Mondial Beer Review #3: Stouts & Porters

Like many people, I used to think Guinness was what stouts were all about; it being allegedly quintessential, definitive, representative.  Then I learned otherwise and now I love stout, so I tasted 13 at this past weekend's event and have broken down the review categories into: 1) Standard Stouts and Porters; 2) Oatmeal Stouts; 3) Milk/Sweet Stouts; and 4) Imperial Stouts.  Unfortunately, Arcadia Brewing's highly regarded, whiskey-aged Shipwreck Porter was out by day 2 (as was New Holland's Oaked Russian Imperial Stout and Cervejaria Bodebrown's Imperial Stout both by day 4 of 5)!  That was just unfair, but regardless, here we go with what remained!

Standard Stouts and Porters

Personal Best of the Fest: Founders Porter (6.5% ABV) in the robust porter tradition (a preferred style) doesn't disappoint pouring midnight black with a creamy beige head of solid retention and lacing.  Sweet caramel and chocolate malts greet the nose and lure a taste!  On the flavour front, however, it is much drier, beginning with a faint caramel sweetness and drying out like fine coffee with an espresso-like lingering finish.  Full bodied and creamy, this is one delicious beer!  Grade: A


Birrificio Ticinese's Two Penny Porter (8.2% ABV), which is also a robust porter, came in second here.  It pours a near black, though with a poor head, yet I think I had a server who didn't get beer and poured it smooth down the side of the glass, so I will refrain from letting the head determine my assessment.  It smelled of semi-sweet baking chocolate with faint toasted, smoky notes behind and just a touch of dark bread and brown sugar.  With a slightly peaty taste (which was nice) and a strongly drying/lasting finish, I found it to be a touch over-dry, almost bitter (though far from astringent).  It was chewy and thick with only light carbonation, yet was a touch warming.  Excellent nose, and some very good qualities, but not out of this world good.  Grade: B+


In third place, I'd rank Cervejaria Colorado's Colorado Demoiselle (6% ABV).  This is another in the robust porter style, but which allegedly infuses its flavour with coffee, though I but vaguely sensed that so it seems slight.  That said, my bottle may have been open a while and the nose may have dissipated (and may also be where the coffee is most prevalent).  However, to me it smelled sweet and fruity, with just a hint of coffee - as if perhaps some sweet, frozen cappucino with added berries or something.  It was beautifully dark brown with a gorgeous mocha head and solid retention and lace.  Flavourwise, it was similarly (if less) sweet than to/on the nose, but the flavour seemed muted and mild, much less bold tasting than the others rated herein, with just a faint coffee bitterness in the finish that didn't even dry out the sweetness.  With a lighter body than desired and fairly heavy carbonation, this wasn't ideal to me - but I'd like to try a fresher bottle as I do so love coffee infused stouts and porters and perhaps got a long-sitting open bottle for my sample?  Grade: B- subject to change someday!

Coming in last in the category is Brasserie Artisinale de Puisaye's Puisaye la Grenouillette Stout (4% ABV) which poured a deep, dark brown, with a decent, frothy beige head with good retention and a moderate amount of lacing.  It smelled yeasty and bready, with notes of molasses and plums.  Flavourwise, it also tasted of dark bread with a dry finish, but in that dry Irish, not hoppy sort of way that I am uncertain how to describe.  It was a touch too sparkly/carbonated and too light-bodied for this taste/style if you ask me, but dry Irish stouts aren't my favourite variety to begin with.  It was decent and drinkable, but not very 'stout-like' in my opinion.  Grade: B-

Oatmeal Stouts

I do so adore the 'original' modern Oatmeal Stout from Samuel Smith, but until this event had never really been impressed with others I have tried.  Don't get me wrong: Sam Smith's still takes the cake, but there are some other good ones, for example both of those I just tried:

Personal Best of the Fest: Birrificio Grado Plato's Chocarrubica (7% ABV) pours a jet black with a creamy, thick, beige head of noteworthy retention and excellent glass-trailing lace.  It smells of sweet coffee and dark chocolate - I was unable to discern the difference between the carob that infuses this beer from the chocolate on the nose.  On the palate, however, it tasted more like fruity chocolate in that drying, unsweetened carob manner with a hint of raisins and some grainy, toasted oats hints though not prevalent.  Full-bodied, and chewy, this was a very pleasant beer to drink!  Grade: A-/A

At just a shade behind comes Elysian Brewing's Dragonstooth Stout (6.2% ABV) which - as I tasted my friend's on my second visit after having tried my own on the first day - verified how different beers can taste to you depending upon other consumption.  At first I sort of liked it and the second time I loved it, so I will temper my review to the mid-point.  Black as midnight, this beer offers a thin, but appealing mocha head that diminishes quickly but never entirely.  Lacing is negligible - or quick lasting at best - but present.  On the nose, it is a bit piney for the style, but toasted oats and whispy cereal/grainy notes are certainly enticing at the same time.  On the first taste, I found this beer to taste a bit piney and drying for the style, yet on my second try I was more able to discern the French toast/mocha sweetness that comes first and isn't completely dried out by the American-hoppiness of this interpretation of the oatmeal stout style.  On the tongue, it was creamy, though a bit light bodied (somewhat medium) than imagined with moderate carbonation.  Grade: A-

Milk/Sweet Stouts

Personal Best of the Fest: Malédiction (5% ABV) from Le Saint-Bock Brasserie Artisinale was delicious and sublime!  It poured deep, dark black with an excellent creamy mocha head with fair retention and creamy lacing.  Aromas were primarily of sweet milk chocolate and caramel malt, while it tasted similarly with sweet chocolate dominating upfront before a slight coffee bitterness finishes it off.  There is just enough drying in the finish to keep this from being cloyingly sweet - that is, it is not quite like a cloying dessert stout, but almost (and still a dessert beer) and it is damn good!  Medium bodied and carbonated, though creamy to the tongue.  Just delicious!  Grade: A/A+

Microbrasserie Charlevoix's La Vache Folle Imperial Milk Stout (9%) was also remarkably pleasant and fell in just behind the 'winner,' bringing the best of the imperial style to the dessert tastes of the milk stout.  Though pouring a deep, dark brown, I wondered if it could or should have been black, but it still offered a gorgeous, mountainous, frothy, mocha head with superb retention and thick, frothy lacing.  Milk chocolate is the strongest note on the nose, but it is complemented by caramel and coffee.  Tastewise, it is drier and (slightly) less dessert-like than Malédiction, and brings more of the imperial stout finish.  It begins with chocolate sweetness, before a touch of semi-sweet cherry notes, and finishes with a coffee lingering dryness supplemented by just enough drying piney hops.  With a medium-to-full body and light-to-medium carbonation, this is a fine creamy treat on the tongue!  Grade: A

Imperial Stouts

If you know me, you know I have a weakness for a good imperial stout and, though I tasted four good ones (and one not so good), a few I had hoped to taste were sold out and none blew me away as Lava, St. Ambroise, and Péché Mortel have in the past.  Yet, I'd gladly drink them over many other beers, so don't get too discouraged!  The Charlevoix La Vache Folle Imperial Milk Stout would win the category had I not ranked it as a Milk/Sweet Stout, since it is technically both and exposes the arbitrariness not just of my own categorizations, but of style categorizations entirely!

Anyway, as the categories stand, for my Personal Best of the Fest I select Bierland Imperial Stout (7%) from Brazil's Cervejaria Bierland which takes the nod despite its relatively low ABV (for the style - another Brazilian imperial stout, Bodebrown's, though sold out before I got there and highly rated comes in at a whopping 14.5%!)  Bierland's offering pours a nearly midnight black with a thick creamy mocha head, though its retention and lacing are just fair.  The aroma is originally simply mocha, but upon closer inspection it is chocolate up front and fresh-brewing coffee in the finish.  At first, it struck me as too sweet with a sweet mocha primacy without any coffee bitterness, but the complexity is noteworthy as, like with the nose, it evolves through sips and later tastes dry further with deeper coffee notes and a touch of licorice.  Despite being a bit lighter bodied than many imperials and despite a fair carbonation, it remains creamy and smooth.  There are some unique style choices here and at times I wondered if it all worked, but I enjoyed it and the nose and flavour offered noteworthy complexity such that it deserves a Grade: A-

Not far behind is Arcadia's Imperial Stout (9.5% ABV) which pours a jet black with a frothy, rocky tan head of fair retention and lacing.  Cocoa and molasses/grainy malt notes are most present on the nose, with a hint of smoke.  True to the American style, it is quite well-hopped, but this appears more in the flavour that is quite drying in a smoky sort of bitterness.  Medium-full bodied and chewy as desired, it felt great to the tongue.  As it is bottle-conditioned and meant for aging, I would like to taste it after some mellowing time, but for a 'green' tasting, it is still quite pleasant.  (Early) Grade: A-

Lagunitas makes its appearance on all three review posts so far (as has Charlevoix) with its Bourbon-aged (for one year) Cappuccino Stout (Fest said 7.9% ABV, their website says 9.2% and beeradvocate says 8.25% so your guess is as good as mine and it may vary by year).  Great in black colour with the requisite foamy tan head and solid retention as is characteristic of the style.  The nose is fairly sweet as the cappuccino infusion is obvious, but so too is the booziness and a piney-citrusy hoppiness, though sweet malts remains the order of the day with a boozy brown sugar breadiness lingering.  There are hints of the chocolate, cappuccino, coffee, and even some hoppy esters on the palate, but predominantly it is the booze and bourbon that comes out on the tongue.  It doesn't taste bad, but is overwhelming in a unique way somewhat different from your standard imperial.  Full bodied and nicely creamy/chewy, though you can't hide this warmth and it strikes me that a year in bourbon barrels may be a bit too long (and that the ABV is under dispute since it tastes like liquor).  Grade: B/B+

French brewer La Brasserie de Fleurac's Grains de Folie Impérial Stout au Café (9% ABV) has a fine, foamy, porous beige head atop a black body, while the head has fair retention but negligible lacing.  Sweet mocha aromas predominate amidst some brown sugary maltiness.  Unlike the sweeter aroma, the coffee flavour is more drying in the mouth leading to a greater balance than anticipated.  Medium in body with virtually no carbonation, it would be finely creamy to the mouth were it not for the present warmth.  Good, and enjoyable, but not a must find.  Grade: B/B+

Last, but not least, is Italian brewery, Birrificio Civale's offering, Imperiosa (10% ABV) which looks the part with an opaque black body, and a fine beige head of solid retention (though with no lacing at all).  It smells primarily of sweet chocolate and tastes similar with sugary sweet malts and chocolate notes present, but with no balance and without the complexity of flavour to taste like dessert.  Though creamy, it remains quite thin bodied and is fairly boozy.  Better than a Guinness, but one of the least impressive beers I have had in what is probably my favourite style.  Grade: C+

Well, that's all for now!  With a hectic weekend it might be a handful of days before I return for the last 3 posts in this series, which (as a reminder) will cover:

1) Wheat beers and Lagers
2) Unique Oddities
3) A final recap and some concluding thoughts

I feel like Mondial is still going on, btw, and rethink my tastings in each write-up from my notes as if tasting them again!  I hope you are (back) there with me in your readings!  Let me know in the comments what you think/have thought of these beers if you have had them!  Cheers!

Mondial Beer Review #2: Pale and Brown Ales

In this second review of beers I tasted at Mondial, I will cover Pale Ales, IPAs, Old Ales, Vintage Ales, Scotch Ales, Barley Wines, Amber/Red Ales, and Brown Ales.  For the sake of categorization, I will be lumping together: 1) Bitters, Pale Ales, IPAs and Rye IPAs; 2) Imperial/Double IPAs and Black IPAs; 3) Old Ales, Scotch Ales and Barley Wines; and 4) Brown Ales and Amber/Red Ales.  I am lumping some (slightly) diverse categories together just for organizing my 55 or so ratings from the fest and do realize I am not fully comparing apples to apples.  Now, without further ado:

Bitters, Pale Ales, India Pale Ales, and Rye IPAs

Personal Best of the Fest: Lagunitas IPA (6.2%).  This well respected brewery here offers a very well balanced American IPA that pours a dark golden colour.  The head was lacking, but was poorly poured, so I won't comment on its usual head.  Aromawise, this beers presents a toasty grapefruit primacy with some faint floral piney notes.  Tasting notes are similar, but the up front grapefruit is somewhat sweet with a more orange citrus-ness, before a finely drying estery finish.  It seemed only lightly carbonated (had the bottle sat a while?) with a medium body and was quite pleasant to drink.  Not my favourite American IPA, but a very good one!  Grade: A-


Microbrasserie Charlevoix's just launched La Vache Folle RyePA (6%) was a very close second in this category.  As I tasted this beer at the media launch, the poured glasses had been sitting for a short while and the aroma was faint and had mostly dissipated, so my assessment here may be slightly off, but it seemed to be more dominated by malty fruitiness with a VERY faint hint of smokiness that was primarily sweet.  Though it didn't smell bad, I would have presumed greater hops and will have to try this again after a fresh pour to be certain.  Despite sitting for a short while, though, the rocky white head was excellently retained with a thick, foamy lacing that looked simply gorgeous.  Flavorwise, the hops characteristic is predominantly piney and it is well (im)balanced, by which I mean it is fairly dominated by the imbalance of the style, yet without going over the top.  Only very faint traces of bready, smoky, peaty rye are present, but enough to add to the enjoyment of this fine brew.  With a medium body and a light-medium carbonation, there is ample 'crispness' to this beer and it is quite enjoyable indeed!  Grade: A-  (A promotional release photo follows with more reviews after the shot)

Central City Red Racer ESB (5.6%) is a bit of an oddity in this category that otherwise includes IPAs, but this isn't a traditional English ESB and is a bit more of an American styled Pale Ale, or at best a hybrid as it offers scents of mild-to-moderate grapefruit with a dominant bitterness present beyond what an English ESB would exude.  It is light amber in colour with a nice head and retention, though no lacing to speak of.  It is only malty sweet up front for a brief moment, before a nicely drying finish of toasty citrus and rind.  With a medium body and medium carbonation, this is a decent and enjoyable, if not exemplary offering, but a unique one and gets some marks for that, even if pushing the style boundary.  Grade: B/B+


For the last in this category, I had Swiss brewer, Birrificio Ticinese's Bad Attitude Hobo IPA (6% ABV) (which came highly recommended by "Beer Hunter" Phillippe who has rated 7600 beers at http://www.bov.ch/) yet failed to overly impress.  It had a great piney nose and a fine deep amber colour, with an excellent faintly off-white head that had great retention but poor lacing.  The bitter nose led to to think this would be hop-head heaven, but though dry it was almost equally bready sweet (almost like french toast) and a bit of almost yeasty spice with equal parts grapefruit.  It was more balanced than it smelled like it would be, but didn't really work for me perhaps due to bordering on the style characteristics of many divergent styles.  Some might call it complex, but besides the nose it just didn't work for me.  It was crisp and tingly, yet probably excessively carbonated perhaps muting the hoppiness of the style for me.  Grade: C+/B-

Double/Imperial IPAs and Black IPAs

Personal Best of the Fest: Dogfish Head Burton Baton (10% ABV) is actually made by blending an English Old Ale and a Double IPA and then aging the blend in oak barrels.  The nose is dominated by oaky vanilla notes, while traces of pine are muted by this sweetness if still present.  It is clear and golden amber in colour with only slight head and retention, but nice glass-trailing lacing.  Though the flavour is quite dry as it finishes with a quite bitter citrus, the excessive dryness doesn't linger as it is tempered from beginning through end by the vanilla-citrus combined sweetness of the oak.  No it is not sweet, but it is complex, nuanced, and pleasant beyond what a 'normal' imperial IPA might offer.  The carbonation is fairly substantial making it crisp and tingly to the tongue, though with a lighter body than is characteristic for the style.  Grade: A-/A

In a close second is Dieu du Ciel's Chaman (9% ABV) which is cloudy amber in colour with just a slight creamy white head, though with good retention.  On the nose, the flavour is predominantly citrus hops with a touch of bread, though the taste is nicely nuanced characterized by both grapefruit bitterness and a peaty/earthy dryness that, despite also drying, adds a pleasant complexity.  Fairly full bodied with moderate carbonation, yet fairly smooth on the tongue.  Grade: A-


In a close third is Founders Double Trouble (9.4% ABV) which presents aromas of fruity esters, predominantly citrus, but also floral and with hints of rind.  It pours a golden colour that seems a bit light for the style, but offers a nice frothy white head with good retention and lacing.  Floral and citrus hops dominate the tongue and leave a substantive bitterness yet one without any lengthy lingering.  Medium bodied with only low carbonation makes this beer feel smooth - which to me detracts slightly from a bitter IPA which I, personally, find benefits from some crispy, tingly carbonation, but I am well aware this is an opinion open to much debate!  Still, a fine beer!  Grade: B+


Yet again, there isn't a huge distance between third and fourth in this category, but next is Le Saint Bock's Black Jesus (9.3% ABV) which pours a dark, dark brown with a fine mocha head, good retention, lace, and surface spotting.  Oddly, this beer smells like mocha, chocolate, and sweetened coffee much like a milk stout and without any style characteristics - but it smells nice!  Conversely, as there is nothing on the nose suggesting black IPA, there is nothing on the tongue resembling this sweetness, as the flavour is bitterly piney with hints of pepper and rind.  With a medium body and fair carbonation, this beer otherwise feels style appropriate.  I actually love the sweet stout aroma even if it is inappropriate, but though good, the taste isn't quite enough for me, but it is still enjoyable enough.  Grade: B/B+

Next, I come to Black Moon from Vermont's Rock Art Brewery (10% ABV), which pours jet black with a good frothy white head and solid retention, though negligible lacing.  It smells of pine up front with a trace of floral esters.  It is quite piney/earthy bitter and borders on astringency in flavour - which is certainly style appropriate - but it is a bit much for me and lingers a bit too long, though hop-heads are sure to love it!  It is full bodied with slightly low carbonation levels and doesn't tingle the tongue as it dries its way down!  Good, very stylistically quintessential, yet perhaps a bit too bold in that regard at the same time!  Grade: B


Finally, for this category, I come to the Black Rye IPA offering from Brazil's Cervejaria Bodebrown (7% ABV) which pours a gorgeous jet black, with a lightly cream-coloured thick, rocky head with good retention and lacing.  Aromas are slightly smoky and peaty, as well as offering faintly fruity hints, but are not very dominant and are faint at best and not exactly conforming to the style.  Flavourwise, it is more approrpiate as it is but faintly sweet up front in a citrusy way that dries out quickly with grapefruit, pine, and spice notes that linger excessively.  It is light-to-medium bodied and equally carbonated.  Aside from the aroma, it well fits the style descriptors, but pushes to the point of astringency.  Grade: C+/B-


Old Ales, Scotch Ales, and Barley Wines


Yes, there is fair disparity in this category, though strength, malt, body, and (rough) geographic origin offer some useful categorization and, since I only had one of each, perhaps we can lump these together into an arbitrary category!

Personal Best of the Fest: St. Ambroise Vintage Age Millésimée 2010 (10% ABV).  This aged ale (called both a Barley Wine and an Old Ale depending on the source) certainly ages well though I have never had a fresh one!  It shows unfiltered cloudiness with a dark red colour, while the head is fair, off-white, frothy and offers decent retention and trailing lace.  It smells quite boozy, yet also offers nice aromas of plums, brown sugar, and molasses.  To the tongue, the booziness remains present but is tempered by sweet caramel maltiness that makes it nicely drinkable, with only a slight-to-moderate drying finish (tempered by age perhaps?).  It is warming and fairly full bodied, but with a creamy, low carbonation that makes this fit the Barley Wine tradition and 'wine' inspiration quite well.  Grade: A


Next best for me would be the oddity of the grouping: Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale (8.5% ABV) from Founders Brewing.  This strong Scotch Ale pours a dark brown with quite nice head and retention, though with no lacing to speak of.  Faintly smoky earthy aromas meet the nose while the flavour is similar yet the peaty illusion is sweet in its toasty/woods maltiness.  With medium carbonation and a light-to-medium body, this beer is also fairly warming but not boozy.  Nice, but despite its commanded level of respect, I actual found it to be sweeter than desired and good, but perhaps not as good as many find it, though you should try it for yourself!  I'd like to try it again alongside the Dieu du Ciel Scotch Ale that I so thoroughly adored on draft.  Grade: B+/A-

Finally, I come to the Vermonster (10% ABV), a Barley Wine from Rock Art Brewery that meets the nose with piney/floral hops.  It pours a nice brown with excellent off-white frothy head and noteworthy retention.  There is some malty fruit up front, with very faint notes of raisins, plums, and caramel, but it is wiped out promptly by a very drying floral estery finish with a lingering aftertaste.  As typical of the style, it is fairly full bodied with negligible carbonation, such that it would likely show well on cask.  It was decent, but there wasn't enough barley for me... as the hops shut it down and I would have liked a few more malty aromas and or tastes.  Though I understand that hop heads love it - as one would expect.  Grade: B+

Browns, Reds and Ambers

Personal Best of the Fest: The winner for me is a rare hybrid oddity that almost shouldn't qualify: Beau's 2011/2012 incarnation of Winterbrewed (5% ABV) which is infused with brewed coffee and changes slightly year to year.  This Winter's batch had Guatemalan coffee rather than last year's Nicaraguan and was as delicious as I recall!  Pouring a dark amber-to-light brown with nice rocky mocha head full of lacing with remarkable retention.  Just gorgeous and then you smell it: freshly brewed gourmet coffee (and, with fair-trade Bridgehead organic coffee, it truly is quality!).  The nose has faint hints of earthy hops and caramel malts, but trying to smell anything other than the coffee seemingly brewing beneath your nose is difficult!  The flavour is toasty and nutty, but primarily offers a thick and lingering coffee goodness that is met with just enough hops to dry out the finish that maintains that lingering coffee for quite some time (though not long enough!)  Medium bodied, with slight carbonation, this is fairly oily (as per the coffee) but just a delight to drink!  Grade: A+


It may be somewhat unfair to let my coffee love name the Personal Best of the Fest for one whose "Amber" qualities are nearly indiscernible, so I offer the Backup Best of the Fest here as Wilco Tango Foxtrot (7.8% ABV) a so-called "Imperial Brown Ale" from Lagunitas.  This beer is golden brown in colour and a bit lighter than anticipated with a nice off-white head and decent retention and lace.  Oranges and drier citrusy hops aromas meet the nose while the taste is simply complex and remarkably balanced.  At times, I felt like it began with malty toasted grains before a piney drying finish that didn't last, yet on other sips felt the inverse, being met by floral citrus hops before the malty sweetness and drying end (without any lingering bitterness).  The complex balance is very, very good.  It is very creamy, nearly chewy, and medium to full bodied with medium carbonation.  Not boozy at all.  Very drinkable.  Grade: A-/A


Beau's Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale (6.7% ABV) comes in next, though I would love to try this again and offer more.  I adore good Irish Reds, but they must be consumed before Barley Wines and such and, for various reasons, this didn't happen and its subtleness was lost a bit on me at the time.  It was easy drinking for it's ABV, had nice caramel and toasty notes on the nose and tongue and finished with the lingering sweetness one expects from an Irish Red.  Saying more than that will require a second tasting, but I did enjoy it and I am sure I would again!  Grade: B+/A-


Next, is Maracaibo Especial (a 7.5% ABV American Brown) from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales.  It pours a deep amber with a decent, creamy, whiter-than-expected head of moderate retention and pacing.  There was also a remaining brown yeast sediment visible in the glass.  It has two-part aroma beginning with sweet-and-sour dark malty fruits and finishing with a slight citrus hoppiness.  Tastes like slightly smoky camp toast with a rindy/citrus finish.  It is good, but not exactly like expected in aroma or taste for the style.  It had a nicely drying finish, but more in an American Pale Ale manner than that of a Brown.  Good, but not legendary to me.  Grade: B/B+


Finally, I come to BarbaRoja Barrel-Aged Red Ale (9% ABV) which pours a gorgeous deep amber with an excellent frothy beige head with thick bubbles that remain and leave a fair trace.  It has but a faint aroma merely of sweet citrus and lightly toasted malts.  Tastes are of spicy fruit with a piney finish and they somehow seem to clash rather than complement each other.  Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, though a bit oily and fairly warming.  Good, enjoyable, but not something I'd go back to often.  Grade: B


Well, that's it for now.  Remaining posts about Mondial: Stouts/Porters, Lagers and Wheat Beers, Sours and Unique Oddities, and finally a wrap up post with some concluding remarks - stay tuned as I keep re-living this phenomenal event!