Rogue Voodoo Doughnut

If you are from the Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland, or if you have ever left the food network/travel channel on for more than an hour at a time, you have probably heard of Voodoo Doughnuts. They are a small chain of doughnut shops that make what I will call "premium" doughnuts. They are known for making big, delicious, interesting doughnuts. One of the flavors that they are most well known for is the Bacon Maple Doughnut. The minds at Rogue Ales (a well known Oregon brewery) decided to pay homage to Voodoo Doughnuts by immortalizing the Bacon Maple doughnut in a beer. The result: See below.

First of all, brilliant marketing. My initial reaction was somewhere along the lines of, "What? Well I guess I have to try it." I shrugged my shoulders somewhere in there. My brother actually cracked this one open while I was visiting. At the very least it would be interesting, right? Well, that turned out to be very accurate. Maybe some people like this. I don't know. Between my brothers and myself, the most favorable reaction was, "I think it is kind of growing on me." My personal opinion is that there is way too much going on. The first thing that you will notice is the potent, smokey nose. There is a hint of bacon, but overall, I was just getting smoke. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I love rauchbiers (German smoke beers). The flavor is what really got me. At first take, it was as if my beer had been used as an ashtray for the entire night. It really reminded me of cigarettes and I found it hard to drink. At second take, I noticed that there was also an overt sweetness that was not counteracted by the smoke. Instead, the two flavors did battle inside my mouth to see who would be dominant.

Even though this was split among three people. I barley even finished half of my portion. This was certainly a really interesting beer, but I also found that it had zero redeeming qualities. It would probably have been better in a little sample size. With that said, try it if you think it sounds interesting. Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that you won't either.

Glassware: Pint, Tumbler

Synonym Beer: Nope

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Boulevard Saison-Brett

Boulevard Brewing keeps on impressing me. I had no idea that there were even a handful of breweries that could make a decent saison in the States. I knew Boulevard made some good tart beers, so I decided to give the Saison Brett a shot. 

If you are confused by the name, Brett refers to Brettanomyces, a genus of yeast that is often used in brewing tart beers and wines. Sometimes Brett can be inadvertently allowed to contact the beer, infecting it and ruining the batch (or making it better, depending on what you like). However, if a bit of sour is desired, adding Brett to your batch can be exactly what you need. Since I like the sour, I'm at the point where if I see a beer label mention Brett, it is purchased. 

With the Saison Brett, Boulevard avoided all of the pitfalls that I generally see with American Saisons. They didn't get exotic with the ingredients. They let the yeast do the talking. It isn't extreme, it is just delicious. It is a little bit of a bigger beer than most Belgian Saisons and stronger, too, sitting at 8.5% ABV. This isn't necessarily a good thing, as one of my favorite saisons is 3.5% ABV, but the Saison Brett makes it work. It is maybe a tad less funky than I would have liked, but it is very tasty.

Boulevard is doing what it can to make Kansas City known for beer more so than that other city in Missouri. 

Glassware: Saison, Tulip

Synonym Beer: Mystic Saison Reynaud 

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Founders Breakfast Stout

I took this guy out a couple weeks ago to celebrate Stout Day. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Founder's Breakfast Stout, it is the choice for celebrating Stout Day. In my opinion, it is the best American made stout. If you are thinking that I clarified American because the Irish make some damn good stouts, you are wrong. This kick ass in my opinion. I clarified American because I know the Belgians make great beer and I haven't tried too many of them.  

Look at the above bottle. If you see it, buy it. I don't have time to argue with you. Just do it. It is a "Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout". With a name like that, I would initially think that has some overwhelming flavor. Trust me, I am not normally an Imperial Stout kind of guy. My palate usually is overwhelmed. 

Founders knows what they are doing. 

It is 8.3% ABV, which is relatively low for an Imperial Stout. The flavors are delicious and smooth. Unbelievably smooth. It has all of the velvety body of an English stout, but with much more flavor. It isn't overly sweet, it isn't overly bitter. It is beautiful. Seriously. 

Glassware: Tulip, Snifter, Goblet, Pint

Synonym Beer: Keegan Joe Mama's Milk

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Session Black

I know several people that love dark beers, but do not want a heavy, strong beer. For those people, generally my go-to suggestion is Session Black, made by Full Sail Brewery.  

Session Black is pretty light in alcohol, at 5.4% ABV. It is a Schwarzbier style, or a black lager. I've previously mentioned that this is one of my favorite styles. In my opinion, this is one of the best black lagers, even including the German ones (very comparable). It is full of roasted flavors with a subtle chocolate undertone, but is so smooth. The alcohol isn't noticeable at all. My favorite part is the balance of the beer. It isn't overly bitter, nor is is very sweet. It sits perfectly in the middle. 

I also love the little snub nose bottles that they come in. To top it off, the caps all have a rock, paper, or scissors underneath, so if you want, you can play a game to see who has to get the next round. 

To sum up, Session Black is a great choice if you like your beer dark. You should be able to find it and I suggest that you do so. 

Glassware: Pilsner, pint glass, bottle

Synonym Beer: Baba Black Lager

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Sazerac

I have been getting more and more into cocktails recently. One of my favorites is the Sazerac, a old fashioned New Orleans cocktail. Fun fact: the Sazerac is Louisiana's official state cocktail. 

It is named as such as a result of the the original cognac used in the drink, even though today rye whiskey is a more common primary ingredient. It is both a delicious cocktail and a small event to make.  

Ingredients:

2 oz. Rye Whiskey (I use Old Overholt, cheap and tasty)

3 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters

1 tsp Sugar

1 splash Absinthe (or Herbsaint) 

Lemon (for garnish)

Instructions:

Start out by filling your old fashioned glass with ice and top off with water to get it nice and cold.

Take another glass and put in the sugar and Peychaud's. Muddle them together and add in the rye. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Pour out the ice and water from the glass. Add a splash of absinthe to the glass and swirl it around to coat the inside of the glass (you need less than you think). Pour the rye mixture into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Serve straight up. 

It is a delicious, yet strong cocktail. If you are feeling up to the task, you may well enjoy a Sazerac. Give one a shot. 

Mystic Saison Renaud

The Saison happens to be one of, if not my favorite style of beer. It is a little disappointing, then, that I don't find many saisons produced in the US to be up to snuff. Most of the producers will leave off some of the funk and add in American hops, which give the saison less of a farmy taste, and more of a hop bite. This is probably to give the saison their own little twist, but I think it hinders the flavor.  

Despite the shortcomings of American saisons, I am just a sucker for any unknown saison. Naturally, when I saw this Mystic Brewery Saison Renaud, I was intrigued and I bought a bottle. What I loved about this beer is that it let the yeast do the talking. The pilsner malts provide a nice, light backbone, the hops are subtle and pleasant. The yeast gives off a funky, barnyard kind of aroma and backs it up with taste. I realize that this might sound unappealing to some people, but trust me, it is exactly what you should look for in a saison. I was thoroughly impressed by the Saison Renaud and I will continue to try their products (whenever I can find them).

It has given me some validation for my reckless spending on beers that I don't know. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This time I won.

Glassware: Saison, tulip, goblet

Synonym Beer: Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale (That one is coming up soon)

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Double Stout and Taking Chances

Sometimes I like to live on the edge. I walk into my local beverage store and ask for a suggestion. I realize that some people might do this all the time, but I have a very good idea of the beers I like to drink and I also hate turning down suggestions, especially if I just asked for them. Sometimes I give ideas of other things that I like, sometimes I just go with any of their suggestions. This beer happened to be on of the fully random suggestions.

Green Flash Double Stout is an imperial stout, but not an overly strong one, coming in at 8.8% ABV. If I didn't read the label before hand, I would have thought it was around 6%. It is extremely smooth and doesn't have the oppressive, overwhelming flavors that I normally associate with imperial stouts. It was roasty, medium-heavy in body, and oh so very delicious. I will certainly be buying this one again. 

Glassware: Pint, Flagon, Goblet, Tulip

Synonym Beer: Allagash Black