Monthly Archives: October 2018

Bravo & Punkuccino

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I know all of you beer aficionados anxiously await my beer reviews.  What’s not to love about them, huh?  You get my recommendations, which are worth their weight in gold (ok, so my recommendations have no physical weight – they’re still priceless).  Anyway, here are two more reviews for your consumption. Please read responsibly!

Bravo: Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Robles, CA.  13.2% ABV.
This is Firestone Walker’s bourbon barrel aged Imperial Brown Ale.  It’s unclear to me if it’s an annual release, with very limited availability (see below).

Bravo pours a deep hazy brown with a very slight, light beige head that rapidly fades.  The aroma is sweet, vanilla and bourbon.  The flavor features grainy bitterness, vanilla, and coconut, and then fades to a sweet vanilla, which lingers forever.  The bourbon is well represented in the flavor and aroma of this beer.  As Bravo warms, a nice mild chocolate flavor emerges mid-palate.

This is a heavy bodied beer with a thick, smooth mouth feel.  The carbonation level is medium-light, offering just enough fizz to keep it from being syrupy.

Bravo is all about the bourbon barrel – it’s front and center.  I have to describe this beer as EXCELLENT!  Bravo was released in early 2017, and I bought a bottle at Total Wine in February 2017.  I have tried to find Bravo since I drank the one bottle, but have had no success.  I’m not sure, but this may have been a one time release and unavailable now and in the future.  That’s too bad, because I definitely want more.

Punkuccino: Elysian Brewing, Seattle, WA.  6.0% ABV.
I’m not a pumpkin beer lover, but I try to get a couple of different ones each fall in the spirit of harvest celebration and American beer crafting.  Punkuccino is a Coffee Pumpkin Ale from Elysian Brewing, one of Seattle’s premier breweries.  I bought Punkuccino this week at Total Wine ($8.99 for a 22 oz. bomber), thinking I might possibly like it because it has coffee in addition to pumpkin.

Punkuccino pours clear, dark ruby red (you’ll see the red if you hold the glass up to the light) with a light tan ¼” head that faded after about two minutes.  A very thin ring around the perimeter and slight surface foam remained through most of the session.  It smells like sweet coffee with a dash of pumpkin.

The flavor is sweet pumpkin and spice. Coffee is not noted until the pumpkin pie fades to the aftertaste, which is mostly sweet coffee.  So, how do I describe the flavor?  It’s pumpkin and spice (cinnamon and nutmeg, like pumpkin pie), then it becomes a bit stronger mid-palate, and then the pumpkin fades to sweet coffee, which is very pleasant.

The carbonation is fairly light, as is the body – it’s a bit thin.  But then again, it’s not a stout or a big beer by any means, so I would have to say it’s within the style category parameters.

Well, like I said, I really don’t care for pumpkin ales, so I was wary (but hopeful) when I bought and then drank this beer. This one is mild on the pumpkin pie/pumpkin ale spectrum.  It came in a 22 oz. bomber, so I had a lot of it to drink.  At first I thought I would not buy it again, but the more I drank it, the more I liked it.  The aroma is really enticing.  And for any of you who like Pumpkin Spice Latte’s, you might really enjoy this beer. But what you all want to know is, will I buy this again?  The answer is: probably yes, BUT . . . only one more bomber (after all, I can take only so much Pumpkin Ale).

So what’s the bottom line on Punkuccino?  In my opinion it’s good as far Pumpkin Ales go. If you like those types of autumn beers, this is one you should DEFINITELY try.  [Krissy – you’re the Pumpkin Spice Latte girl; you need to try this. Kevin – I don’t know if you are a Pumpkin Ale drinker, but you really need to support your homeboys on this one; no excuses!!]

Well, that’s it for now, beer lovers.  One of these reviews is probably a bit too late (Bravo), but the other is current and very relevant (Punkuccino), so get out there and support the craft brewing industry.

Sláinte!

Imperial Stout X-Coconut & The Nothing

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Greetings, beer drinkers.  Are you getting tired of all these beer reviews?  I hope not, because there’s more to come.  Today I bring you a couple of dark beauties.  As always, I caution you to “please read responsibly!”

Imperial Stout X – Coconut: Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City, MO.  11% ABV.
Boulevard Brewing released a number of special release Imperial Stouts in their Smokestack Series.  Imperial Stout X was the final release in the series.  I had several of the beers in the Smokestack series, and reviewed another one a couple of years ago.

ISX-Coconut is Boulevard’s Smokestack Series base Imperial Stout with coconut added during aging.  This beer is not barrel aged.

ISX-Coconut is a typical Imperial Stout – dark, thick, and sweet.  It pours black with a 2” creamy head of dark tan foam that remains for quite a while before fading to a substantial ring.  The aroma is sweet chocolate, coconut and vanilla.  The flavor leads with bittersweet chocolate and vanilla, then fades to sweet coconut and vanilla that lingers forever.  The carbonation level is low-moderate, and it has a medium to heavy body and mouth feel.  In other words, it’s pretty thick.

As it warms, it sweetens up further. ISX-Coconut has a big flavor profile, which masks the 11% alcohol content remarkably well (but don’t worry, it will quickly get you where you want to go).  In spite of this big, complex flavor, it’s not nearly as burly or as pleasing as some other Imperial Stouts out there, and the coconut flavor is a bit understated.  This is good beer, but not great, and a bit disappointing considering the price.  [Note: Refer to my post of January 5, 2016 for a review of another Smokestack Series Imperial Stout – Tart Cherry Stout.  The review reaches similar conclusions – good, but not great.]

The Nothing: Smog City Brewing, Torrance, CA.  9.3% ABV.
With a name like “The Nothing”, this should be an entirely forgettable beer.  Allow me to dispel that notion.

This beer is named after the evil antagonist from the epic fantasy book/movie, “The Neverending Story”.  The Nothing is described as, “a force of absolute oblivion that erases everything and everyone it touches from existence and leaves no trace whatsoever.” Anyone in its presence is, “compelled to jump into it and meet their doom.” (villians.wiki.com)

The Nothing pours midnight black with a thin cocoa colored head that immediately fades to a thin ring.  The aroma is sweet coffee and chocolate.  The flavor is sweet chocolate with some coffee late on the tongue.  The aftertaste, which lingers quite a while, is a nice, slightly bitter, coffee flavor.

As this one warms, the aroma becomes more chocolate, and less coffee, but remains sweet, maybe even sweeter.  The flavor is all about the chocolate, but the coffee forces its way through in the aftertaste.

The Nothing is thick, THICK, THICK, with a velvety smooth richness and viscosity (90 wt. gear oil comes to mind). The carbonation level is low, which helps to give it that thick mouth feel.  The alcohol level is low-moderate for an American Imperial Stout, but at 9.3%, it’s enough to “git ‘er done” (after ¼ of the bottle, I had a very pleasant buzz).

This beer is (The) Nothing short of amazing. Oh, and I’m sure you’ll agree that The Nothing is appropriately named (admit it now, aren’t you compelled by my review and description to jump into it and meet your doom?).  There are a lot of Imperial Stouts out there, but there’s nothing like The Nothing.

Recommendations
Imperial Stout X – Coconut was a special release and may no longer be available (I purchased it well after the release, and cellar aged it for a while before drinking it).  It’s a good Imperial Stout, but not as good as I would expect from a limited special release beer, especially for the price.  My recommendation is . . . I wouldn’t turn it down if someone gave me a bottle, but I wouldn’t pay for one.

The Nothing is a winter release (500 ml bottles).  Rosie gave me The Nothing for my birthday this year – thank you, Rosie!  I can HIGHLY recommend The Nothing, but be forewarned, it’s not cheap, and not always easy to find.  That just makes it all the more worthwhile in my opinion.  [Note – The Nothing is currently available at Total Wine, $11.99/bottle.]  Caveat: if you’re a cheap bastard or a fizzy yellow beer drinker, don’t bother looking for either of these fine ales.

Well, boys and girls, that’s it for now.  You’ve got all the information you need, so get out there and find yourself some good beer.

Sláinte!