Rick Cook

Christmas in July is big fun. It's always nice to read of other pubs doing it. Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel, CA has celebrated it for years. Here's their current line-up of beers on tap: 2001 Anchor Our Special Ale 2002 Anchor Our Special Ale 2004 Anchor Our Special Ale 2003 Marin Hoppy Holidaze 2004 AleSmith YuleSmith 2004 Gouden Carolus Noel 2004 Delirium Noel 2004 Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux Rick

Old Rasputin is a great beer fresh, and even better with some age on it. Following are some tasting notes on a '97 I drank a few months ago: If you like stouts and haven't yet tried North Coast's Old #38, you might pick that one up as well. Rick

Tasting notes, eh? I just reviewed 1996 Alaskan Smoked Porter for Christmas in July. Very dark brown, almost black, with mahogany glints around the edges...firm, dark tan head...nose rich with smoke, and surprisingly, powdery malt...not a drop of sediment in the bottle...fine body – round and buoyant, with sprightly carbonation...flavors of roast and dark chocolate abound, with the sherry flavors from the oxidized malt adding a winy character...the smoke is still very pronounced, intertwined throughout the flavors and adding a beautifully long, dry finish, in addition to a lingering smoke aftertaste. Alaskan Smoked Porter has tremendous aging potential. Two more bottlings and I'll have a 10-year vertical. A smoke probably would have gone nicely with the ASP. I currently have Romeo y Julieta Churchill tubos and the Robustos Montecristo did for the 2000 Habanos series, but the '96 ASP warranted individual attention. Rick

I've heard bits and pieces of the story. I'd love to hear an informed account. I was fortunate to meet Pierre once, not long enough for more than a picture, but he was a very genial guy. Rick

Hi Mayhaw, The Celis label was revived by Michigan Brewing Company and Celis White medaled at GABF last year. I still haven't tried the "new" Celis, though. Rick

I've been drinking Andygator on tap at Stuffed Sandwich (San Gabriel, CA) for the past few weeks. Sam's always good for putting on the odd something that can't be had anywhere else locally. Rick

slkinsey: Any thoughts on the following: Kalamazoo/Bell's - Expedition North Coast - Old Rasputin Harvey and Son - A. Le Coq Rick

Grab a bottle of Victory Storm King Stout, and then tell me what you think. Another comparison that serves no purpose. Different styles. Rick

Southern man better keep your head Don’t forget what your good book said Hiya, Lew. Really enjoyed your article on wood (heh, heh. wood.) and bourbon in the latest Malt Advocate. Rick

Hiya, Rust! Rusty achieved a Days of Barleywine and Roses first last year by posting a tasting note on Stone's Arrogant Bastard. The ale had been reviewed in prior tastings, certainly, but never had a reviewer done it solo with a 3 liter bottle. Rick

Never Mind The Sex Pistols, Here's The Bollocks

Rick

Wilson, If you're referring to Capital Brewery in Middleton, I've been there. I stopped in on my way to Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison a few years ago. Nice biergarten, very good lagers. Rick

Hey babyluck, First of all, thanks very much for the Boyle recommendation. He's a little dark, and the book I read was some of his older stuff, but I really like his writing and will be picking up some more of his work. Great reading. While beer goes back seemingly forever, canning certainly doesn't. Boyle's story strikes a nerve nonetheless with the way he captures the geekiness of the collector. Anyone who has become obsessed with trying every beer, every wine, every whatever, can relate to the enthusiasm/obsession of seeking out that prize find. Rick

Jim's suggestions of Cantillon, Boon and Hanssen's pretty much covered what is available to me. Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus and Fou Foune are favorites, as are Boon's Marriage Parfaits and Hanssen's Oudbeitje. Overall, I'm a big fan of Hanssen's. Not lambics, but you might also try Liefmann's Frambozen and New Belgium's Frambozen, both raspberry brown ales. While you're at it, try Liefmann's Goudenband. Finally, have you tried Fantome? Rick

Nice article. I'm a big fan of Fritz; even named a cat after him. The guy's been a big part of my beer/wine/whiskey education. The first Ridge wine I ever tried was York Creek zinfandel, which I sought out after hearing that Fritz owned the vineyard. I have several years of their zin and petite sirah from the York Creek vineyard. I've also picked up the occasional Ridge York Creek cab at cellar sales. I still have a few bottles of Maytag's 1995 York Creek meritage as well. We opened one a few weeks ago, and it's showing well, though still a little tannic. I love Old Potrero, but I've only had the first one. Haven't tried the Junipero, although I've given it as a gift to gin drinkers and they've really liked it. Of Anchor's beers, the Steam and Liberty are incredible when fresh, the Porter is a roasty, chocolatey beauty (that also makes a great beer float with chocolate ice cream), and the OSA and Foghorn are very good agers. The only Anchor beer I haven't really liked was the Small beer. it's just a little too small for me. Here's a good interview of Maytag by The Malt Advocate's Lew Bryson, who's quoted a few times in the article Squeat Mungry posted. Rick

Here are a few you might try: Belgians: Abbaye de Rocs Grand Cru Rochefort 10 Gouden Carolus Noel St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel Affligem Noel American and Canadian Belgian-Styles: Ommegang Abbey New Belgium Abbey Double Grand Cru Unibroue Trois Pistoles Unibroue Terrible There are way more. These are off the top of my head. I'd be curious to what beers you've had in the past that made you dislike beer. Rick

Hi Dick, Facetious post or not, you selected an ageworthy beer. The high abv and spices in the Hitachino are both positives for cellaring. Cellaring beer isn't for everyone, and I've heard "I prefer wine" several times, as though the two are mutually exclusive. I cellared beer only for several years, but the results, in combination with a curious palate, led me to do the same with wine. I started with cabs and zins, but in the last several years I've focused more on Rhones (particularly CdP), Rhone varietals, and Burgundy/Pinot Noir. I did a tasting for several wine people at a local shop's wine bar last year. Part of the tasting was comparing current bottles of beers available in the wine shop against the same beers with a few years of age on them from my cellar. People were blown away by how much complexity the beers gained with age. If anything, there are now a few more barleywine drinkers in the world. Sushi - I'm nuts for sushi. I most often drink beer, though sake and champagne can make for some great matches. I particularly like mackerel and sake, and salmon and rose champagne. Rick

Hi Alberto, I like the La Rossa as well. I order pies to go from a place in Eagle Rock called Casa Bianca and I always show up early to have a La Rossa while I wait. Bella doppio malto. Rick

I'm willing to go along with the idea, what with St. Pat's in the middle of the week this year, but I'll end up drinking more Murphy's than anything else. Rick

Hi Dick, Sorry for the late reply. I had the Hitachino once in December, but we'd been drinking a bit that night. I have a bottle open now, and I plan to put the rest away. Currently the carbonation is a little on the high side, and the spicing is muddled and strong. Coriander, orange peel, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla bean is quite a mix, though the coriander and orange peel seem to dominate. It's a pleasant enough beer now, but I expect that age will reduce the carbonation and bring the flavors more into focus. jmo, Rick

Good point.

Haven't read the story, babyluck, but I've ordered Boyle's "Descent of Man" based on your recommendation and it'll be the first one I read when the book comes in. I still have some of Victory's original Storm King bottling, John. I remember how strong the hopping was when I first received it. Imperial Stouts really benefit from time in the cellar. We get several Victory beers in Los Angeles, including Storm King and Old Horizontal. I try to put a few of each away every year. Haven't had the Old Salty. In fact, the only Heavyweight I have is a bottle of Perkuno's Hammer. Haven't had the Olde School either, though it's promised to me. I have some fairly old bottles of Immort Ale, plus Raison d'Etre and Worldwide. DFH is another brewery that's made inroads into L.A. That's a nice selection of beers you have. Rick

Always cool to get a response from a brewer. Interestingly, I've had mixed results with Lees. I had '89 and '90 Harvest Ales a few years ago that were wonderful, yet a sixer of '98 Harvest Ale that I've tried over the last few years falls way short. I bought a couple dozen bottles of the much lower abv Lees Moonraker a few years ago and it's evolving nicely. I've visited with Bill and John half a dozen times since first meeting them in '95. Bill and his wife Carol spent a week with us in Santa Fe and Taos last May. All, including John's wife Rita, are great people. I can't get enough of New Orleans. Had my only Schlenkerla Weizen at d.b.a. About John's beers - Temperature fluctuation is a big consideration with passive cellars. If your temp is fairly constant your beer should be in good shape. The more the temperature fluctuates, the greater the chance of damage. Also important to remember is the higher the temp, the faster the aging. I'd open the Hardy. No good reason, I just would. As far as the Fuller's Vintage, I have that going back to the first year ('97?) and it's showing to be a beauty of an ager. I haven't been real diligent about buying every year, and I'm regretting it. What year do you have, and what are your local b/ws? Rick

Hi guys, I'm new here and saw this topic. I hope you don't mind if I jump in since this topic is a bit of a hobby. ledervin - 1998 English 333ml beer with no cork. I'm curious, was it Lee's Harvest Ale? (though at 10 bones that's pricey). Mayhaw - I agree that a healthy abv is generally one of the better indicators of ageability. Thankfully though, there are a few exceptions. Your mention of Andygator makes me wonder if you know a couple of LA beer geeks - John Dauenhauer and Bill Brantley. Jim - Good call on lambic. I have a lot of them, particularly from Boon, Cantillon and Hanssen's. I've had some for about eight years now, primarily gueuze, and they've mellowed beautifully, including the Hanssen's, which tends to put the funk in funky. One of my favorites is Hanssen's Oudbeitje, made with wild strawberries. I cellar in a commercial facility and have three 24-case lockers dedicated to beer. As time has gone on I've pretty much focused my collection on barleywines and other high octane beers, Belgians and spiced beers/holiday seasonals. As far as aging, I tend to prefer the larger format bottles and have up to 3 liter bottles. I always buy a couple of each year's OSA in the 1.5 liter bottle and have those going back to '93. Still, I have about 40 cases of smaller bottles, ranging from nips to half-liters. I think the amount of air in the headspace definitely has an effect. I've also found that bottle conditioned ales don't have a monopoly on ageability, as filtered lagers like Sami, EKU 28, and Kulmbacher Eisbock are showing terriffic longevity, not to mention increased complexity with age. While I'm on the subject of bottom fermenters, I love Baltic Porters and have had great success with them. If there's an interest in cellaring beers I'd be interested in continuing this thread. Rick