I’ve been wanting to try this for months. From the first time I heard about it, I knew I had to have it. Unfortunately, I can’t buy it around Buffalo (sigh). When Deron (of Top 5 Beers fame) told me his pal, Murf, had picked some up in Boston, I nearly fell out of my chair. Yesterday afternoon, Deron snuck into the office and near-slammed a can of it on my desk. Of course, I just had to try it last night, and I’m glad I did.

Monk’s Blood is 8.3% ABV and brewed with vanilla, fig, oak chips and cinnamon… a combination that sounded far too interesting not to try. It poured a deep ruby with a two-finger head that dissipated with a quickness. It offered up a very sweet aroma, mostly of raisins (I imagine from the fig) with vanilla and a hint of brett. By the end of my second long sniff, some bitter notes burst through the sweet. Intriguing aroma, for sure.

In my first sip, I could most definitely taste the fig. This Belgian Strong Dark Ale is lightly sweet while it’s swirling around in my mouth, with an aftertaste that’s reminiscent of sour cherry. The yeast is also very present; I could taste the brett that I smelled before sipping. Some people may not dig this (best way to describe it is like a band-aid) but I assure you, if you like Ommegang Biere de Mars, you’ll enjoy Monk’s Blood. Heat from the cinnamon and alcohol danced together through the finish.

In regards to mouthfeel, I could only feel its light, crisp carbonation on the edges and tip of my tongue. The rest of the sip is a more full-bodied one. I’d have to say overall, it has a medium mouthfeel; not so heavy that I couldn’t have more than one. I wouldn’t call this a session beer, as too many would leave me on the floor, but I’d definitely like to come into Monk’s Blood again. If you have it by you, I recommend you try some for yourself.

And Deron, thanks again. You’re the best, mang.

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | 21ST AMENDMENT | MONK'S BLOOD | BELGIAN ALE | BELGIAN STRONG ALE | DARK ALE ]

Since the greatest drinking day all year is slowly starting to become larger than just a blip on everyone’s radar, I figured it would be a great time to chime in with my top 5 Irish Dry Stouts. That smooth, creamy, roasty, inky abyss that, thanks to Arthur Guinness were all very familiar with and at times, can drink enough to fill up a small swimming pool without getting super full, or even better, super drunk. Thankfully, that makes it a very appropriate beer to be enjoying when some of us are at the bar at 8:00 in the morning on parade day.

The History of Irish Dry Stout

Truly a beer style that is associated more to one single brewery than any other style, Irish Dry Stout was born in 1759, when Mr. Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. He had some experience brewing, but he made this move to make his fortune, and in an effort to capitalize on the success of London Porters, hired an expert porter brewer to help him. Intended to be a stronger, roastier version, it was originally called Stout Porter, although the Porter was eventually dropped and modern versions are brewed from a lower original gravity and no longer reflect a higher strength than porters. As of this writing, Guinness brews 20 versions of stout in more than 40 countries and sells it in 135 countries. An immensely successful and popular beer, as most bars that serve beer and have a stout on draft, most of the time it will be the big G.

Irish Dry Stout Characteristics

As were all aware, Irish Dry Stout is jet black to deep brown in appearance, with some garnet highlights here and there. It can be clear or opaque, and its second signature is its thick, creamy, long-lasting tan-to brown-colored head. They have a moderate, roasty, grainy sharpness of flavor, with some light to moderate acidic sourness and medium to high hop bitterness. The roasted grains provide a dry, coffee-like finish with some bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate character in the palate, and the creaminess will provide a lot of balance. Dry Stout can be medium light to medium-full in body, with low to moderate carbonation, and for a beer with high hop bitterness and a large proportion of dark grains present, this style of beer is exceptionally smooth. It’s no wonder so many of these stouts are served on a nitro system, because that’s what ices the cake for them in the smooth and creamy department.

Irish Dry Stout Food Pairings

Incredibly versatile with food, Irish Dry Stout may throw you a few curveballs with what it can pair with. Some versions of the style are actually brewed with oysters, because their briny texture and sea flavors pair so well with the dry, profound bitterness of the beer. Basically, any member of the shellfish family is a great call with this style, the sweetness from the sea is amplified ever so well when paired. Another great food family to place on the table with IDS is pork, be it ham, sausage, bacon or tenderloin, especially if it’s roasted. Most heartier, richer foods apply here, be it a meat pie, barbecued beef, a burger or a ribeye steak. Everyone out there, Irish or not, probably has a recipe for corned beef and cabbage, and a bottle of IDS is almost essential to be poured into the pot as the meat and veggies simmer away. And if you’re making a pot of beef stew and happen to run out of stock, (which happens to me WAY too often) a bottle of IDS will complement it magnificently. Cheese isn’t exactly a perfect partner here, but an aged Dubliner cheddar would work well. And as far as desserts go, fruit tarts or pies are an excellent choice, as is chocolate soufflé, tiramisu or mousse.

So there’s the (or my) 411 on Irish Dry Stout. I may get flamed a bit for not including the mighty Guinness on my list, but I digress. It truly is a magnificent beer, however I find the following 5 a bit better, if for any reason other than they’re a bit more unique and/or harder to find. IDS has yet to really be viewed, or brewed as a seasonal beer, but I have noticed the past few years that they are more prevalent in your local pub this time of year. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks when you’re giving your liver its annual test of resiliency and stamina, you can seek a few of these out instead of downing 14 of the aluminum Budweiser bottles with the shamrocks on them. On St. Patty’s day, that’s just not good game.

Murphy’s Irish Stout

Beamish Irish Stout

Victory Donnybrook Stout

North Coast Old #38 Stout

Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout

TAGS [ IRISH DRY STOUT | GUINNESS | MURPHY'S | BEAMISH | ST. PATRICK'S DAY | IRISH STOUTS | BEER REVIEWS ]

It’s no secret that the New York Times is a pretty big deal. Lately, the paper has been all about the beer articles and we couldn’t be more pleased. We hope that whoever or whatever has inspired/provoked/suggested this newfound concentration sticks around and keeps it up.

In case you missed them, here are a few of our favorite recent articles:

Make Your Beer and Drink It, Too

Beers of the Times, A Delicious Free-for-All

The New Old Way to Tote Your Beer

In Vietnam, Traveling an Unlikely Beer Trail

Call It Stout, Though It Isn’t

And some multimedia too:

A Beer Pilgrimage

Bocks, Doppelbocks and Maibocks

Altbiers and Other Brown Ales

Porter Ales

There are tons more too. Simply visit the Times’ Beer topic page to get it all.

If you’re all about the beer as well, don’t forget to add our Top 5 Porters, Top 5 Belgian Strong Pale Ales and Top 5 English Brown Ales posts to your reading list too.

Cheers to good beer!

TAGS [ BEER ARTICLES | NY TIMES | BEER NEWS ]

This English Porter has officially become my absolute favorite winter ale.

It is the creamiest winter ale style beer I’ve ever enjoyed and I cannot wait to get my hands on some more… I agree with Deron though, on wishing it wasn’t quite so expensive.

Weighing in at 8.5% ABV, Nøgne Ø Winter Ale pours deep, onyx black with an incredibly creamy, thick tan head (if you couldn’t gather that from the photo itself). Smells of coffee and tons of roasted, sweet malt.

And the taste? Nøgne Ø is deliciously creamy with a taste of dark coffee, sweet roasty malts and a hint of chocolate. However, it’s by no means "sweet;" you could have more than one in a row, unlike the Southern Tier Choklat or the EBC Cherry Stout. A fantastic combo, I must say. The carbonation is present but very light, allowing this English Porter to keep its smooth, rich, heavy mouthfeel. Honestly, I can’t wait to run back to Premier to buy some more.

If you dig a winter ale that’s lighter on the palate, I suggest Brooklyn Winter Ale… have you any suggestions? Tell us!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | WINTER ALE | NØGNE Ø | NØGNE Ø WINTER ALE | ENGLISH PORTER ]

I randomly came across this beer on Southern Tier’s site. No sooner than I read the description did I set my IM status to "away" and embark on a quick trip to Premier Gourmet to see if I could get my hands on some. As luck would have it, there was but one bottle left, just waiting for me to take home.

Cuvée 2, aged in American oak barrels, pours a beautifully deep amber color, near burnt orange. My first glass did not have much in the way of head, but the second I poured gave me a finger of frothy white goodness… I have a feeling my glass was not "beer clean," which would account for the lack of head in my initial pour.

Its aroma was very sweet. I noticed quite a bit of honey in the nose, with a hint of vanilla. I was salivating for a taste. Taking a hearty sip, I was treated to flavors of sweet honey, something like butterscotch, a tinge of vanilla and a somewhat flowery kick of hops. Quite creamy, its light carbonation was just enough to keep it very drinkable but not take away from its medium mouthfeel.

Southern Tier Cuvée 2 is classified as an American Strong Ale, which makes a lot of sense at 11% ABV. Buy the time I was through with my 22-ounce bottle, I realized that, although it’s incredibly tasty and smooth, it could not possibly be a session beer for me, without becoming completely inebriated. Instead, Cuvée 2 will be a once-in-a-while treat to share… or enjoy alone.

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | SOUTHERN TIER BREWING CO | SOUTHERN TIER CUVEE 2 | AMERICAN STRONG ALE ]

Ellicottville Brewing Co.’s brews are ones I typically choose when I’m in the mood for something wicked hoppy and local. When I happened upon their Chocolate Cherry Stout at Wellington Pub three weeks ago, I was skeptical. When I want a stout, I don’t want it overtaken with hops. The bartender poured me a taster, knowing I’d be pleasantly surprised.

I was, and I’ve been back to the pub every week since then, to enjoy it while it lasts.

See, EBC doesn’t bottle this imperial stout. Not only that, but Wellington Pub is one of few that have it on tap in the area, and even they only have one keg. Once it’s gone, it’s gone until (hopefully) next year. I dig heading to the pub with my girlfriends and Kristen, our fav bartender, is there every Wednesday, so I’d be headed there most weeks anyway… but this limited edition stout gives me even more reason to.

EBC Chocolate Cherry Stout pours deep black, usually with an inch-tall tan head that lasts and lasts (this particular pint wasn’t poured as they generally are). The aroma is full chocolate without the heavy alcohol smell I would’ve expected for an 8% ABV brew.

As I stated earlier, usually Ellicottville Brewing Co. beers are very hoppy, even in styles that don’t call for much in the way of hops, like brown ales (think Dogfish Head - they’re typically quite hoppy as well) so I was wondering how they’d brew this imperial stout. I’m happy to report that the mild hops were just enough to keep the brew from being too sweet and more drinkable than it would be if there had been none.

And the taste - not quite as chocolaty as the Southern Tier Choklat Stout (like I said, there is no beer more chocolaty than that, not that I’ve ever known) - but a superb dessert beer all the same. Deep, flavorful sips of chocolate malt and juicy cherries are the only way I can describe it. Creamy with lightly crisp carbonation keeps it from being too syrupy, but offers a medium heavy mouthfeel that I’d expect from an imperial stout.

Not a session beer, but I’m enjoying as many as I can before the keg is kicked, so if you find me at Wellington, I’m most likely switching EBC Chocolate Cherry into my Guinness rotation every 2 pints or so.

TAGS [ EBC CHOCOLATE CHERRY STOUT | ELLICOTTVILLE BREWING CO. | BEER REVIEWS | IMPERIAL STOUTS ]

It’s like fermented chocolate syrup. I mean that in a good way.

I had a hankering for something wicked sweet, but wasn’t in the mood to chew. I wanted a beer. I wanted a chocolate beer. I’m not gonna lie, beer doesn’t get more chocolaty than this. It really hit the spot.

I poured my first glass and shot Deron (of KegWorks Top 5 Beers fame) a picture message. He replied, "Can you drink a whole bottle of that?"

I wasn’t sure, but was willing to try.

Not only is this beer quite sweet, but the alcohol content is rather high (9.5%) so not only would I be testing how much saccharine I could stomach, but also how much of the 22-ounce bottle I could handle before getting positively silly. Of course, I’ve had my fair share of beers, so I didn’t think the latter would be a problem.

Southern Tier Choklat poured deep black—onyx, even—which I expected being that it’s featured as one of their "Blackwater Series Imperial Stouts." Its thick, light tan, creamy head lasted almost as long as there was beer in my glass, leaving a fair amount of lacing with every swirl. Maybe I was drinking it more quickly than I should’ve but either way, what a treat.

Strong aromas of dark, rich chocolate filled my nose in ways that made me taste it, even before I had my first sip. Although the brew was nearly opaque, it didn’t look to be super syrupy; my first sip proved me right. It offered a full-bodied mouthfeel with enough carbonation to keep it drinkable, instead of having the consistency of sundae topping, which I would have thought if I had gone by smell alone.

Southern Tier Choklat Stout tastes of rich milk and dark chocolates, with a hint of oat, but really chocolate is everything to this brew. Not only do they concoct it with chocolate and caramel malts, but they actually put pure, bittersweet Belgian chocolate in the beer as well. If you haven’t tried it yet, and you love chocolate, I really recommend it. I wouldn’t consider it as a session beer, or one that I’d drink all the time, but for extreme chocolate cravings it certainly hits the spot.

Cheers!

TAGS [ SOUTHERN TIER CHOKLAT | CHOCOLATE STOUTS | BEER REVIEW | SOUTHERN TIER BEER REVIEW | IMPERIAL STOUTS ]