manbaby (6.8% ABV) - Described as a "German-Style Milk Stout", this beer is brewed with a Hefeweizen yeast strain and I have to say I have never had a milk stout quite like this. Sure you've got your chocolate malts, lactose and roasted barley, but surrounding all that is a banana & cloves flavor brought on by the Hefeweizen yeast and, oddly enough, it works quite well. I'm sure something like this has been done elsewhere before but this is my first time having anything like this and I love it!

Big Jilm (5.1% ABV) - An English Brown Ale. I had to do some research for the name of this beer, but apparently it's a song by Ween, a band I know of only because of my stoner roommate from my freshman year in college. Here you've got some roasted barley and chocolate malts but I'm also getting some light rye notes in here as well. Nothing remarkable but drinkable nevertheless.

Hunk Boy Robust Porter (5.5% ABV) - Named in honor of the late MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE, this beer has a nice solid roasted barley and dark chocolate malt flavor with some mild smokiness, giving it a Schwarzbier-like quality but with a heavier body. True to its name, it's indeed a robust porter and a great one at that.

Ant Ray Cow Pants (7.6% ABV) - A Red Ale with Spices. In here, I got some strong ginger and toffee maltiness, paired with some allspice, bitter hops, and nutmeg notes with a light hint of caramel sweetness. It's in interesting combination, but much like Manbaby, this one works wonderfully!

Yara (6.6% ABV) - An IPA made with Citra & Galaxy Hops. I initially thought that this beer was named after Yara Greyjoy from Game of Thrones, but the bartender was quick to correct me in saying that it actually wasn't and told me the reason behind the name, which is now lost on me. The nose has a perfume like aroma while the palate has a nice citrus and piney hop flavor back up by caramel malts and light toffee sweetness. Nothing I haven't seen in an IPA before, but this is a damned good beer!

The Ancient Bonesaber of Zumakalis (8% ABV) - Called a Foreign Export Stout (i.e. Guinness) and takes its name from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Here you've got roasted barley with some chocolate malts and light floral hoppiness. It's a stronger version of Guinness but a good one at that.

Gobias Coffee Black Ale (8.5% ABV) - An Arrested Development beer? My life is now complete! Nice coffee ground notes paired with a hefty chocolate malt backbone and roasted barley. It's heavy on the coffee and that's just fine by me!

Imperial Brown Sugar Brown Brown (8% ABV) - This one was remarkably similar to Capital Brewing's Jobu, which I reviewed a couple years back, being that they were both Imperial Brown Ales aged in Rum Barrels. Here you've got chocolate and caramel notes with some prominent oakiness and vanilla bean notes along with some light floral hoppiness.

Even though it's been well over a year since I returned to the Twin Cities, I am kicking myself for not checking these guys out sooner. Sure I've had one of their beers in the form of a crowler last year, but I never took it upon myself to check these guys out. Now that I have, I am hooked. What I liked about Oliphant is that each beer had their own unique personality and the sheer creativity I saw at work has made this one of my favorite taprooms that I have visited in recent memory. It goes without saying that I will definitely be back again the in near future to check out what other offerings these guys have to offer.

When American Sky was bought out by North Loop (AKA Lucid) and closed down in Hudson last year, I was heartbroken by this because their taproom was quite awesome. Even though I will always remember American Sky, the presence of Oliphant in the immediate area makes up for American Sky's absence. If you're looking for a taproom with beers that are unique, approachable, and oozing of personality, then Oliphant is the brewery for you.