Urgent notice from everyone's favorite Victory regular, Richard Ruch -- this is TODAY!

Storm King Monday

American Craft Beer Week at Victory Brewing Company

Monday, May 14 – All Day

We're celebrating the first day of American Craft Beer Week with a 2003 vintage keg of Storm King Stout!

Explore the flavor transformation that Storm King has when paired with three distinct tapas.

Enjoy three taster glasses of the 2003 Storm King Stout. One for each dish. $20

1. buttery housemade angel hair pasta with carrot, zucchini and yellow squash threads
2. smoky bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with garlic celeriac puree and parsley potato tuile
3. flourless chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache and toasted almond tuile

*.3L servings of the 2003 Storm King will also be available for $8.

NO GROWLER FILLS

Victory Dark Intrigue: you can have mine this year

I got a sample bottle of Victory Dark Intrigue last year. Circumstances compelled me to drink it almost immediately so I could review it for Malt Advocate, much as I wanted to let it age a few months. I liked it, it was good. But...you can have my bottle this year.

See, Victory's releasing Dark Intrigue (Storm King aged in bourbon barrels) at 11:30 AM on November 23 (get all the gory details here), in a big geek-frenzy release. Much as this is kinda fun, and I really did like the beer...well, two things. First, I'm leery of the whole circus atmosphere. I've been staying away from beer festivals, too. Maybe I'm just getting old, maybe I need a kick in the slats. Dunno. But the main reason is the second one: my son comes home from college the night before, and since he's only 20, I'd just as soon spend the day with him; maybe next year we'll both be there!

Anyway...seriously, go, get some, this is our answer to all the other madness releases that beer does. You think Black Friday's gonna be crazy? Check out Dark Wednesday. (By the way...there will be a small amount of draft DI in the taproom. Might be a little less crazy than the line for the retail store!)

International Stout/Porter Day? Sure, I'm in

Got a press release from Chris D'Puia, the beer maven at O'Reilly's, in Harrisburg (apparently they're not going by T. Brendan O'Reilly's anymore?), about their participation in the 1st Annual International Stout/Porter Day, on November 3rd. I didn't know about this, but it has a website, and it's not Guinness's "Arthur's Day." Whatever, it's an excuse to drink dark ales, and I am down with that!

Here's what's going on at O'Reilly's. I won't be there -- too far with what else I have to do that day -- but I WILL be drinking dark beer somewhere, at home, if needs be.

Starting at 6:00, there will be a growler and bottle share in the banquet room, next to the Pub (parallel to the bathrooms). Please bring a growler or a bottle of your choice to share with all of the attendees. Please note that it does not have to be a Stout or Porter, but they are recommended due to the reason of celebration.
At 8:00, we move the festivities into O’Reillys itself, where there will be at least 6 Stouts or Porters on tap and one firkin on the bar. Ffej and ADG of “Think Tank” will be in the house that evening playing live music.
As for food, it will be available to purchase in the pub, and it can be brought in to the banquet room. Outside food will not be permitted in the banquet room. However, it is most important to note that this room is being provided to us free of charge to rent as long as we do not leave a mess behind, so please clean up after yourselves. 

So get dark, folks. Sounds like fun to me!

Bluegrass Brewing Company Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

August 31, and it's what? 55 freakin' degrees out there? The beer for the last post of this very bloggy day is going to be cold weather beer: Bluegrass Brewing's Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout. This is one of a four-pack my bro-in-law Chris and his wife KD got me for my birthday; tip of the hat to you, guys, and thanks again.

The beer pours damned dark, still brown, not black, but dark. The aroma is not overwhelmingly bourbon barrel; about half barrel, half deeply roasted malt. The hops that I just know are in there aren't coming through in the nose much. Wurgh. That is one sharp stout: a fairly thin opening wedge that expands into a roasty bite with a leathery-lean wrap of bourbon barrel to it. It tastes like BBC didn't keep this one in the barrel too long, and for that, I thank them. Jefferson Reserve is older whiskey, too, so this is a barrel that's had a lot of the vanilla taken from it.

The beer is surprisingly drinkable for what's essentially a light-framed imperial stout with a buffing of barrel; it's almost lively. The barrel really comes through in the finish, curling back to catch you.

The question is, what are you looking for in a bourbon barrel stout? I guess I'm looking for something richer than this. It's good...but if I'm going to get hit in the head with an 8.5% beer, I kinda want to feel it more. This beer needs some more heft to it, and more depth. Might have to let it come up to room temp and try it again.

Founders KBS

I got a sample of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout two months ago, and finally got to it last night. It was one of those "on the deck in the dark" nights, and the KBS made it a good one.

Black as the night around me, and densely opaque as a good heavy pumpernickel.

Richly aromatic, even when cold, and almost explosive as it warms up: dark, oily coffee; roughly sensual chocolate/cocoa; oaky-sweet bourbon.

Rolling heavy in the mouth, full but easily teased into separate chocolate/vanilla/coffee notes, the bourbon/wood rolling around everything. Surprisingly light finish, didn't hang unctuously in the mouth.

Drank so easy I was shocked to see I'd finished it.

Samuel Adams Imperial Stout

I got an advance sample of the two new beers in the new Samuel Adams Imperial Series, an Imperial Stout and Imperial White. And in the midst of the Eagles' awesome comeback in today's NFC championship game (nervous, nervous), I'm trying the Imperial Stout.

It pours black, black as a strong cup of French roast. The beer's too cold at first, and I'm not getting much, so I let it warm up. Now I'm getting some coffee and graham off the top, some sweet, and a little bit of earthiness. The flavor's sweet with a stiff backing of bitterness, both hop and burnt grain. All the components are there, and this is good.

Is it awesome? Close. It's pretty good, but it's not making me see God. Those four incomplete passes that sealed the Eagles' fate, that is making me wish I could see God and ask him WHY?!, but the beer's not beefy enough. What body is there, is mostly just sweet; I'm looking for some more complexity, but I'm just getting volume. I want to like this beer, but that's about all I can say for it: I like it. Too sweet. Falling short. Like the Eagles today.