Noble Beer Brethren,
As we eye the near shift from summer to fall, I eye my even nearer arrival in California. After five glorious months in Chicago, I have decided to go back out west where the brew is the best. This could not come at a better time for me, as the sun is slowly setting on heat (and humidity if you're in Chicago) and welcoming football of all types. Hopefully you're looking forward to finishing your klölsch or summer shandy in hand and smiling at the arrival of autumn lagers and ales, from the Bavarian hefeweizen, to the always welcoming märzen, to bock varieties, to the pumpkin and fall spiced ales.
Anticipating the new season, I spent one of my last nights in Chicago at my favorite pub for brew, the Map Room, eager to try Orange County's The Bruery's Autumn Maple ale on draft. A seasonal beer brewed with maple syrup and yams? On draft? I couldn't think of a better way to leave Chicago and welcome in the taste of California simultaneously. However, the Map Room was tapped out of this fine ale, leaving me to resort to another exquisite La Trappe Quadruppel.
In addition, I sampled a few other brews from all around. A fan of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and Maudite, I took a crack at their "Chambly Noire" but was left disappointed. In short, I wasn't sure what Unibroue was trying to achieve with this beer but was sure that this encounter made drinking their more reliable beers a pleasure. I also acquainted myself with Colorado's Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout. I hadn't sampled a chocolate stout before, as I usually lean toward a coffee malt, but I found this a fair beer.
But this is a California-based beer blog isn't it? That's why I save the best for last. I had a terrific experience with San Diego's Port Brewing Company. Their "Older" Viscosity ale encapsulates class, flavor, and Iggy Pop-esque "raw power" in a wine glass. Older Viscosity is a specialty brew based off of Port's "Old Viscosity." The beer is aged in bourbon barrels, though from my episode from the tap, I could have sworn it was a cabernet-aged ale or something of that sort. Still, what you get is a midnight colored strong (12.5% abv) ale that has the smooth-sipping consistency of a Belgian trippel/quaruppel.
Older viscosity combines the chocolate malt of typical dark ales and sophisticates it with what Port states as "hints of vanilla and American oak." People always say that chocolate compliments wine, but I say why not have them together in a glass; it's a similar concept with Older Viscosity. Ironically, the best part of this brew is its aftertaste, one that i can characterize as a toasted caramel/chocolate richness that gives this aged ale one hell of an accent. For someone who has not ventured into beer finely aged, I recommend checking this one out immediately. For other beer enthusiasts, you've simply got to get a hold of this beer.
The glass is empty. A superb beer!
One last thing gang. Since it is September and since I'm going to be back in beer country, expect some good things from CaliBrew! I'll be looking into getting some better digital content uploaded onto the site and have some ideas for capturing Oktoberfest in the Bay Area and/or elsewhere. Please subscribe to my blog and check out my attempt at being cool on My Twitter
I've also posted a couple useful links.
You Stay Hoppy California,
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