Sisyphus 2008 and 2011 Barleywine by Real Ale Brewing

Hope everyone, or at least their spouse, had a good Valentines Day,

For myself, it included a trip to the store to pick up flowers, my wife’s favorite beer, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, and a healthy dose of a number of different flu and cold medications for myself.

Luckily my cold has broken for the most part, and as my reward for joining the ranks of the working dregs, I have decided to open a couple bottles of Real Ale Brewing Company’s Sisyphus, a bottle from 2008 that was gifted to me by my brother and another from 2011, bought last week from Central Market in Southlake, TX. 

The bottle from 2008, which is to date the only intentionally aged bottle of beer I’ve had the opportunity to drink, pours out a nice amber hue that is cloudy with minimal signs of active carbonation outside of the dense, silver dollar thick head that formed.

Reminiscent of artisanal honey, the up front bouquet of this barlywine style ale is sweet with a floral and fruit like essence.

Carried on a thick, syrupy body, the flavors of the 2008 variety offers a strong honey sweetness that is augmented by light clove, green apple, and caramel notes, creating a very busy profile on the palate.

Where the ’08 bottle is somewhat overpowering with a bright, saccharine profile, the ’11 example is more balanced and refined.

As the first bottle knocked out the olfactory glands with aromas, the latter is quite a bit subtler, only suggesting malt and floral hoppiness, as opposed to beating the drinker over the head.

Pouring out with a less impressive crown, more active carbonation and greater translucency is present than in the older bottle of Sisyphus, but is similarly hued.

With a more medium bodied mouthfeel, the primary notes are of a caramel maltiness with an almost strawberry like tilt. While still sweet, a nice, welcomed somewhat floral bitterness adds a wonderful sharpness to the back end that I feel was lacking in the earlier bottle.

Ultimately though, the wide range of flavors, complexity, and overall quality put in both of these beers is wonderful, and make this a limited release ale that is a must grab when I see the next year’s offering.

Prost!

Snowmageddon (2012) by Rahr and Sons' Brewery

Welcome back to Pope Crisco's Intoxico,

Today was a wonderful, uncomplicated day for myself as it was a day off from work without that awkward call to the boss to feign illness to cover a need for release from the hoards of the ignorant masses that failed to read the numerous documents outlined in their mortgage agreements.

This morning, in the comfort of my own home and pajamas, I submitted a few resumes, and then worked on modifying a few aspects of my blog that I thought would be for the better.

To top off what has so far been a very pleasurable day, I am enjoying a midday craft beer, Rahr and Sons' seasonal offering Snowmaggedon. This beer, part of the brewery's “to thee series,” is an American /double imperial stout that was brewed by the Ft. Worth institution in tribute to the collapse of their roof after an unusual snowstorm in February of 2010, and the people who helped in the recovery.

Pouring the beer into a fashionable Rahr and Sons' pint glass (you can get your own and a sampling of their fine beers at their brewery tours) a chocolate colored head forms atop a dark, black ale that lacks any translucence what-so-ever. The head starts off strong, but dissipates to a dimes width quickly. Despite the minimal head, lots of pretty, sticky lacing mark the glass as the brew is consumed.

Aromas of toffee with a slight, floral hoppiness come off the freshly poured beer.

The initial sip of beer is full of toffee and dark chocolate notes that develop into a warm, toasted coffee like flavor. On the back end of the palate a raspberry sensation mingles with a slight alcohol hotness, that is not altogether unexpected due to the ale's 10% ABV.

Snowmageddon is a good, decent beer, but does not excite this drinker as much as the other big beers offered by this brewery.

Before leaving, please look at the new outlay of this blog, and let me know if it’s an improvement or not, and why. I appreciate your time, and input.

Prost!

Bottle Caps Needed!!

Hello all in the beer blogging and drinking community,

Currently I am working on a small "set" to display my reviewed beers that will include a backdrop of beer  bottle caps, and while I am collecting quite a few on my own, the quantity and variety i am looking for will be easier to obtain with your help.

What do you get out of it?
Well, I can offer an honorable mention to all, and if 18 and in the United States, I am willing to put the names of submitters into a drawing for a few cigars.

If interested in helping me, please email me at intoxicobeer@gmail.com with the header "Bottle Caps" for details.

Thanks for your support!

Ass Kisser Double IPA by Ass Kisser Ale

Well, after a busy week at work, Friday is finally here. Looking forward to a weekend full of Rahr and Sons’ beer, tomorrow being the anniversary of their roof collapse during a freak snowstorm in 2010. They will be having festivities, including a run for people without the common sense to drive cars, and their brewery tour, which is one of the best ways to spend a weekend afternoon in Cowtown with the missus. 

Partly to celebrate the coming of the weekend, and partly to get this done before I am ravaged by a cold that is knocking at my door, I am popping the top off of an Ass Kisser Double IPA by Ass Kisser Ales (although brewed under contract by Rahr And Sons’ of Fort Worth, TX.)

Pouring the bomber into an imperial pint glass, the beer settles and reveals a dark orange hued beverage that is as cloudy as it is full of agitated, tiny bubbles of carbonation.    A wonderfully frothy, off-white head is formed, and as the beer goes down my gullet, stays true, and creates a well-defined striation of lacing on the sides of its vessel.

The nose of this libation is full of spicy hop notes, backed up by a warm, yeast, or biscuit like aroma.

As the first sip of this fermentable mingles with my taste buds and my moustache, nice, pointed floral hop bitterness is enjoyed. As the tartness subsides, a nice caramel malt backend gives the beer a pleasant grapefruit and tangerine body. This flavor is wrapped in a velvet mouthfeel that dries out as it’s consumed.

Tomorrow, barring a freak internet outage I should be uploading a review of Rahr and Sons’ 2012 Snowmageddon. Until then, keep drinking!

Prost!

Big Swell IPA by Maui Brewing Company

Well, I have wasted another day of my life at a job that sucks the soul out of me, but I am happy to be here, with you, wonderful beer blog readers.

After a day of listening to people complain about my employer, largely based on their own lack of personal responsibility for their finances (I had a woman literally complain about her delinquency, in essence, because she didn’t read the bill she receives every month), to my faceless dozens, the readers of this blog.  It’s nice to be back, I missed the excitement of writing for you all.

The past two days have been particularly slow on the floor, so I spent the time in-between calls envisioning and outlining ideas for a layout of this site, and other improvements that require more capital than I can outlay for the short term according to my wife (AKA El Jefe), but still exciting to think about none the less.

Tonight, after a meal of wonderful red curry, and while listening to jazz on Pandora, I am enjoying Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company.

Lacking any care or restraint when pouring the beer, I created a stupid amount of head. From one 12-ounce can, I almost overfilled a 20-ounce pint glass. Needless to say, this beer has the potential to make some very decent amounts of fluffy, off white foam. As well as being impressive in size, the bubbles that make up the head, much like the ones making their way from the bottom of the pint, are tiny, producing a very aesthetic drinking experience.

Living up to the can’s boastful proclamation of being a “big, hoppy, bold, smooth, and hoppy” beer, the aroma, which is sharp and aggressive with pine smells accented with floral notes, is the making of a fist before knocking you out with similar flavors.

Now, I cant say that this wasn’t influenced by the idea of drinking a beer brewed in Hawaii, or if my palate was off kilter for the first sip, but I swear I tasted pineapple initially. This is not a flavor I am familiar with in beer, but I found it quite interesting.  After this brush with pineapple dissipated, the prominent flavor was that of pine hops that developed a slight orange citrus essence on the backend. This transition helped cut some of the beer’s initial bitterness with just the hint of sweetness.

The beer had a smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel that was wet while being consumed, however left a crisp, dry finish on the palate.

This beer really hit a lot of the high notes that I look for in India pale ales: crisp bright flavors, a full-bodied, complex, hop character with a little sweetness to pull it all together.

Prost!