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Firestone Robust PorterABV 5.9%
Color: Clear brown/orange.
Aroma: Hops, both floral and citrus.
Flavor: Citrus hops first, then sweet malts, then subtle roasty malts. A bit thin.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Nice, mellow coffee.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good
Elysian Perseus Porter ABV 5.4%
Color: Clear dark brown/red.
Aroma: Funky, stinky cheese and coffee beans.
Flavor: Sweet malts, then nice roasted coffee.Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Bitter chocolate hoppiness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +
Winner by unanimous decision: Elysian. Perseus is ripped. I mean, look at those pecs. The dude's spent some time in the gym. Despite his imposing physique, the Perseus didn't win this battle with brute force. It was a nice combination of balanced hops and malts and a fuller, richer body that led him to victory. The Firestone is no slouch itself, but when compared to the Elysian, it just came across a bit too thin and simple. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that either of us would have guessed it was a porter in a blind tasting. It had a surprisingly hoppy aroma that might cause you to think Pale Ale, followed by a surprisingly sweet flavor that might lead you to conclude Amber.
On a side note, the Firestone paired marvelously with our smoky and spicy beef tacos while the Perseus was a bit too strong and didn't really add much to the flavors. So, drink the Firestone with food (we think it would go well with BBQ meats as well) and have some Perseus before or after dinner (or both!)
Orval Trappist AleABV 6.9%
Color: Hazy pumpkin orange with huge off-white head.
Aroma: Crazy aromatic. Funky piney hops, bay leaves, rosemary, sweet malts.
Flavor: Thin and savory (coriander, herbal notes) with some citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Grains with moderate bitter hops.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre
Duvel Belgian Golden Ale ABV 8.5%
Color: Straw yellow with huge snow white head.
Aroma: Orange marmalade, Belgian yeast, cloves, soap.
Flavor: Thin, smooth and creamy with some lemon.Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grain and some noticeable alcohol.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre
Split decision: Orval vs. Duvel. Two titans of the beer world facing off for bragging rights. Truly a bottle battle for the ages. Unfortunately it was not a very interesting fight. Call us sacrilegious, but we thought these beers were mediocre at best. Perhaps they were a victim of our expectations, perhaps we're American West Coast beer snobs, but these just didn't do it for us. E chose the Duvel, preferring its sweetness and creamy body and I chose the Orval because I thought it had an interesting aroma. However, we both had a hard time coming up with descriptions for the flavors of the beers. They both just seemed thin, simple and refreshing. In other words, nothing special. Finally, neither seemed to deliver the kind of flavor and complexity that we'd expect from a beer that is so high in alcohol. The Duvel, especially, seemed extraordinarily potent for a thin, light, easy drinking beer.
Samuel Adams Imperial StoutABV 9.2%
Color: Deep dark brown/black.
Aroma: Sweet chocolate malt shake.
Flavor: Slightly bitter chocolate milk.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Mostly just sweet with a mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre
North Coast Old Rasputin
Imperial Stout ABV 9%
Color: Deep dark brown/black.
Aroma: Coffee with cream, burnt wood.
Flavor: Sweet molasses, black coffee and a bit of citrus hop character.Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Burnt toast, coffee grounds and citrus hops.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good
Winner by unanimous decision: North Coast. Old Rasputin is a tough opponent. It ought to be tough, since it's named after a guy who just wouldn't die. Old Sam was just a bit too one-dimensional. If alcoholic chocolate milk sounds good to you, then give the Samuel Adams a try. It's so sweet that it might match up with sweeter desserts as well. Old Rasputin, on the other hand is wonderfully complex, combining rich roasted malt and coffee flavors with a nice complement of citrusy hops. Drink enough of it and you might be able to grow a beard as impressive as Rasputin's.
Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Extra IPA ABV 7.2%, IBU 65
Color: Clear amber orange with brisk carbonation.
Aroma: Pine needle jolly rancher (maybe they should make that flavor?).
Flavor: Sweet maltiness, followed by piney hop bitterness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Malty with a sharp and sweet hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good+
Scuttlebutt Gale Force IPAABV 5.25%, IBU 96
Color: Cloudy amber orange with noticeably less carbonation.
Aroma: Sweet malt, citrus and earthy grain. Flavor: Starts sweet and toasty then moves to a nice balanced citrus hoppiness. Very smooth, almost creamy.Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): HoppyFinish: Tart acidic hop bitterness.Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good
Winner by unanimous decision: Sierra Nevada. This was a hard one. Both are very solid IPAs. The edge went to the Torpedo for its smooth mouthfeel and great balance of sweet malt to temper the aggressive piney hops. We got more of the citrus and floral hop qualities from the Gale Force, but it finished just a bit too bitter for our tastes. We were very surprised to see that the Scuttlebutt was packing 96 IPAs — they really integrated the hops well, because it was not overwhelmingly bitter at all. Also, big props to the Scuttlebutt for clocking in at a sessionable 5.25% ABV. Both are worthy of your fridge. Keep the Gale Force up front for daily consumption and the Torpedo in the back for those trying days when a bit more alcohol is exactly what you need to wind down.
Ninkasi Spring Reign Ale ABV 6%
Color: Clear golden orange.
Aroma: Fresh, clean grains and a touch of honey. Floral hops.
Flavor: Not much going on, just some lemony hops along with the fresh grain flavor.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Bitter vegetable finish that stays for a long time.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre
Snoqualmie Spring Fever
(Belgian Style Grand Cru Ale)ABV 7%
Color: Burnt orange.
Aroma: Classic belgian yeast — banana & cloves, nutmeg and sweet malts.Flavor: Starts with citrus then on to sweet malts, cinnamon and cloves.Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): MaltyFinish: Sweet pineapple and banana, slight lemon bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good
Winner by unanimous decision: Snoqualmie. The Ninkasi tasted like a pretty basic pale ale — good to sip on a hot day to quench your thirst, but not very complex or interesting. The Spring Fever, on the other hand, had a lot of character, flavors and aromas. It is really a very nice interpretation of a Belgian ale with classic flavors and a rich, full mouthfeel. This battle brings up a larger issue: what style should a Spring beer be? Should it be clean and hoppy like the Reign or rich and complex like the Fever? To us, it make more sense for a Spring beer to be more like the Reign, but that has no bearing on which one we thought was a better beer — clearly the Spring Fever in this case.
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