Wild Onion Brewing Co – Hop Slayer

It’s been a little while since I’ve commented on the state of the canned beer industry; however, if you’ve looked around, it has only continued to grow like crazy.  A lot of big beer companies are realizing that this isn’t a fad that is going away, so they have started canning some of their more popular beers.  Next time you’re at a store, you may notice cans of Sierra Nevada – Torpedo or New Belgium – Fat Tire.  The companies are finally starting to see that canning beers doesn’t quite have the same stigma it used to have.  Yes there are still beers like Schlitz, Natty Boh, and PBR out there as well; however, they have started to seem fun and ironic to the hipster community.  Even though a lot of these brews have been doing this for a while, it’s still nice to mention some of the craft breweries that helped create the swing towards canned beers.

Wild Onion Brewing Co started back around 1996; however, they expanded into their current capacity back in 2003.  Located in Barrington, IL, they aren’t too far outside of the Chicago area.  They state on their site that they brew their ales and lagers in a 6,000 square-foot brewery, cellar, and packaging complex, directly below the bar. Brewing directly below their own bar sounds pretty good to me.  Ultimately this was the first beer I saw at the beer store I visited in Philly that I knew I absolutely wanted.  A canned beer I’d never seen before, from a company I’d never heard of before, and with a big double IPA named hop slayer inside was a sure sell.

I’ve consumed a few different imperial IPAs out of a can before. Just the other day I had my first Hop Crisis from 21st Amendment.  Aside from stouts, I think double/imperial IPAs are some of the most interesting beers to find in a can.  Hop Crisis was great and I absolutely loved Oskar Blues Deviant Dales brew as well.  Therefore, I had a lot of high hopes coming into this one.  Wild Onion states that this ale, “is so full of malt and hops that you can almost chew on it”, which I only find more exciting.  Coming in at 100 IBUs, it sounded like a perfect big craft canned beer.

This one pours a nice dark rich reddish color with some very light hints of orange.  It’s slightly coppery for sure.  There is some fairly plentiful white head that develops on top of the beer.  Some really good lacing develops on the side of the glass after the swirl, and you get a ton of sticky residue hanging around.  Although a little dark, it certainly seems to have a hazy tint to it.  You don’t really see any carbonation, but you can see some significant activity in the glass when you agitate its contents.

The huge tangy hop aroma dominates the nose for sure.  Combining with the tangy nature is some really big sticky sweet malts as well.  There is definitely a lot of citrus that comes out.  I think some of that may be due to a slight lemony quality the hops have to them.  The tang and slight boozy aroma definitely combine for some certain thickness on the nose.  You get some light fig, burnt sugar, and caramel mixing in there as well.  There is certainly some nice big hops and malts mixing here.

I normally start my talk of the flavor by saying there are some nice sweet malts.  This one instead decides to throw a tone of huge malts in right at the start to help create a hefty backbone for the upcoming onslaught of hops.  There is a nice little hint of citrus that comes in; however, this is just a slight lead into the hops.  The hops are not as huge as I was expecting.  You assume all beers that reach 100 IBUs are going to smack you in the face with the hops.  This one instead build up enough malts to really make the giant hop presence rather subdued.  The hops have a nice blend of both the pine and floral flavors.  I tend to think they lean more towards the tangy pine quality; however, the tang was bigger on the nose.  There is some sweet caramel and interesting light fruity flavors that bring the beer in for a landing.  The beer finishes with some of that residual hop and tang finish.

This is a really well-balanced big hop beer.  The mouthfeel is fairly syrupy overall; however, the carbonation is lighter but consistent all the way through.  The big malts help counteract the huge hops which help make this beer more drinkable for the moderate hop head out there.  Lots of hops, tang, and sweet malts here.

All in all I would say this may be quite high on the list of double IPAs I’ve had. It is certainly a fine example of a great beer that can be found in a can. The hops have a big malty backbone to build on; however, the malt doesn’t bury the hops.  The hops are still there for those who want to taste them, and yet, the beer is malty enough for someone who is only moderately a fan of the hops.  I wish I could find a few more of these around by me in DC.  If you see it out, I can not stress enough giving it a shot.

Teacher Grade: A

October 19, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 2 Comments

Oskar Blues Brewing Co – Deviant Dales

There is nothing better than sitting back with a good brew, a few friends, and discussing what has gone into the beer to make it amazing.  I have 750 ml bottles that I am specifically holding onto until I have an opportunity to drink it with someone.  It’s great taking a beer that you know is going to be good and sitting down for a discussion on what is right and wrong with the beer.  I suppose many would view this as beer geekery, but I see it as a discussion of a final product.  They probably are one in the same.  Unfortunately, when it comes to smaller beers, you don’t always have the opportunity to drink it with another person.  If they are around I’ll split one, but it is far easier to drink a 12 oz by yourself.  I’ve found, however, that the beer blogging community is a great place to learn more about the beers I have in my beer fridge and have that same virtual discussion.  Today’s beer is one that I have read two separate reviews on, and they are ironically done by two of the blogs I listed earlier this week as blogs I personally enjoy reading.  One of these reviews was just posted yesterday.  While my first thought is about being beaten to the punch, the reality is that I’m going to give you links to those reviews so you can have a second and third opinion on this product.  We aren’t in competition; we are a very small community of people who have a common interest.  Plus, beer reviewing is based solely on opinion, and I know my opinion can’t be king.

Oskar Blues is probably one of the biggest names in the craft canned beer game.  When I was first developing my interest in all things beer, I think it was the first one I shrugged off as a poor excuse for a craft beer.  Shortly thereafter, I saw more and more beers being put in to cans, and I realized the error of my ways.  Deviant Dales is the newest release from them, and it is essentially taking their most popular brew, Dale’s Pale Ale, and upping it it to an India Pale Ale.  They state that Dale’s Pale Ale sold it’s soul to balance the enormous aroma and flavor qualities of Deviant.  What really attracted me to this brew was its use of Columbus hops.  There are 5 different types of hops in my upcoming Imperial IPA, Pretentious Hopster, and I wanted to know how this beer handled the use of these hops with an incredibly high alpha acid percentage.  If I can manage to do half the job they did, I’ll be really proud of my beer.

This one pours out with some really dark auburn orangey colors.  You tend to judge a beer immediately upon pouring it out.  The color, amount of head, and clarity have you already forming an opinion on what you’re about to consume.  The pour had me liking what I was seeing.  There is an ample amount of white fluffy head that develops on top of the beer, which also gives you a little bit of the light foamy lacing and some sticky residue on the side of the glass as well.  The beer remains fairly foamy throughout the entirety of the beer tasting.  I was personally left with some thin foam at the bottom of the glass after finishing the beer.  The beer has a very hazy quality to it, but you can see some very light carbonation.

It was difficult to ignore the hop aroma coming off this one while trying to get a few notes down about the appearance.  The smell permeates your nostrils whether you want it to or not.  There are some really big floral hop aromas with a little pine burn attached to it as well.  The big hop aroma makes a hop head quite happy.  Combined with the hops you get some ample citrus aroma from plenty of grapefruit.  There is definitely that big sweet tangy quality that I associate with imperial IPAs as well.  Finally, I feel like I get a little bit of an herbal spice smell in there as well.  It’s probably associated to the hops, but it has a really earthy aroma to the herbs.

The beer starts out with a lot of deep rich malt flavor.  It creates a really good backbone for them to build the huge hop flavor on.  Beers that are lacking in malts aren’t balanced enough when you add this much hops.  This beer gives you a really strong malt foundation.  The sweetness of the malts has a very short period to dominate your palate before it is joined by huge hop flavors.  The hops have a really tangy flavor to them.  The tanginess is accompanied by a lot of grapefruit flavors which help ease the transition into the development of the hops into a big earthy pine flavor.  The flavors here only got me more excited for the maturation of my own brew.  The aftertaste has a lot of hops, some ample tang, and a little bit of that remnant herbal flavor that really lingers on the back of the throat.

This mouth is quite interesting.  They manage to achieve a really sweet and creamy intro to the brew.  This syrupy introduction gives way to a lot of carbonation.  The creamy syrupy nature once again creates a backbone for the really bitter and tangy nature of the hops.  It helps to create a well-balanced brew.  This beer is probably far too bitter for an individual with a moderate love of hops, but it is perfect for me!

I know I want to pick up another four pack of one of the great IPAs I’ve had lately.  It will be really hard to choose between this one and the Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.  They both give me the big hop flavor that I really want.  Regardless, I’m saving my last can of this to have in succession with my IPA.  I want to see how my use of Columbus hops compares to theirs.  If you love IPAs, you will adore this beer!

Teacher Grade: A+

May 4, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 2 Comments

The Best Cans Around

Craft beer in cans has come up a few times on this blog.  I was definitely skeptical when I started looking at the craft can market, but over the past year, I have absolutely become a convert.  21st Amendment and, locals, DC Brau are some of my favorite brews that come in a can.  Craftcans.com recently held their canned beer of the year awards on their site, and I was really happy to see some of my favorites make it into their top beers of different categories.  Take a look at their site for a little more in-depth, and much nicer, look at the finalists in each category.  I’ll just cover some of the highlights for me.

Top Stout: Oskar Blues – Ten Fidy – I haven’t had this one too many times, but I have had it just enough times to know it’s great. I love just about everything that Oskar Blues is doing.  Any beer in a can that is 10.5% Abv should at least be tried, and this one is one you’ll be happy you did.

Top Pale Ale: DC Brau – Public Ale – I did a review of these guys and an interview with them earlier this year.  I won’t lie; I am 100% biased.  These are two of the nicest guys I have randomly come across in DC, and they can really make a beer too.  This is definitely a go to beer for me when I’m out, and if you come visit DC sometime, you need to give it a try.

Shout out Top Belgian: 21st Amendment – Monk’s Blood – These guys didn’t win, but they do get a spot on the podium for being one of the best beers in the Belgian category.  Much like stouts, people have to be a little afraid of a Belgian beer that comes in a can.  You will definitely be happy you had this one though.  It’s real good.

Top Porter/Black/Dark Ale: 21st Amendment – Back in Black – This has to be my favorite consistently brewed black ipa available.  If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out.  They do a great job of combining the hops, malts, and coffee into something great.

Top Design: 21st Amendment – Allies Win the War – This won for its appearance, but it’s a great beer too.  I have a can in the fridge right now waiting to be reviewed, but I have already enjoyed a few of them.  It’s a collaboration, so I don’t know how long it will be around.  If you can find it you should check it out.

They end their winners bracket with a category that got me most excited about the future of the can industry: Most Anticipated.  Here is where they feature breweries that will be joining the canning of craft beers.  Sierra Nevada won the poll, but they gave special mention to Cigar City, Golden Road, Bell’s, and Abita as well.

All in all, the can market is looking strong.  Not only does this show just how many good beers are already available in cans, but it helps to show the big names that will be joining the market.  We may never see a Dogfish in a can, but you’ll be able to enjoy a few more good brewers in a can pretty soon.

Thanks to Craftcans.com for doing the survey.  Check them out to see the other winners I didn’t mention.  They have plenty of cans that won honors that I have never tried, and some I have never even seen.  Maybe I need to do a little more hunting!

January 5, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 4 Comments

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