Saturday, June 18, 2016

The beers of Missouri: Boulevard brewing Dark Truth Stout

I got this at the Sinclair gas station down the road, which I was surprised by until I realized it was brewed 45 minutes down the road. It was a $10.30 four pack, quite the price, but we'll see if it was worth it. I've written about Boulevard brewing before (and their high price point), so I'll save you the history. The four pack cardstock carrier states "Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated by the quest for hidden knowledge, the search for the secret to transforming the elemental into the extraordinary, the simple into the sublime. We present for you're consideration this exotic, inky concoction, the almost magical creation of out alchemist/brewers, who have turned humble grains-barley, wheat, rye, and oats- into pure, black liquid gold. Layers of complex flavors slowly emerge from the glass: espresso, roasted fig, creme brulee. Belgian yeast provides a plum-like fruitiness, noble German hops reveal spicy, herbal notes, while the rich, velvety mouthfeel mellows to a dry, smoky finish". Well Boulevard brewing, as it says in Mathew 12:36 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment". Today is the day of judgment, we'll see if you're flowery words stack up to you're product and its high price point.
The bottle is more of a European long neck, like you find on an Aschel, Wesmalle, or Rochefort and has a raised "Boulevard Brewing Co." embossed around the neck. The label declares it the "Boulevard Smokestack series" with "Dark Truth Stout" in the background of a tulip glass with the beer in question. It also states that it is 12 fluid Oz. and 9.7% ABV. The reverse gives a summary of the statement given on the carrier " Roasted English malts provide a deep, rich texture, Belgian yeast bestows plum-like fruitiness, and German hops add spicy aromas as Dark Truth Stout mellows to a smooth, dry, smoky finish". I did not bring a glass with me, so I will be using the plastic cups provided by the hotel.

 This is what I've been reduced to

Nose from the bottle is wheat sour with dark malt and molasses. Pouring it into our classy plastic cup the beer forms a thick beige head and has deep opaque black coloring. holding the beer up to the light I can see a great deal of bubbles crawling up the side of the glass towards the head (excuse me, sanitary disposable plastic cup). It certainly maintains it's head, most beers I review show the top of the liquid by now, but this one is going strong. Nose from the SDPC is the same as from the bottle. While the wheat sour is the dominant characteristic in the nose, the dark malt takes charge of the flavor, leaving only traces of the wheat sour. The aftertaste has a fruity quality to it, but that is to be expected from Belgian yeast. This is a decidedly full bodied beer with a slightly acidic mouthfeel, it's smooth in a somewhat syrupy kind of way. Sipping on it, the other flavors start to come out, such as dark chocolate and coffee (and toffee for that mater, which is to say the molasses flavor has evolved to a smoother state). I suppose it does have a spiciness to it, as the brewer would suggest, but I did not notice it on my own so it is as good as non existent as far as this review is concerned. The coffee flavor really overtakes the fore and after taste after a while, the fruitiness taking charge of the middle. I wouldn't really call the finish particularly dry or smokey. I suppose you could say that it has those characteristics, and obviously the brewer would to add more to the description, but I wouldn't.

I've been listening to Marlon Williams lately, in fact I'm listening to him right now. I only recently found out about this musician from the Conan O'Brien show, but I saw him play with his backup group the yarra benders and I immediately went and bought the LP. He has a very 1950's-1960's country western, folk, bluegrass, blues (A.K.A Americana) sound and does covers of classic songs as well. It is so refreshing to hear some (more or less) new good country after being saddled with that pop crap for so long. I'm telling you, the eastern Pacific is giving "The Man" in Nashville a run for his money.

Final thoughts. At the end I discovered this beer even had clumps of yeast, hidden in the black murk of their flavorful abode. Boulevard Brewing has given their account and has been found justified. This is a complex and delicious beer if you are willing to sit and sip it. If I purchased it again I would age it a little, certainly not the seven years it takes barlywines to reach their apex as the Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters discovered, but maybe two. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The beers of Iwakuni: Asahi Super Dry Dry Black


Tonights beer is another one I picked up from the YouMe. I could have sworn I've done a review of Asahi "Super Dry" lager, but I guess not. I suppose it makes some sense, It was not quite as common on Okinawa as some of the other major beers. It is quite common in Iwakuni though, which is to be expected as they have 38% market share in Japan. I can't really find any extensive history on the brewery though, most of what I can find is from Wikipedia. Asahi started out as Osaka Beer Company in 1889 and throughout most of it's history (like every major Japanese brewery) mimicked German beer styles. They merged with Sapporo, and Japan Beer Brewery Company (now Kirin) in 1906 to form Dai-Nippon beer company. Interesting note:during the first WW1 the Osaka brewery was partially staffed by German prisoners, which wasn't illegal at the time. Dai-Nippon would maintain almost complete dominance of the Japanese beer market until the end of WW2. In 1949 Dai-Nippon split into Asahi and Nippon brewerys. In 1892 Osaka Beer Company came out with Asahi Draft ( Asahi meaning "morning sun"), and it is likely from this beer (which they still brew) that the newly re-formed company derived it's name. In the late 1980's (or laeightys as I call them) Asahi came out with the " Asahi Super Dry" lager, the name denoting its full attenuation, gave the beer industry the term "Dry beer". Asahi Super Dry is currently their most popular beer, taking over from their previous flagship beer Asahi Gold. It's popularity led other Japanese brewers to introduce their own Dry beers to capitalize on it's popularity leading to a period of time is now referred to as the Dry wars.
It got so intense Suntory actually got Mike Tyson to pimp their beer

Tonight's beer is the Black Lager version of Asahi Super Dry.While most of what is written on the black and gold can is in Japanese characters, there is a little bit of English endorsing the beer as having "DRINKABILITY AND EXCELLENT RICHNESS, SATIN SMOOTHNESS". I noticed that it also says "KARAKUCHI" in dark grey letters against the black background of the can. A quick internet search reveals it just means "dry flavor". This can truly has a multitude of fonts, I've counted at least 11 different fonts they have used to mark this can, which is unusual even for Japanese products. At least it looks cool.


Obviously I didn't write this post to talk about fonts, TO THE BEER! Nose from the can is a little bit of malt with nuttiness, pistachios to be specific, but it's not heavy. This beer looks like Coca-Cola when you pour it, having the exact same red and caramel hue. Nose from the glass is similar to that of the can, but the nuttiness has mostly evolved into a licorice. On first sip, it's roasted malt flavor with licorice, a little dark chocolate, and a dry finish. It has a lower mid body and a little acidity. 
 
As I'm sure you've all heard, Kimbo Slice died. I find it hard to put into words how I feel about this. It's just disturbing knowing he's gone. I've been watching this guys career since I was in high school. He was this giant guy from the streets that just beat the living crap out of people in someones back yard, but even when he towered over his trash talking opponent, he had kind of a home town hero persona about him. Kimbo was the kind of guy you could actually know, and unless you live the most white bread existence imaginable, you know somebody like Kimbo. I remember watching the video where he knocked that guys eye out (for which he was named Kimbo Slice) in Mr. Coggins typing class (obviously without Mr. Coggins knowledge), dude that was just gnarly, that guys eye was popping out like my brothers dying hamster. Those were the real cowboy days of the internet. Security was a joke, Limewire got you any file you wanted through the Gnutella network, Peacefire could get you past any of those primitive blocks, a true pirates paradise. I remember watching those fights recorded on some handycam down in Florida and thinking that this was some true internet underworld stuff and I was in on it. Of course now we have the "deep web" which I've never felt the need to access (I've felt the need to learn how, just never went through with it). Sorry, I have no need of torture porn, drugs, or someone else's "untraceable" crappy homemade firearms. That's not to say I don't check in on the pirate world from time to time to make sure I know my way around our digital Tortuga. You never know when the establishment will really become as draconian as we always feared. 
 
I remember when Kimbo got into the UFC. He was the local boy from our internet underworld making good, it was unbelievable. Sure he didn't do so great, but what home town hero ever does?
Rest in peace you beautiful disaster.

Final thoughts, it's an OK beer. It doesn't really offer anything that regular Asahi Extra Dry doesn't offer. If you ever find you're self in a Japanese convenience store or supermarket, I assure you there will be better beers for the same price right next to this one.