Deschutes Brewery - The Abyss

I'll admit it, I was a little apprehensive going into this tasting. I had been craving for more of The Abyss ever since I tried it for the first time over a year ago. But something in me was worried that it wouldn't be as good the second time around. And I didn't know if I wanted to mess with the greatest memory I have of drinking a beer. Absolutely everything about the Abyss the first time around blew me away. Was it really possible for a beer to do that twice? Unfortunately not.

I opened a bottle of 2010 Abyss last week with Beau and another coworker who had never tried the beer before. Beau tried it on tap for the first time a few weeks back while he was in Portland and wasn't impressed, so I was determined to blow his mind with the bottled version. After battling with the wax seal for a little too long, we opened the bottle and poured. A viscous-looking mass poured out and brought up a one finger light brown head. The color of the head was different than I remembered, but other than that, things were still going well. Then I took a whiff and it smelled like a different beer.

This time around, I picked up a lot of oak right away- a smell I don't remember encountering at all before. Behind the oak were some rich aromas of raisin, dark chocolate, vanilla, burnt brown sugar and leather. Some of these were familiar smells, some were not. The smell was fantastic and had incredible depth, but it didn't quite move me like the first time around.

The taste was a bit thinner than the 2009 version, but had some great flavors of molasses and dark chocolate upfront, followed by a heavy roasted flavor, some smoke, a bit of bourbon and wet earth. The finish is slightly roasted and acidic. Overall, it was still a fantastic beer, but I was a little let down. Maybe it's a product of me trying so many beers in the past year that it's gotten very difficult to impress me. Or maybe this bottle just needed some more time to age (luckily I have one more tucked away for later). Either way, The Abyss is still my favorite beer, although now I wonder if it's grip on first place has been loosened a bit. I guess it's true that you can only fall in love for the first time once and, Abyss, you'll always be my first.

Final Grade: A+

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 25

Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg GmbH - Stiegl Gaudi Radler Shandy (Lemon)

Don't let the ridiculously long name of the beer (or the brewery) fool you, the idea behind this beer is pretty simple- mixing beer and soda. While that might sound a little weird, I experienced beer mixed with soda a few years back in Berlin and absolutely loved it. While I'm usually not a fan of mixing beer with anything, something about the beer + soda idea that the Germans have been using just works. This definitely won't work for most styles of beer, but it's a tasty concoction when done right. It's also a tasty concoction that I had never seen on this side of the Atlantic until a few weeks ago.

Stiegl Radler (I'm too lazy too type the whole thing, sue me) pours a clear honey color with a very thin white head. Within a matter of seconds, the head was totally gone, leaving a thick and syrupy looking substance in the glass. The lemon in the smell was pretty strong and smelled more like a lemon syrup or liquor than a freshly squeezed lemon. Somewhere in the background of the smell was a bit of rosemary and something that smelled like perfume.

The taste was pretty similar to the smell, with a ton of lemon jumping out right away. The flavor reminded me of the taste of a lemonhead after you get past the sour coating. The taste began to change a bit as the beer warmed and the base beer (which tasted like a light lager) began to come out a bit more. While the taste was really sweet (I mean REALLY sweet), the carbonation saved this one. When a beer gets as sweet as this one, it's very easy for it to taste syrupy. While this one got close, the carbonation was just prickly enough to keep the sweetness from sticking for too long. In the end, while this wasn't quite as good as the versions I had in Berlin, this is a fantastic light beer and a great beer for the summer.

Final Grade: B

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 24

Hanger 24 - Columbus IPA

First and foremost, I'd like to wish a happy and safe National IPA Day to everyone. Hopefully you are doing something exciting for the occasion. I chose to try an IPA from an up and coming brewery: Hangar 24. Located in Redlands, California, Hangar 24 has recently started to distribute their beers around Southern California. I had their Orange Wheat a few months back and was fairly impressed, so when I was looking for a new IPA to try for National IPA Day, their Columbus IPA caught my eye. Recently, more and more single hop IPAs have been popping up and this is one of them. A single hop IPA is a beer that uses only one hop variety instead of mixing a few together, like most IPAs do. The hop that Hangar 24 chose to showcase with this beer is the Columbus variety.

Columbus IPA pours a very hazy deep amber color with an orange hue. The head rose up quickly in the glass and took a long time to settle, which isn't something I typically see in an IPA. The smell had a nice citrus hop aroma with big notes of grapefruit pith and a bit of caramel in the background. After a few minutes though, the smell changed and became slightly less pleasant as notes of hop resin and cat (you hear me, cat) took over.

The taste, for me, was a bit off. At first, I picked up some lemon curd and grapefruit. Quickly, this was cut off by a sharp hit of pine hops. Soon after that, a taste of aspirin and pine sap rose up in my mouth. For me, the flavors didn't quite work together and the end result was a beer that felt a bit unpolished. It was far from being the worst IPA I've ever had (*cough* Kennebunkport IPA) but it was far from what I would consider to be a good IPA.

Final Grade: B-

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 25

Three Floyds Brewing Company - Apocalypse Cow

I'm usually thrilled to see a brewery trying something new. Whether it's aging an IPA in oak barrels or brewing a stout with strange ingredients, if it's a new idea, I want to try it. That said, I was a little skeptical when I read up on Three Floyds' Apocalype Cow. I loved the name but wasn't quite sure about the idea behind the beer- adding lactose to a double IPA. Lactose is a sugar that is mainly found in milk and, when added to beer, gives the beer a very creamy mouthfeel. I've had a few stouts brewed with lactose (often called "milk stouts") but I'd never seen it used in any other kind of beer. The idea of a creamy IPA sounded weird as hell, but in the spirit of trying something new, I decided to give it a try.

Apocalypse Cow (which may have the greatest label I've ever seen, by the way) pours a hazy burnt orange color with a creamy eggshell-colored head. The beer has a great double IPA smell with a bit of a creamy touch added. I got a lot of mango right away with some grapefruit and citrus hops. I also picked up something sweet that smelled like a 50/50 bar.

The taste was fantastic with some big tangerine and apricot flavors upfront, followed by a slight hit of peppery hops. The sweetness is big in this one as the finish brings a huge note of caramel malt and mango. While the taste was big and full of flavor, what really made this beer shine was the mouthfeel. The lactose gives the beer a rich and creamy feel that works perfectly with the sweetness of the beer. It's like a mango, tangerine and hop milkshake. I know that sounds gross but trust me, it just works. Cheers to Three Floyds for a very successful experiment.

Final Grade: A

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 25

Walker's Top 100 Beers...So Far

After trying Stone's Imperial Russian Stout, I've tried one quarter of the Top 100 Beers in the world. Most have been fantastic. A few have not. So it's time for a quarterly wrap up of sorts. Here is how I would rank the 25 beers I have tried in the Top 100.

1. Deschutes' The Abyss - Still the champ in my book. An unbelievable beer that I plan on revisiting again in the very near future.

2: Westvleteren 12 - Rated #1 in the world by beeradvocate.com. I would really love another bottle of this one...for less than $40.

3: Founders' Kentucky Breakfast Stout - Coffee and beer can't go together any better than they do in this beer.

4: Russian River's Pliny the Younger - Slightly ahead of...

5: Russian River's Pliny the Elder - I never get tired of seeing this beer on tap.

6: Firestone Walker's Abacus - Words can't describe how good this beer tastes.

7: Surly's Abrasive Ale - My favorite IPA besides the Pliny family.

8: Russian River's Supplication - A fantastic sour. Not exactly a starter sour beer, but the best I've ever had.

9: Alesmith's Barrel Aged Speedway Stout - How more of Alesmith's beers aren't on the Top 100 list is beyond me. One of the best breweries in the country.

10: Ballast Point's Sculpin - I discovered this beer right before they made it a year round offering...thank God.

11. St Bernardus Abt. 12 - A close cousin to the Westvleteren 12. Very very similar, but not as tasty.

12. Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout - If you love bourbon, you'll love this beer fresh. Holy schnikies there's a lot of bourbon in this.

13: Russian River's Consecration - Another fantastic sour from Russian River.

14: Tröegs' Nugget Nectar - The most peach I've ever tasted in a beer. And that was a very good thing.

15: Bell's Hopslam - Seriously, Bell's deserves more spots in the Top 100.

16: Alpine's Exponential Hoppiness: I really, really need to get more of this beer.

17: Green Flash's Silva Stout - One of the best barrel aged stouts I've ever had.

18: Alpine's Bad Boy - Another great IPA in Alpine's lineup. Pretty much anything that Alpine adds hops to turns to gold in my book.

19: Trappistes Rochefort 10 - Another tasty quadrupel from Belgium. In my opinion, it's a little too high on the list, but it deserves its place in the Top 100.

20: Three Floyds' Dreadnaught IPA - I'm starting to think that I need to get my hands on some more IPAs from the midwest.

21: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier - The best wheat beer in my book.

22: Schneider Aventinus - I can see what the hype is about on this one. Pretty tasty.

23: Ayinger's Celebrator - I thought I didn't like dopplebocks...until I tried this one.

24: Alpine's Pure Hoppiness - Surprise! Another IPA from Alpine on the list.

25: Stone's Imperial Russian Stout - The last to be reviewed and, unfortunately, my least favorite of the bunch.

So far, I think nearly all of these beers (with the possible exception of Stone's Imperial Russian Stout and maybe Alpine's Pure Hoppiness) are worthy of their rank. That said, here are five beers that (in my opinion) should be on the list.

1: Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew - This is one of my all time favorite beers and one that is definitely Top 100 worthy.

2: Ballast Point's Victory at Sea: As far as getting the coffee flavor in beer perfectly, this and Kentucky Breakfast Stout are in a class of their own.

3: Great Lakes' Edmund Fitzgerald Porter: A fantastic, fantastic porter.

4: Bell's Expedition Stout: Apparently this beer isn't quite as good fresh as it is after it's been sitting a few years. Maybe that explains why it's not on the list.

5: Great Divide's Oak Aged Yeti - So delicious and, luckily, so available year round!

So that's my list. If and when I hit the halfway point, I'll be sure and update the list. Thanks for reading!

Stone Brewing Company - Stone Imperial Russian Stout

I know what you're thinking: "Two Stone entries in a row?" It won't happen again, if for no other reason than I seem to be running out of Stone beers to try. This one happens to be the crown jewel of the Stone lineup. In fact, Stone's Imperial Russian Stout (and it's bourbon barrel-aged brother) are the only two beers that Stone makes that are currently sitting in the Top 100 at all. I tried this beer last year and loved it but forgot to write a review. And so, without further adieu, I present #47 on the Top 100 list- Stone Imperial Russian Stout.

A few friends and I tried this beer last week alongside the Odd Year Release version of it. The Odd Year Release that Stone came up with for the Imperial Russian Stout was a version in which they used Belgian yeast and anise. Sounds kind of interesting, right? Actually, it was pretty awful. I'm skipping the review on that one and leaving you with this warning: Stick to the regular Imperial Russian Stout.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout pours an opaque black color with a big, creamy tan head. The smell is full of dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, wet earth, dried apple, black cherries and some faint smoke.

For a beer that smelled as good as this one did, I was a little disappointed by the taste. I got some molasses, dark chocolate, hints of dark fruit (mostly plum) and a touch of coffee. While the taste wasn't bad by any means, it wasn't as full as I've come to expect in a good stout. The mouthfeel was a bit thin and the flavors weren't strong enough to counter the feel. By no means was this a bad beer. But Top 100 worthy? I'm going to say no.

Final Grade: B+

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 25

(Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the regular version, so above is a picture of the Belgo Anise version we tried)

Stone Brewing Company - Japanese Green Tea IPA

To start this post off, I want it to be noted that I'm a big fan of Stone's collaboration beers. Not all of them have been great, but I respect Stone for getting together with some of the best brewers in the world and trying out some crazy recipes. For one of their latest collaborations, Stone got together with Toshi Ishii of Ishii Brewing Co. and Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing Co. to make a beer for Japan. They ended up deciding to brew a Green Tea IPA with a dollar from every bottle sold going to the relief efforts in Japan. Definitely a great idea and a great cause. Now, let's see how the beer turned out.

Japanese Green Tea IPA pours a honey golden color with a thin white head that disappeared pretty quickly. The beer smelled fantastic straight from the bottle with big notes of fresh mango, citrus hops, caramel malts and a touch of green tea. Then, it took a turn for the worse. The more this beer warmed, the more it began to smell like green onions. And nothing else. Gross.

To my dismay, the taste took the same turn as the smell. When the beer was cold, I got a hard hit of citrus hops, some bready malts, green tea and a bit of earth. Slowly, the taste began to change and became completely malt dominated with a touch of (you got it) onions. Because a portion of the sale went to a noble cause, I'm not sorry I bought this bottle, I'm just sorry I tasted it. So do Japan a favor and buy this bottle if you see it. But if you decide to drink it, please drink it cold.

Final Grade: C+

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 25