New Belgium 1554

Inspired by a 500-year-old recipe in a Belgian cookbook, New Belgium brings a taste of the Old World to the present day.

My Rating: 9.0

Brewer: New Belgium

Origin: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Name: 1554

Style: black lager

% ABV: 5.6

IBU: 21

Color: rich chocolate brown

Aroma: malty, lightly fruity

Flavors: toasty, caramel, chocolate notes

When their original recipe was lost to a flood at their Fort Collins, CO facility in 1997, Phil Benstein and Peter Bouckaert flew to Belgium in order to scour ancient texts for the beer recipe they sought.  The result was their 1554 Black Lager, brewed from a recipe found in a book published in the namesake year.  (Read the rest of the story on their website).  

What fascinates me most about this story is that today I am drinking the same thing people were half a millennium ago.  While today we view beer as a luxury--something we associate with leisure and enjoyment--it was a life-saving necessity at the time this recipe was written.  Most Europeans did not dare drink their water since they had the nasty habit of using their rivers as sewers, so beer was the only safe way of keeping hydrated.  I wouldn't mind drinking beer at every meal, but I have to say I'm glad I'm able to drink my tap water without fear of contracting cholera or syphilis or some other nasty disease.

The beer itself was a beautiful dark chocolately brown that let just a little bit of light through in the red spectrum.  If it weren't for the effervescence, it would have looked like a pint of coffee.  A thin, but dense, head of foam formed and lingered for quite a while in the glass.  The aroma was very bright, especially considering the darkness of the brew itself.  Strong malty tones shone through in the aroma with very light fruity notes.  The flavor was very toasty, but never smoky, like a perfectly toasted slice of bread.  The toasty flavors gave way to a wonderful caramel taste, finally ending in subtle chocolate notes.  This beer had a moderately dense mouthfeel without ever feeling oily.  In fact, one of the biggest things that hit me was how smooth it was from start to finish.  The flavor was consistent as the beer warmed up.

Overall, 1551 was a fantastic winner in my book.  The black lager style combines all the smooth bright flavors of a lager with the robust power of a stout, making it an excellent starting point for those looking to get into dark beers.  I've never tasted a beer that reminded me so perfectly of toast, and with the chocolate notes, it was almost reminiscent of toast with Nutella.  I would absolutely buy this beer again.

Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen

Tasty if you like grapefruit, but it's barely beer.

My Rating: 5.0

Brewer: Schöfferhofer

Origin: Frankfurt, Germany

Name: Grapefruit Hefeweizen

Style: hefeweizen

% ABV: 3.2

Color: pinkish orange

Aroma: bright, grapefruit

Flavors: grapefruit, citrusy, bitter

This citrusy brew is not exactly something I would have chosen on my own, but I was offered one by one of my roommates, so I figured it was worth a shot.  If I weren't expecting it to be beer, I would have rated it much higher than a 5, but we'll get to that later.

I did a little snooping on Schöfferhofer and most of what I found was just about this beverage.  In fact, their U.S. website is completely dedicated to the grapefruit beer and nothing else.  Finally I discovered that back in Germany, there is indeed a regular hefeweizen you can purchase, but it doesn't seem to be available in the U.S.  So I am left with the grapefruit hefeweizen.

It has an extremely low ABV of only 3.2% because it's only half beer.  Yes, you read that right: it's only half beer.  50% hefeweizen and 50% carbonated grapefruit juice.  But all this aside, I gave it a fair chance and went into the tasting with an open mind.

The aroma was strongly of grapefruit with very subtle wheaty undertones.  Its color was a vibrant pinkish orange, cloudy from being unfiltered.  The lacing was very minimal from the start.  The first sip was very bright and citrusy.  Grapefruit's characteristic bitterness kept it from being overly sweet.  The beer felt very thin and watery in my mouth and had almost no body whatsoever.  A very subtle malty flavor emerged in the aftertaste, but this was fleeting, like the shadow of a flavor.  I couldn't detect a hint of an alcohol flavor.  The subtle malt flavors were the only thing that tipped me off that I wasn't just drinking sparkling grapefruit juice.

Overall, I enjoyed the flavor since I like grapefruit juice, but as a beer it just can't measure up for me.  It's basically just carbonated juice.  Perhaps I would like to try a blend stronger on the hefeweizen side, say 70-30 or even 80-20.  For now I'll stick with my beers that are 100% beer.

Dogfish Head Beer for Breakfast Stout

Move over, mimosa.  This coffee stout gives imbibers a new way to drink in the morning.

My Rating: 7/10

Brewer: Dogfish Head

Origin: Milton, Delaware, USA

Name: Beer for Breakfast Stout

Style: coffee stout

% ABV: 7.4

IBU: 30

Color: very dark brown, almost black

Aroma: malty, smoky

Flavors: intense coffee, smoky and sweet

When I saw another limited release from Dogfish Head at my local grocery store, I knew I had to try it.  (I was very impressed with another 2016 limited release, which you can read about here).  Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I've been particularly fond of coffee stouts lately, so I figured this would be a perfect beer for me.  And after all, who doesn't want an excuse to have a little to drink before noon?

As with Dogfish's other beers, I was drawn to the fantastic label artwork, this time featuring a rather distressed-looking pig clad in flannel and seated in front of a hearty stack of pancakes.  The label proudly proclaims this stout to be "tricked out with all sorts of breakfast ingredients" including scrapple, spices, coffee, and maple syrup.

If you're like I was and are unfamiliar with that first ingredient, scrapple is, according to Wikipedia "traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving" and is a traditional breakfast dish in Eastern states like Delaware, where Dogfish is located.

Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds.  Anyway, on to the beer itself.  As expected for a coffee stout, the brew was very, very dark brown; no light passed through the glass as I held it up to a lamp.  A rich tan head of about 3/4 of an inch formed on top, but quickly diminished to about a quarter inch.  The aroma was dark, malty and quite smoky; I couldn't yet discern any maple or other sweetness.  Then I took a delicate first sip, and wow was there coffee!  Put simply, this beer is like a kick in the mouth; it has a more intense flavor than any other coffee stout I have tried.  Heavy carbonation also adds to the kick.  The mouthfeel is very thick and heavy, almost oily.  It's like you can feel the scrapple grease sliding down your throat.  After the swallow, more subtle flavors emerge: first a strong smokiness from the caramel malt and the scrapple, then a very delicate sweetness.  Finally there is a little ethanol warmth at the very end (this brew has a higher ABV of 7.4%).  As the beer warmed, the sweetness came out a little more, but I still never really detected maple flavor.


Overall, Beer for Breakfast is a satisfying coffee stout with a nice smoky twist, but I would have definitely liked a little more flavor from the maple.  I was unable to determine what spices the label was citing, but the other ingredients were definitely detectable.  If you want an alternative to your morning cuppa joe, consider a glass of beer, though I would enjoy this brew any time of day.

Kona Big Wave Golden Ale

A crisp, well-balanced glass of tropical sunshine.

My Rating: 7.5

Brewer: Kona Brewing Company
Origin: Kona, Hawaii, USA

Name: Big Wave Golden Ale

Style: pale ale

% ABV: 4.4

IBU: 21

Original Gravity: 10.3° P

Color: golden amber

Aroma: sweet, hoppy, slightly fruity

Flavors: crisp, tropical fruit

Again, another misplaced beer for this time of year in the upper Midwest, but today was unseasonably warm and sunny for a few hours, so I figured a light and fruity ale would be appropriate.  (I have a much more appropriate late-winter beer from New Glarus that I will be reviewing soon!)  But for now I will stick to the lush tropical flavors of Kona's Big Wave Golden Ale.

The label is one of my favorite shades of blue, reminiscent of shallow island waters.  With soft yellow tiki-style lettering, the scene is straight out of a 1950's postcard.  The bottle itself is also distinctive with its slightly stubby design and custom embossing of "Liquid Aloha" alongside an outline map of the Hawaiian Islands.

The ale is a rich golden amber color with a half inch head that quickly diminished to a minimal lacing.  The aroma is hoppy and fruity, almost tropical.  With the first sip, I am hit with a sharp, but not too strong, hoppy flavor that quickly gives way to a sweeter and fruitier sensation.  The ale has a crisp and clear mouthfeel that is a bit like a deep breath of ocean air.  Overall, the flavor is crisp, smooth, and balanced, never too bitter or sweet.  As the beer warms up, the fruit flavors become more pronounced, bringing to mind a canned tropical fruit medley.

Summary: Kona has produced a very pleasant and balanced golden ale.  I know it's cliché, but this beer tastes a bit like bottled sunshine.  During the unpredictable, chilly, and wet Midwestern springtime, Big Wave brings a tropical escape that disappears all to quickly.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale 2016

If this rich brown ale doesn't get you on board the pumpkin spice train, I don't know what will.

My Rating: 8.0

Brewer: Dogfish Head
Origin: Milton, Delaware, USA

Name: Punkin Ale 2016

Style: brown ale

% ABV: 7.0

IBU: 28

Color: orangey-amber
Aroma: sweet, fruity, mulling spice
Flavors: nutmeg, cinnamon, warm finish

Yes, I know I'm publishing this review in the beginning of March, but in my opinion, it's never too late for a little autumn cheer.  I found one lonely bottle of Dogfish Head's 2016 seasonal brew on the build-your-own six pack shelves of the local grocery store, so I had just had to rescue it from its misery.

I was immediately drawn to the artwork on the label.  The illustration style is intricate and unified, using only three colors over a cream colored background; its bug-eyed skull bringing to mind Mexican Día de Muertos decorations.

The beer itself was a beautiful orangey-amber color that, when held up to a light, looked remarkably like the color of autumn leaves.  A dense head of almost two inches persisted until I had drank half the glass, when it faded to a thin, but still dense, lacing.  There was a sweet, almost fruity scent with heavy notes of mulling spice.  The first sensation on the tongue was a sharpness that quickly mellowed into warmer flavor with the nutmeg and cinnamon really coming through strong.  Toward the end of the sip, the flavor grew slightly more bitter with a warm ethanol sensation (from its 7.0% ABV).  The mulling spices, especially the nutmeg, came up again in the aftertaste.  Overall, the flavor really did remind me of a pumpkin pie!  Toward the end of the glass as the beer warmed up, the bitterness subsided and the flavors were sweeter overall.

Summary: Overall I was very satisfied with Dogfish's Punkin Ale.  The flavor was fantastically reminiscent of a pumpkin pie while never being overpowering.  The lingering nutmeg aftertaste was probably my favorite aspect.  Would I buy it again?  Absolutely, if there were any more left in the store, that is!  For now I'll have to wait until September to get more of Dogfish's seasonal specialty.