Founders Centennial IPA

Pours a cloudy burnt orange with one fingers worth of white head. Floral citrus aroma. The carbonation of this brew really flares up once it hits the pallet, giving this ale a nice bitter body. Bright grapefruit flavor dominates the taste buds, and the hoppy body creates a nice crisp balance. This brew has some nice warming effects, yet it also has a refreshing quality to it. It’s Yin is in complete harmony with its Yang! Centennial IPA finishes dry with pine notes and a subtle hint of alcohol. Speaking of alcohol, the citrus flavors of this brew beautifully mask the 7.2% ABV.

Pairings/ Recommendations

Have you ever worked up a sweat on a spring or fall day just to have that workout give you a little bit of a chill. Well you’re in luck. Founders Centennial IPA has the refreshing qualities to quench your thirst, and the warming effects to chase away the cold sweat shivers. Lucky for us, this muliti- tasking brew is one of Founders year round offerings, which makes it a perfect choice for any season.

Founders Porter

Back in 1997 Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers were recent college graduates. They both had steady jobs, and were home brewing enthusiasts. Coincidentally they also had the dream of opening a brewery. So the only logical thing to do was quit their jobs, take out some pretty large loans, and take that blind leap of faith. Today they are one of the most respected brewers in the business. In fact, Ratebeer.com recently named Founders the 2nd BEST BREWERY IN THE WORLD! In honor of this achievement, I've decided it's Founders Week here at Chin Chin. 7 days, 7 reviews. Actually, it may be just my excuse to drink really great craft beer for a week.

First things first, what makes Founders so great? I believe their mission statement says it all.

“We don’t brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us.”

Founders Porter

The descriptor on this brew is: Dark, Rich, & Sexy (Sexy? Well I be the judge of that!)

First thing. The bottle for this brew is a thing of beauty. A painting of a woman dressed in black that reminds me something you'd find hanging on museum wall for an expo on 19th century art. In fact, the label is so nice you should probably at least get a 30 cent deposit for this bottle.

Pour very dark brown with a thin wet-sand colored head. Aroma of coffee and malts. The body is rich and syrupy, with a sublet touch of bitterness. The flavor is very nice with notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. This porter has the perfect amount of carbonation and is smooth, thick, and heavy. to sum it all up I think this brew can be best described as complex. There are defiantly a lot of distinguishable layers. Finishes with more chocolate notes and ends with a very subtle hint of smoke. Silky mouth feel.

I greatly enjoyed Founders Porter. Lived up to the description and them some. Easily, the most sexiest beer I've ever had. How can a beer be sexy? Let me put it to you this way. Pouring this porter was like seduction, i couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It had a intoxicating perfume, which made me want it more. and I fell in love after the first sip. Sex appeal in a glass.

Cheers!!!

Samuel Adams Black and Brew

Samuel Adams Black and Brew is a new addition to this season's "Winter Classic Variety Pack" by the Boston Brewing Co. It is a Coffee Stout that uses 1.5 lbs of Sumatran coffee beans per barrel. The beans are added late in the brewing process, and this helps to produce a very heavy coffee flavor.

Black and Brew pours dark chocolate brown with a brown sugar colored head that forms a constant froth ring that hugs the contour of the glass after it settles. The aroma is similar to that sense awakening smell of fresh brewed morning coffee with notes of chocolate. This stout has a really nice flavor. Notes of bittersweet chocolate and a rich with coffee, along with a subtle hint of fruit. Nice carbonation, just enough to give this stout a creamy body, yet mellow enough to make this brew smooth and very drinkable. The finish is wet, and ends with a lingering mocha flavor. The 5.8% ABV is unbelievably masked.

I was very impressed with this stout. I'm a heavy coffee drinker and really enjoyed the flavors that were going on in this brew. If this brew was available in a six pack I'd experiment by adding cream, or a shot of baileys. Yet since it is limited, I recommend enjoying this brew naturally. If you like coffee and stout, I'm sure you'll love this brew. And it's cheaper than a $5 Grande Decaf Mochachino with an extra shot and no froth. Save yourself the trip and the money.

Pairing/ Recommendations

Forget the Bloody Mary's with brunch, I say pour yourself a nice glass of Samuel Adams Black and Brew. Enjoy with scones, tea cakes, or anything else you normally enjoy with coffee. This brew would also make a great transitional coffee-to-beer or beer-to-coffee brew, or an after dinner treat with dessert. Lots of possibilities with this stout.

*Sadly, this brew may be hard to find as the Winter Classic Variety Packs have already been replaced with Samuel Adams seasonal spring brews. I'm hoping later this year that Black and Brew will be available to purchase individually.Preferably as a 6 or 12 pack.

Bell's Winter White Ale

Bell’s Winter White Ale is a belgian styles white ale. It is advertised as “a lighter yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers.”

Winter White Ale pours a cloudy pale orange color with one finger’s worth of white head. It has a nice orange spice aroma. This ale has flavors notes of wheat, citrus, and coriander, with a hint of sweet spices. Medium body and nicely carbonation - this ale has a crisp refreshing quality. The finish is pleasantly tart and fizzy. Ends with a silkiness on the pallet that retains some lingering flavor notes.

Pairings/ Recommendations

While this ale is crafted as a winter brew, it has elements that remind me of summer beers. While it is not as light as most summer offerings, it’s heavy enough to comfort a winter thirst. That being said, the recommendation for this one is easy. Winter blues got you down? Tired of another sunless cold gloomy day? Then pour yourself a glass of Bell's Winter White Ale. It'll sooth your winter tired mind and remind you that the lazy crazy hazy days of summer are not that far away.

Cheers!

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Tonight's sampleorama comes from the mountain town of Breckenridge, Colorado. The Breckenridge Brewery opened it's doors to craft beer lovers in 1990. Their quality brews quickly became a favorite of the locals and visitors of the popular ski town. By 1992 they opened a second brewery in Denver and moved the head of their operations to the Mile High City. Today Breckenridge Brewery operates 5 brewpubs and ale houses in Colorado.

Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter "Ale Brewed With Real Vanilla Beans."

This porter is a shade of rusty brown and has a sand colored head. As advertised, the all-star of this brew is the vanilla flavor. There are also hints of chocolate malt, raw sugar, and toffee. The body of VP is mellow and clean with mild carbonation. The finish is malty with a flashes of vanilla and chocolate notes, and ends sweet and slightly dry. My only criticism would be I would like a little more bitterness to contrast the sweet tones. Other than that, this is a fine refreshing ale.

Pairings/ Recommendations

This ale would make an excellent transitional brew, meaning you could go from after dinner coffee to Vanilla Porter (or vice versa) without tripping up your taste buds.

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Tonight we are venturing over the pond to Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England - Home to the Samuel Smith Brewery. Established way back in 1756, this brewery still draws water from the 85 foot well that was sunk when this brew house was established. They also have been using the same strain of yeast for their fermentation process since the year 1900. Keeping with their rich tradition, they still use Shire Horses to deliver their beer around the town of Tadcaster!

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout pours a dark chocolate brown with a thick creamy sand colored head that leaves globs of lacing on the glass. Aroma - hints of raw bittersweet chocolate, yeast, and sweet malts.

Flavor is rich and malty with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit - think raisins or figs. The body is medium/ thick and creamy. Nice carbonation and a behind the scenes lingering sweetness that seems to be a signature with all the Samuel Smith brews I’ve tried, must be that well water! This stout has a clean toasty finish with pleasant notes of raw cocoa, and a subtle hint of smoke.

Pairs/ Recommendations

I feel Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout really gets the elements right with this brewing style. I wouldn’t mind a bit more thickness to this brew, but overall an excellent stout. My recommendation would be to enjoy this fine English brew while enjoying English pub games. My favorite being darts. Anyone up for a game of Cricket?

Pip Pip Cheerio!!!

Leinenkugel Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout

The first review of 2012 takes us to the horse shoe shaped hillside of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin - home to the Jacob Lienenkugel Brewing Company. Lienenkugel has been brewing beer in America’s dairyland since 1867. Things really started taking off for Lienenkugel in 2006 when they began crafting new varieties of beer. Today they offer 7 year round brews as well as 4 seasonal offerings. In October of last year Lienenkugel announced they were going to reintroduce one of their inactive brews. Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout. This brew is only being released to a selected market and is available for a limited time.

Big Eddy pours motor oil black with about one inch of coffee colored head. This brew is so dark, light fails to penetrate this stout, even when held next to a lamp. The aroma is sweet, with notes of fruit, molasses, and maple. Flavor - notes of dark grapes, chocolate and malt, with a reappearing subtle hint of maple. Big Eddy’s has a medium body accented with creamy texture and light carbonation. A thin head caps this stout during the entire enjoyment and has an appearance similar to fresh brewed espresso creama. The alcohol content is nicely hidden for it's percentage - a whopping 9.8%. Smooth and balanced for such a strong brew.

The initial finish on the first swallow is smokey hazelnut. A fruity finish takes over for the remainder of enjoyment. The smokey hazelnut doesn't completely disappear, but It only briefly makes itself known during the remainder of consumption.

Pairings/ Recommendations

This stuff is delicious, but potent. If you're a fan of dark heavy brews, this stout is a treat. I most certainly would pair this stout with a nice rich dessert, cheese cake, chocolate cake, ect. Or you can take my father's advise and just skip the food and drink Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Imperial Russian Stout for dessert. Take your time with this one, it's a brew worth appreciating.

Cheers!!!