I'll take a Tall Skinny Mocha Java Stout, with some La Cumbre on top

Two things on tap for today - a review of Santa Fe Brewing's newest addition to their line of cans - the Imperial Java Stout, then a debrief on our trip to La Cumbre Brewing from Saturday.

Appearance - Thick black body with a foamy, mocha colored head. Head is pretty sticky too, as it coats the glass substantially. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Coffee coffee coffee. The aroma is like sticking your nose right into a bin of coffee beans. Not just any coffee beans, but the uber-dark ones that will literally put hair on your chest. Any other smell is overpowered by the coffee. You get a hit of that coffee each time that you taste it too. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Like the aroma, coffee dominates the flavor, but it starts to smooth out a bit. The first time I had this beer, I was taken aback by the coffee flavor and almost had trouble finishing it. 2nd go around was much better with the toasted malt coming out. Very little sweetness, as the coffee's bitterness takes priority. It's like having a strong cup of Starbucks bold coffee...no cream...no sugar. 3.5/5.0

Feel - 1st taste is strong until your mouth adjusts to the beer. After that, you start to get some more of the flavor notes. 3.0/5.0

Drinkability - Jury is out. 1st time, probably wouldn't have bought it again. 2nd time, enjoying it. I'm guessing the 3rd time, I'll want to get a six pack or two for the fridge. 3.0/5.0

As for La Cumbre Brewing - I had a great time there! Myself, plus Mrs. Beer Fridge and a number of guys from the Active 20-30 Club headed over there after we did some charity work at the Children's Hospital. As you know, studies have proven nothing makes you more thirsty than doing charity work. Between the 5 or 6 of us, we were able to try all five of their "standard" drafts. I personally loved the Malpais Stout (as I hoped I would) and surprising, the South Peak Pilsner (I'm not normally a fan of pilsners). Good comments were made about the Pyramid Rock Pale Ale, plus the holiday seasonal they had on tap. So, outside the 7 beers that La Cumbre made, they had 4 other local beers (1 Marble, 2 Chama River and 1 Turtle Mountain if memory serves me correctly).

Outside the beer, the vibe of the place was amazing. Jeff did a fantastic job with the tour of the brewery itself - it made my homebrewer buddy Lou almost have a moment. The environment reminded me of a neighborhood pub that you see on TV where 4-5 of your closest friends get together, have a few beers and talk crap to each other. Bombers from all over the place and tin "plates" adorn the walls, with old barrel-like tables scattered around. There's a pool table upstairs too - so bonus!

I would highly recommend checking out La Cumbre and seeing what all of the fuss is about. The passion for the craft is evident in the brewery, but it doesn't overshadow the chillness of the atmosphere.

La Cumbre! Open for bidness!

Haazha! A new brewery is opening its doors this weekend - La Cumbre Brewing Company. Headed up by Jeff Erway, former brewer of Chama River Brewing, this new business venture is located at 3313 Girard (basically Candeleria and Girard).

Given Jeff's great history at Chama River, where he won 2 Silver medals at the World Beer Cup and 2 Bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival, I can only imagine the brews coming out of La Cumbre will be pretty tasty. Looking at their menu, I'm very excited for the Malpais Stout and the Pyramid Rock Pale Ale. The Elevated IPA looks like it's going to be a hoppy concoction that will be interesting to try out.

The grand opening is Friday, December 17th, but they are doing a soft opening on Saturday, December 11th. Thanks to the power of Social Networking Competitions (i.e. Facebook contests), I called the date they'd actually open and won a free mug club membership. So, I'll be there Saturday around 2ish if anyone wants to grab a pint!

I didn't care for 14...13 was WAY better.

And I'm not talking about puberty, where the acne attack kicked in...yikes. I'm referring to Stone's 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA. This English-style IPA is the result of Stone going across the pond and finding all sorts of historical English ingredients and creating a beer out of it. I will admit that I'm not a big fan of English style beers - they just rub me a bit the wrong way. It could just be the way they they add a "u" to a lot of words, I dunno.

Appearance - Lighter than your average IPA with cloudiness that is remenscent of a hefeweizen. Frothy and sticky white head. Definitely gets points for uniqueness. 4.5/5.0

Smell - Sour citrus with a focus on grapefruit. 3.0/5.0

Taste - Sweet malt with a prominent hoppy bitterness at the end. Earthy, piney hops. Lighter bodied with a solid flavor. The use of the British hops (mostly Kent) isn't my cup of tea. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Good mouth coverage, aftertaste is primarily in the back of your mouth and very tart. 3.5/5.0

Drinkability - Not sure if I'd get this one again, given my preference for American style IPAs. Good flavor and not bad after a long day, though. 3.0/5.0

Tan, Refreshed and Properly "Hydrated" from the Caribbean!

Yikes, that's two long gaps in beer posts! Part of it was due to a nice week long cruise to the Caribbean. I wasn't sure what to expect beer-wise in the land of pirates and rum. When we did the Alaskan cruise, I got to enjoy a bunch of Alaskan beers plus stuff from Canada and Washington state. A very different type of beer in the land of beaches and sun!

Princess Cruises seems to favor the Europeans, so Spaten Premium and Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse were the "fancy" beers on the boat. Boddingtons and Guiness were featured during the pub lunches, but other than that - lots of Coors Light, big cans of Fosters and the like.

The best deal of the trip was on St. Martin/St. Maarten, where we found Carib Lager for a buck a can. Now, it wasn't some fantastical beer brewed in bourbon barrels or ancient Mayan gold, but for a buck - it got the job done and was really tasty when sitting on a beach or strolling the overly-shoppy boardwalk area. I tried a Presidente while I was there, but it was a "lot" more expensive (I think $2.50 a bottle).

Is it 10-10-10 already?

The first Vertical Epic I tried was last year's 09-09-09, which was a Belgian style Porter. Definitely one of my favorite beers, as it took a style I love (porter) and added some nice custom tweaks to it. This year's edition is a Belgian Tripel with some wine grapes incorporated into the brew - specifically Musct, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc.

Appearance - Appropriately golden, with a frothy almond head. The light bubbles make the beer look really inviting - my mouth is watering! Nice and clear too. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Flowery sweetness and sugar. Lemon, banana and honey too. 3.0/5.0

Taste - The belgian taste is dominant - all of the spice, coriander and lemon are really potent and easy to pick up on. I don't mind the sweetness and it masks the alcohol extremely well (and at 9.5% ABV, this one will sock it to ya). The use of wine grapes is different - it adds some tartness to it that you don't normally see in a tripel. The taste changed a bit as the beer warmed. - 3.5/5.0

Feel - A clean beer - there is a little aftertaste, but it's very mild. Flavor is predominately on the tongue. 3.5/5.0

Drinkability - I gotta say, I enjoyed the beer, but I didn't really think it was so amazing that I would buy this by the case. I could get a bottle of New Belgium Tripel for about 1/2 the price. 2.5/5.0

The Joker likes beer too

So, in the Carney freak show that is the Shmaltz line of carnival themed beers, this one reminds me the most of Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker. Not the Heath Ledger one, but more like Jack Nicholas.

Appearance - Golden yellow color, with a lighter head. The frothiness of the head sticks to the glass, leaving a visible residue as the head dissipates. - 3.5/5.0

Smell - Really sweet malt aroma. I get scents of honey, maybe some lemon. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Definitely a lager. The malt is really enjoyable, but not as sweet as the smell would elude to. The initial crispness is really enjoyable too. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Smooth and flavorful, with a nice malty aftertaste. Very refreshing. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability - I think this is a great beer for just chilling out. I happen to be clearing out e-mails and this just hit the spot. - 4.5/5.0

Pumpkin Porter hits the spot!

Mi Mo and Juan Mas (my awesome in-laws) were in Scottsdale last week and managed to fanagle a growler of Four Peak's Pumpkin Porter for me. From what they said, Four Peaks isn't allowing growler fills of Pumpkin Porter until the day after Thanksgiving. So, thanks to my in-laws' silver tongues, I got to enjoy this amazing beer!

I didn't do a full blown review because we were in the middle of dinner, but here are the highlights:

-An excellent porter in itself, the pumpkin flavor was just enough to add some distinction, but not enough to really be a pumpkin-ey beer.

-The carbonation was just right - enough to add some crisp, but not enough to induce too much beer belching.

-Aroma was dominated by coffee and roasted malt, with a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove

The best thing about this beer is that it was a porter that had a little hint of something else. Similar to Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter, this one took a style I loved and added some flash to it. If you are in the Phoenix area, I'd highly recommend getting a pint of this goodness!

Sri-Freakin'-Lanka?

Yea, you heard me - today's beer comes from Sri Lanka. When I was driving to Denver last weekend, I stopped in ol' Pueblo at Hercules Liquors and found this little gem. The proprietor of the shop recommended it and I have to say that I'm extremely glad that I did. Who ever thought that Sri Lanka made good beer?!

Appearance - A frothy chocolate head, pitch black with almost no visible carbonation. Feels very inviting. 4.5/5.0

Smell - Coffee dominates the nose, but you'll also get some mocha and roasted malt in there. Nothing that is all that different from the expected. 3.0/5.0

Taste - A bit different flavor than I was expected based on the smell. While the coffee was more promenient in the nose, the taste seems more focused on the bitter chocolate. There's definitely a coffee flavor to it, but it's not all that robust. In fact, there's some sweetness to it. Nothing as sweet as a milk stout, but definite sweetness at the beginning of each taste. This beer is packing a pretty impressive 8.8% ABV, but you can't taste the alcohol at all. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Thick and rich. The beer definitely coats the mouth well and finishes smooth. The aftertaste is malt and dark chocolate. It takes a while for the flavors to clean up in your mouth. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability - I think I paid $3.99 for this thing and it's probably one of the best beers I've had for that price. Unfortunately, it's not available here in New Mexico...wah wah. Would definitely pick it up again though. 5.0/5.0

See the Fantastical Snake Woman!

The Shmaltz Brewing Company is an odd little duck. They seem to have two lines - Jewish line and Carny Line. The Jewish line has stuff like the Re-Jew-nevator and Barmitzah. The Carny Line (smells like cabbage...small hands as Austin Powers would say) has a crazy freak show clown as its logo. This beer, the Coney Island Albino Python, is a member of the freak show line - promoting itself as being a "white lager". I've heard of white ales...but white lager? This indeed could be a freakshow I gotta try.

Appearance - An opaque golden color with a white foamy head that bellows up, then quickly simmers down. Very little carbonation going on this thing. You can see the yeast sediment before you pour it out. 3.5/5.0

Smell - Lemon, ginger, coriander, spice. As expected for the white aspect of the style. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Very different than I expected. There is a lemon taste to it, but it mixes oddly with the yeast (but not in a bad way). It subdues the citrusly lemon flavor to the point where you only hit the sharp lemon hit at the end of each taste. You also get an interesting ginger and wheat flavor with it too. While odd, I kinda like it. I think is the contribution of the "lager" aspect of the beer. 4.0/5.0

Feel - A bit thick, but coats the mouth well. The lingering aftertaste is ginger in nature, but it mixes with the yeast a bit odd...not sure I cared for that. 2.5/5.0

Drinkability - It's different that's for sure. There were aspects I really enjoyed (flavor and aroma), but the feel itself didn't sit right. I think if this was readily available, I'd have it again, but not one I'd go out of my way for. 3.0/5.0

Shot in the dark

Really like the photography on this picture...definitely not something by my hand. Anyway, I must first apologize to you faithful readers for not having posted in the last month. It has nothing to do with beer consumption, but rather being in/out of town and not just sitting my butt down to write. This will be fixed promptly!!

Today's beer is the Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA). The Cascadian Dark Ale is effectively a Black IPA...it just happens to be brewed in my homeland, the Pacific Northwest where they like to give different names to stuff. Like, I drank pops as a kid, not a Coke or soda...it was POP! The style of a Black IPA and a Cascadian Dark Ale are effectively the same...in fact, in a discussion with Patrick the ABQ Beer Geek, it sounds like they are consolidating these styles into one for purposes of judging at the Great American Beer Fest.

Appearance - Toasted bread colored head - about a half of a finger width; light carbonation and appropriately black. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Deliciously hoppy, with some chocolate malt scents. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Bitterness is not as pronounced, mainly having been mellowed out by the roasted malt flavor, which hits first. The earthy, bitter hops come up a bit later in the taste. At 6.5% ABV, you don't get much alcohol burn, if any. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Thick, slightly creamy, ends with a light bitterness. 3.5/5.0

Drinkability - Very much would have this again. I enjoy a good combination of malts and hops that is showcased in this style of beer. 4.0/5.0

Would you like some fresh ground lemon pepper in your beer?

I would wager that the guy who made the Lemon Pepper Saison that won the Sam Adams Longshot competition didn't just toss some lemon pepper into a summer ale. I certainly hope not at least - that would really destroy the mystique of it all. This is the 3rd of the Longshot series that I had - the others being the Mile High Barleywine and the Old Ben Ale.

Appearance - Spring-y golden lemon color, light head with very little carbonation. - 3.5/5.0

Smell - Coriander, spice, pepper, lemon - definitely what you would expect out of a saison style beer. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Crispy, very refreshing, with the spicy picking up late in each taste. The carbonation enhances the malt flavor. Very enjoyable and fitting for the style. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Mellow and refreshing! Aftertaste is spicy and crisp. -4.0/5.0

Drinkability - Excellent summertime beer, too bad it's a special deal. I would buy this for a summer BBQ. 3.5/5.0

Never imagined what the opposite of a Belgian White Ale was...

The Bruery in Placentia, CA is all over the Southwest Brewing News and other beer publications. Unfortunately, they're in California and....ah....I'm not. So, imagine my surprise and good fortune, when I found a number of their beers at BevMo! in Phoenix. So, I grabbed a Black Orchard for me and a Orchard White (wow, sorta like a chessboard...) for my sister-in-law. The one getting reviewed today is the Black Orchard. The Orchard White is quite tasty, but I didn't get enough to really do a full on review.

Appearance - Appropriately black for the name, cola colored head, mild carbonation except the head which reminds me of a coke, lots of sediment at the end. - 4.0/5.0

Smell - Sweet, malty, spicy, little bit of tart cherry and curant - 4.0/5.0

Taste - The wheat and Belgian spices blend well together. Sweet, but not terribly so. Cherry, caramel, blackberry and some breadiness. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Full, frothy, excellent mouth coverage and a mildly sweet aftertaste. 5.0/5.0

Drinkability - Excellent! Makes me want to take a road trip to Cali! 4.0/5.0

Rogue X-Ray Sierra

When I first started this blog about 15 months ago, I was really into the lighter beers. An amber was pushing it in terms of darkness. After some sage advice from one Tom Crow, I ventured into the deep end of the color pool and found the intense flavors of porters, stouts and more. When I was at Jubliation around my birthday in March, they were offering up the last 3 bottles of the Rogue XS 2008 Imperial Porter for only $3.99. Wha wha?! I think that I had speed rivaling the Flash when I grabbed that bottle and it was faithfully stored in the Beer Fridge until the proper time.

Appearance - Wispy mocha head, solid blackness, rich looking with low carbonation - 4.0/5.0

Smell - Strong toasted malt, alcohol and roasted coffee...delicious! 4.5/5.0

Taste - Rich earthy coffee flavor, little bit of an alcohol burn at the end, but it's tempered by the toasted malt flavor. Oaky, with a hint of dark cherry. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Really coats the mouth, carbonation more potent at first taste then mellows out quickly. Aftertaste is a lingering bitterness. 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - While a potent 8.6% ABV, it's not as strong as other imperial porters, which I think makes it easier to drink. High quality and highly drinkable. 5.0/5.0

Part Deux - LongShot Series

So, there was big news a while back when Ben Miller from Rio Rancho won the Long Shot competition that Samuel Adams does annually where they will mass produce your recipe if it's up to snuff. Well, Mr. Miller did a fine job and likely received a copious amount of Samuel Adams attire, glasswear, coasters, beer, etc.... I did see him at a Dukes of Ale meeting with the Sammy shirt on. I think that if I were to win it, I'd be wearing those shirts daily. Anyway, as a fan of barley wine, I was interested to see what Ben did with his Mile High Barley Wine and I gotta say that I'm impressed.

Appearance - rosy red, clear, light tan head, - 3.5

Smell - mid, almost strong hop aroma, some citrus and pine, - not as strong as aroma as I would have thought - 3.0

Taste - wow, really delicious, hops blend well with the sweet malt, sweetness that you would expect out of a barleywine, well aged, piney and citrus (I get more of the pine) hops are excellent. - 4.5

Feel - remarkably smooth, way better than a number of barleywines (probably equal to hopsquatch) - bit of fruity hop aftertaste - 4.5

Drinkability - A great example of the style...too bad it's not more regularly available! - 4.5

Santa Rosa - Not the NM one...

I was at the Active 20-30 International Convention in Santa Rosa, CA last week. Northern California is a lot of fun - lots of breweries and wineries, plus I've got a bunch of family and friends out there. I had heard about Russian River Brewing, and was glad to actually get a chance to visit it. I got to go there twice, so instead of a buttload of posts, we'll just consolidate into one fat post.

The brewery itself is a chill place - could tell that there were some definite regulars who frequent there. The first night we swung in, I got a pint of their Consecration - a 10% ABV American Wild Ale (i.e. sour style). Thursday, we came for my buddy's birthday and had some tasty beer bites as appetizers and started off with a pitcher of the Little White Lie, their Belgian White Ale. Followed that up with a pint of Pliny the Elder, then got a mega-sampler of beers that we ended up sharing with the table.

Pliny the Elder was probably one of the best beers I've ever had. I had heard a lot about both this one and Pliny the Younger, so definitely had to try it.

Appearance - A creamy head with medium carbonation and a golden amber color. Pretty standard looking for the IPA style. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Lots of piney hops - definitely the most definite feature of the aroma. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Hoppy, but not bitter. Some citrus and a lightly bitter aftertaste. The mix of the malt and hops are perfect. As mentioned in previous Imperial IPA posts, I get the impression that Imperial IPAs are either over the top or delightfully subdued. This fits into the latter. The hops are flavorful and the bitterness is perfect - 5.0/5.0

Feel - Extremely smooth, not as bitter as I would expect. Aftertaste is refreshing and has a good amount of flavor. 5.0/5.0

Drinkability - I think I would have this thing on tap at my house at all times. 5.0/5.0

My notes for the other two beers aren't terribly complete - talking with friends and family precluded good note taking! But here's the brief on them:

Little White Ale - a Belgian style White Ale. Refreshing with a nice kick of spice that you would expect in any Belgian style beer. I would say that the amount of spice and coriander in this beer is more than most other Belgian beers I've had. Definitely drinkable - if you like a lighter beer, try this one.

Consecration - an American Wild ale. If you are wanting to try something...unique, I would suggest grabbing a pint of this one. Sour...but not so bad as the Lips of Faith that I had from New Belgium. I think one pint was enough of this, but was worth a try for sure. At 10% ABV, will definitely kick you in the butt. The local guy who suggested this called it their "weird beer" - can definitely see why.

ya sure ya betcha

The first brewery I ever visited was the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, Washington. I had a blast there and just missed the brewery tour, but got some delicious bratwurst instead. Now, I know they've been bought out by some craft beer group, but I still have fond memories of this place. This beer, the Big Ballard Imperial IPA, is a tribute to one of the first beers they brewed, the Ballard Bitter IPA.

Appearance - Light auburn color, nice frothy head (about a finger's width). I enjoyed the head retention, especially in IPAs. Looked slightly bubbly. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Piney, floral hops. Distinctive scent, but not overwhelming. I prefer my Imperial IPAs to have a potent aroma, which this was lacking. 2.5/5.0

Taste - There are five hops used this in beer (Alchemy, Williamette, Sterling, Northern Brewer and Cascade) and they are expertly blended well together. Imperial IPAs seem to go either over-the-top strong or extraordinarily smooth - this beer is the latter. There are lots of IBUs (73), but I didn't think it was really that bitter. Grapefruit, pine, hint of sweetness from the malt. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Unerrily smooth, the head tasted thick. Minimal aftertaste, the flavor hits you strong then dissipates. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability - This beer falls into the category of Imperial IPAs that will kick you in the butt without you knowing it. I would pick up again, if anything, for the nostaglia of it coming from the first brewery I visited. - 4.0/5.0

Who needs Chipoltaway with a beer like this?

I've never actually been to Chipotle - I hear it's good, but can't say that I've gone out of my way to try it. I like Chipotle peppers and have had those a whole bunch. So, when I saw the Rogue Chipotle Ale at Sunflower Market the other day, I had to see whether the pepper makes or breaks the beer.

Appearance - A beautiful rich amber. A decent amount of head - looks pretty carbonated. 4.0/5.0

Smell - You can get a hint of the pepper, but that's all - just a hint. The malt dominates the nose. I really was hoping for a slightly more dominate chipotle smell, but didn't get it. - 2.5/5.0

Taste - Mostly malt, and kinda sweet. You can detect a slight pepper burn, but it's really mild. For a chile beer, I expect a stronger flavor than what I got. The Sierra Blanca Pancho Verde is on the other end of the spectrum, being an almost overly strong green chile taste. Some smoke as well. - 3.0/5.0

Feel - Coats the mouth well, with a bit of pepperly aftertaste. 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - Given the style, I'll pass on it. While I enjoyed it, it's not what I would have expected from a beer whose style is focused on the chile. 2.0/5.0

Old Ben - first of the Longshots

This is the first of the 3 Samuel Adams Longshot Beers that came in the 2010 pack. The other two, the Lemon Pepper Saison and the Mile High Barleywine (from a local brewer, no less!), are pretty good and we'll get to them soon. Tonight's brew is the Old Ben Ale, which is the product of one of Sam Adams' employees who won the best brew for this year.

Appearance - Slightly translucent golden color. Really spotty, light tan head, almost filmy. - 3.0/5.0

Smell - Sharp malt scent, with a hint of hops to it. Some fruit - tartness, plum, cherry. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Pine, sweet malt, caramel, tart cherry. There's some alcohol burn at the end of each taste, which is very enjoyable. There's a maturity to this beer is evident - makes sense for an old ale style. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Medium bodied, somewhat thick. Carbonation is light. - 3.5/5.0

Drinkability - Good, not sure I would get it again - I preferred the Lemon Pepper Saison and Mile High Barleywine. 3.0/5.0

Oy! A beer fitting for a rabbi!

I crack up each time that I see any of the Shmaltz Brewing offerings - you'll see the little Rabbi guy and the He'Brew logo and you know you found Schmaltz. I've had their Genesis Ale and the Messiah Bold - tasty brews and I gotta love the Jewish connection. I did find out that these are Kosher beers - so...just FYI if you do Kosher. This beer is the Rejewvenator - Year of the Date - it's a dopplebock style beer that has included dates into the brewing process. The 2008 version used figs, 2009 dates and 2010 will have grapes. After having this beer, I'm definitely interested in trying out the 2010 Grape version, plus check out the brewery in San Fran.

Appearance - Deep amber color, minimal head that dissipates into a film. - 3.0/5.0

Smell - Sweet malt with some caramel. The dates are fruity and bold. - 4.0/5.0

Taste - Bready malt, sweetness that comes from a mix of the malt and the dates used in the beer. Definitely a dopplebock with the strong addition of the date. I wasn't sure if the dates would be overpowering, but they are very complementary to the style. - 4.0/5.0

Feel - Really enjoy the medium thickness of the beer, carbonation was good too. The brew felt hardy and substantial. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability - I'd have this one again. Tina enjoyed it too. It was an enjoyable use of the style, while adding a nice dimension with the addition of the dates. 4.0/5.0

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who has the best beer of them all?

While I cannot say that it's definitely Deschutes, they do have an awesome variety of beers that I have really come to enjoy. It doesn't hurt that Deschutes and Deshayes (my last name) are very similar in spelling. Tina, the Queen of Beers, took me on a little beer shopping spree for my birthday back in March. One of the beers, the Deschutes 2009 Reserve Mirror Mirror, was one of the fine bombers purchased that day. It has been sitting in my beer fridge since late March because the bottle told me to wait. No really - on the label there was a "Best AFTER 4/30/2010" marking.

Instead of waiting until midnight on the 30th, like an impatient guy watching a toaster, I figured it would be a good idea to wait a few more weeks for Tina and I's 5th anniversary to pop it open. We got into our bathrobes, sat on the porch and enjoyed this fine reserve.

Appearance - Rich copper, thick looking, very minimal carbonation, light lacing. When you swirl the glass, you can tell it's thinner than it originally looked- 3.5/5.0

Smell - Very earthy and piney hops, sweet and delicious - 4.0/5.0

Taste - Flavors are well blended, hops are present and as expected in a barleywine, not overpowering, bit of fruityness and sweetness, hop flavor is really tasty. As expected with a good barleywine, the ABV of 11% is deceptive and will creep up on you if you're not careful - 4.5/5.0

Feel - Enjoyably smooth, flavor profile is really well done - felt good, aftertaste is hoppy and sweet. - 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - I did wait until the prescribed "best after 4/30/10" - really enjoyable barleywine that I would definitely have again- 4.5/5.0