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| (What beverage goes better with the NFL Draft than beer?) |
So, I had thought about doing a 1st round mock draft and mentioned it on Twitter. The response was interesting as many were more curious about the beers I plan on drinking than reading another mock draft that is more than likely not going to happen, especially since there will be 2-4 trades most likely to happen and most mocks don't account for those trades. I figured I would oblige and drop a 3 part beer list. One list for each day of the draft.
Day one is going to be rather simple. I'm just cleaning some beers out of the fridge with the exception of a bottle that I have had for a few years. It's not a huge selection but I figured I would start with these beers and go from there.
St. Klippenstein, Allagash (2016 bottle)
Description: At the brewery, we celebrate a holiday full of free ham, potlucks, and strong stouts; it’s called St. Klippenstein Day. In honor of this joyous event, we brew a bourbon barrel-aged, Belgian-style strong stout of the same name. Delivering on its satiny black hue, St. Klippenstein offers up a complex, roasty aroma laden with dark chocolate. Vanilla and coconut notes form the flavor’s backbone, while oak from the barrel lingers in its smooth, warm finish.
This full-bodied beer is brewed with chocolate malt, dark chocolate malt, roasted barley, and brown malt. To round out its robust flavor, St. Klippenstein is hopped with Chinook and Northern Brewer, fermented with a trappist-style yeast for a month, then aged three more in bourbon barrels. Happy St. Klippenstein Day!
ABV: 11.0%
Beer Advocate Grade: 93 (out of 100) - Outstanding
This will probably be my beer to open around the Washington draft pick at #11. Hopefully, it will be a celebratory beer. I have never had this one before.
Turtle Dreams, First State Brewing Company
Description: Tropical Sour - Peach, Passion Fruit, Guava notes. Made with Pilsen malt, Wheat and Oats with Cashmere and Idaho Gem hops. Also made with peaches, passion fruit and lactose. IBU: 20
ABV: 6.0%
Beer Advocate Grade: N/A (not enough votes)
This is an interesting beer. It is listed by the brewer as a sour, while Beer Advocate lists it as a Sour-Gose. I personally find it to be neither. It tastes more like a wheat beer or fruit flavored ale to me. I'm not sure if the lactose added anything to it but if you like peach or passionfruit ales, this isn't a bad one. You will be disappointed if you're expecting a true sour however. There is very little sour to it and no funky aromas you would expect from a sour.
Black Butte Porter, Deschutes
Description: Bold reputation. Soft disposition. Surprising balance. Behold an iconic and unexpectedly complex porter that's more than meets the eye. Rise through dark forests dense with notes of chocolate and coffee to reveal a rich landscape of roasted terrain and soft-lit, creamy skies.
Grains used: 2 Row, Wheat, Chocolate Malt, Crystal and Carapils.
Hops used: Cascade, Tettnang.
IBU: 30
ABV: 5.5%
Beer Advocate Grade: 93 (out of 100) - Outstanding
A very solid Porter. And yes, I am one of those that separates Ale from Porter from Stout despite similarity of brewing techniques and ingredients. Black Butte has the very nice notes of coffee and chocolate but doesn't give the heft that you expect from a stout. I consider this one of the more gold standards of a classic American Porter along with Founders Porter.
Nocturna, Allagash
Description: Out of the deepest night shines a sliver of light. In making Nocturna we age a silky stout in bourbon barrels with vanilla beans. In the darkness of the barrel a transformation occurs, the beer fills with a galaxy of roasty and sweet aromatics: toffee, chocolate, oak. Experience for yourself this momentous meeting of darkness and light.
Grains used: Allagash 2-Row Malted Barley Blend, Local Pale Malt, Local Oats, Torrified Wheat, Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley, Midnight Wheat
Hops used: Northern Brewer, Cascade
Other Notes: Aged in Bourbon Barrels with Vanilla Beans.
ABV: 9.5%
Beer Advocate Grade: 88 (out of 100) - Very Good
What can I say, I like Allagash beers. To be honest, I think my favorite beers are of their Sour and Coolship (aka: wild ale) varieties. You really must try their Farm to Face if you ever have an opportunity. It is an amazing sour. I picked up a 4 pack of Nocturna a few months ago and still have a couple of bottles left. The Bourbon isn't subtle but it still have some nice oaky and vanilla notes.
Friday should be an even more interesting selection. A little longer draft day two maybe a few more and a few more powerful stouts. We have some family coming over so more of a Draft Day Party atmosphere. Maybe some Dogfish Head, Fremont, Founders, Burgundy Ghost Brewing (aka: my homebrew stuff). We shall see..... stay tuned.
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