Brew No. 13

• SRM Color : 47
• Brewer: Hof Ten Dormaal
• Brewer's Description: Beer brewed for export to the U.S., with limited production. This beers ripens several months in original used oak barrels from a variety of wine / alcohol brewers including Gin, Cognac, Madeira, Porto, Sherry, Whiskey
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 10 of 10
• With the brew: To Boldly Go!
• Comments: This beer appeals to me on so many levels. It came to me as a surprise gift from a fellow redditor. Thanks r/intern4tional ! Its a Dark Belgian which is my favorite style currently, and its produced on a "brewfarm" where they produce their own hops and grain which they use exclusively in the process making it unique at every step. It pours smoothly with a nose of floral undertones and a nutty almost date like scent. The average ( 0.5mm - 0.7mm ) bubbles in the head are a light almond color and leave wet lacing in the glass as they settle down the sides. The taste is immediately warming, and noticeably rich in flavor. It has a woody taste from the barrel aging and it is sweet but not at all cloying. The yeast is barely noticeable but present and delicious. The finish is clean and very smooth.

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Ovila Abbey Quad

• SRM Color : 47
• Brewer: Sierra Nevada
• Brewer's Description: Ovila® Abbey Ales are a series of Belgian-inspired beers brewed in collaboration with the monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, CA. An homage to the time-honored monastic brewing tradition, Ovila Abbey Ales combine the quality and craft of those dedicated artisans with a dose of American brewing innovation. Featuring ingredients grown by the monks on the grounds of the abbey, Ovila Abbey Ales are a fresh twist on the ancient brewing tradition.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 8.5 of 10
• With the brew: Rock Chalk!
• Comments: The world is Hop crazy, and I am a Belgian and  a porter fan. Sierra Nevada (Whose flagship beer is a Pale Ale) has been low on my radar the last few years, but I caught site of this beer at my favorite shopping spot and decided that a Belgian Quad was worth a try. Pouring thick with smaller than average size bubbles ( <0.5mm ), the head settled quickly but left lacing in the glass as it drank. The nose is sweet with a slightly tart floral scent. The mouthfeel is slightly thicker than most quads I have had, but not cloying or over thick. The flavor is sweet and heavily flavored with an earthy yeast taste. It swallows clean with a slightly tart aftertaste. Sierra Nevada has not completely won me over with this one but it was good enough to have another for sure.

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Iron Man by Free State Brewing Company

• SRM Color : 79
• Brewer: Free State Brewing Co.
• Brewer's Description: A beer fit for a blacksmith. Honoring our favorite local blacksmith, this flavorful Stout is a selected mix of ten malts and five hop varieties. Imperial Stout was a key British export in the Baltic trade that elevated art and industry in Russia and England during the 18th Century. Celebrate craftsmanship and raise a glass to broader flavor horizons.
• Recommended Glassware: A Goblet
• Russ' rating: 9 of 10
• With the brew: Rock Chalk!
• Comments: In honor of my wife being enrolled, registers and oriented at KU, I present Iron Man Imperial Stout by Free State Brewing Company. Free State is located on Mass street in downtown Lawrence Kansas, and a favorite watering hole of many KU grads and family. Iron man pours quickly with a shallow head comprised of average size bubbles ( 0.5mm - 0.7mm ). The head dissipates fairly quickly but there is wet lacing on the glass to the last sip. The nose of the beer is fresh and hoppy with a hint of sweet maltiness. The mouthfeel is lighter and less viscous than most other porters, which I have found to be common to Imperials. The taste is bitter sweet with a front loaded hop blast followed by a smooth and warming sweetness. Cheers to Free State on a a quality beer, and to my good lady wife on taking her life in exactly the direction she wants it to go!

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Ommegang Art of Darkness

• SRM Color : 29
• Brewer: Brewery Ommegang
• Brewer's Description:  
• Let us now acknowledge the dark arts of brewing. Our limited edition Art of Darkness Ale is deep, dark and magical, with champagne-like carbonation and rich maltiness from a complex recipe of multiple barley and wheat malts, as well as flaked oats.  Using no spices or flavorings, Art of Darkness gains all its rich aromas, tastes, and apparent spiciness from the malts and Ommegang's proprietary house yeast. There are no secret ingredients or magical incantation. There is only Ommegang brewers' creating the finest quality dark, strong ale of complex and deep character. Art of Darkness is a fine ale to enjoy immediately, and is excellent to cellar.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 9 of 10
• With the brew: The light at the end of the tunnel
• Comments: I have been doing a large number of Belgian dark Ales lately. They have surpassed Porters and Stout as my favorite style. Ommegang has a very tasty one in Art of Darkness. The bouquet at pour has a spicy malt character that is at once sweet and biting. The head consisted of average ( 0.5mm - 0.7mm ) bubbles and even though it dissipated rapidly there was a ring of wet lasing chasing my beer down the glass. The body of the beer is darker than its stereotype and lends credence to such a dramatic name. The mouthfeel of the beer is lighter than most Belgian dark ales giving it a subtle drink-ability and malty smoothness that is in stark opposition to the sharp spicy notes. I would like to see how this one ages, but it would be a hard task not to drink it when it gets home.

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Boulevard Coffee Ale

• SRM Color : 24
• Brewer: Boulevard
• Brewer's Description:  Neighbors for nearly twenty years, Boulevard Brewing Company and The Roasterie share a passion for making extraordinary beverages. In Coffee Ale, our two celebrated brewing traditions come together in a long-awaited collaboration. Ethiopian Sidamo from Africa’s Great Rift Valley has been carefully blended with rye, oats, and malted barley, and spiced with Perle and Styrian Golding hops. The delightfully fragrant beer presents a glowing, tawny-amber hue. The clean, crisp acidity of the air-roasted coffee mingles with malt on the palate, lingering faintly in a subtly sweet finish.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 9.5 of 10
• With the brew: Options!
• Comments: Boulevard is local and seldom disappoints. In this case it exceeds expectatoins and brings a huge smile to the face of the drinker. Coffee Ale pours with a thick head of smaller than average ( <0.5mm ) bubbles. The scent is roasted coffee beans a a slight hoppy note. The taste is pure black coffee with
  a slight hoppy undertone that makes the parent flavor seem exceptionally fresh and crisp. available for a limited time in bottles and on drought, I would strongly suggest picking up a glass or bottle. 

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Ommegang XV Belgian

• SRM Color : 24
• Brewer: Brewery Ommegang
• Brewer's Description:  Ommegang XV pays homage to the great Trappist ales brewed by monks in the Trappist monasteries of Belgium. Created with deep devotion to the brewing art, using the finest ingredients and made with infinite care, XV is unlike any ale we've ever brewed. Even by our exacting standards Ommegang XV stand alone.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 9.5 of 10
• With the brew: Limited Opportunities!
• Comments: This was Ommegang's limited edition anniversary brew celebrating the 15th anniversary. Given the opportunity,  I will put a bottle (or more) in the cellar. This was a fantastic representation of the style and I would love to see how Ommegang stacks up to the aging process. The pour was a dark and caramel color with a neat head of average size ( 0.5mm - 0.7mm ) bubbles. There was a nice wet lacing to the bottom of the glass. This was a very pleasant beer. The nose had notes of yeasty earthiness and malty sweetness. The drink was everything you would want from a Belgian Dark Ale. It was at once sweet with a malty note and earthy with the yeast signature. I am excited to see ow this brew ages in the cellar. Te initial impression is of an already mature brew that can only improve with age.

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Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw

• SRM Color : 42
• Brewer: Brouwerij Het Anker
• Brewer's Description:  Every year on the 24th of February, we celebrate the birth of Charles Quint. Therefore we brew a special beer in limited edition called Cuvée of the Emperor. This exceptional beer is a special version of the Golden Carolus Classic, with an enriched taste pallet and mysterious aromas added. The caramelised malts and its 11% Alc. Vol. give the Cuvée of the Emperor the warm roundness of wine together with the refreshing taste of beer. It is imperially crowned with a special cork so it can be preserved for a long period of time with a constant cellar temperature of 12° C. An imperial beer to cherish and enjoy in moderation.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 10 of 10
• With the brew: A Great New Job
• Comments: I have had this in the cellar waiting for a good moment to open it. I have a new job that hardly seems like work, and if that is not a reason to celebrate I don't know what is! Two years waiting was rewarded with a special beer. It poured a very dark caramel color with a rich sweet malty aroma. the bubbles were slightly smaller than average ( <0.5mm ). The head dissipated but left a slight ring on the top of the beer and there was wet lacing on the inside of the glass the entire time I drank it. The flavor was possibly the richest and most complex I have ever enjoyed. It was at once heavily malted and sweet but the earthy yeast hint grounded the flavor and made it richer. The flavor got better as I drank the glass, so I would recommend letting the beer chill and then sit on the counter for 10 minutes before pouring so that the temperature rises slightly above the standard American refrigerator temperature. This beer was a treat. I have more in the cellar and will let it age another year, but I look forward to what the maturation process can add to a beer that is already a benchmark.

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Thirteenth Hour

• SRM Color : 47
• Brewer: Samuel Adams
• Brewer's Description: The combination of 7 different malts creates a brilliant black brew that's full bodied and smooth with rich notes of coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits like raisins and plums.  The dark roasty, and slightly sweet flavors of a stout are blended with the unique, spicy and sour character of our Kosmic Mother Funk (KMF), an ale that's been aged in oak tuns for up to a year.  The KMF gives the beer an added complexity with notes of black pepper, oak, vanilla, and a hint of acidity.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 6.5 of 10
• With the brew: Dammit!
• Comments: They can not all be home runs. The Sam Adams Boston Lager was a seminal moment in my beer drinking history. 20 years ago, it marked a point in my history when beer became more than a cheap buzz and turned into something that could be enjoyed, discussed and debated. I had high hopes for this beer, and unfortunately it left much to be desired. It poured a very dark caramel like burnt toffee. The head consisted of average ( 0.5mm - 0.7mm ) bubbles, but dissipated quickly. I could not detect any nose during the pour, and had to raise the glass to my nose to sample the smell. It was an immediate let down. it smelled clinical and for lack of a better word, "unfinished". The flavor was sharp and bitter. There were hints of the barrel aging process but they were buried behind the sterile flavors of a mass production process. I did buy two bottles and I am cellaring one. It is my hope that a more mature blend of flavors will provide a more pleasant experience and I will be opening the other bottle in a year or so with hope.

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Dragon's Milk

• SRM Color : 57
• Brewer: New Holland Brewery
• Brewer's Description: The beer you hold in your hand, Dragon’s Milk Ale, is a crown jewel of New Holland Brewing Company. It is the unrivaled result of painstaking processes – both creative and scientific. We could tell you about the centuries-old tradition of the term, Dragon’s Milk, or we could tell you about the history, craftsmanship and challenges of what’s important, the beer inside this bottle. Roasty malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones, all dancing in an oak bath
• Recommended Glassware: A Goblet
• Russ' rating: 10 of 10
• With the brew: Sartori
• Comments: Pouring dark and aromatic this beer has a mysterious aspect that makes you salivate from the moment you crack the bottle. There is very little head at all, but the average size bubbles ( 0.5m - 0.7mm ) lace the glass the entire time, and I never felt like it was flat. The base flavor of this beer is a rich malt sweetness with hints of vanilla and the oak barrels it is aged in. It has a mouth feel that is lighter than most stouts, but packs an incredible rich complexity that is warm and exciting every single time it touches your lips.

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Ommegang Abbey Ale

• SRM Color : 24
• Brewer: Brewery Ommegang
• Brewer's Description: Deep burgundy in color, topped by a dense tan head, Abbey Ale is rich on the palate but with a dry finish. Suitable for cellaring, Abbey develops wonderful caramel, fig, and currant notes with age.
• Recommended Glassware: A Tulip
• Russ' rating: 9.5 of 10
• With the brew: Getting a Job
• Comments: They say that every food and drink has a number. It takes a certain number of tries before you adjust to the flavor and begin to enjoy it. For Ommegang Abbey Ale (as with most Ommegang brews) that number is 1. Pouring a deep caramel color with just  the slightest ruddy tinge, the bouquet is immediately crisp and fruity. The head is of average ( 0.5mm - 0.7mm ) bubbles and lasts a fairly good while. The taste is light and clean. At once fruity and tart with a crisp dry finish. One thing i noticed about this beer was it had a persistent nose. I could smell it before each sip and it got the mouth watering and the heart singing.

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