Bell's Expedition at Kite & Key

Well, it has been a week since I've written anything so sorry about that. Between going on vacation then not getting much sleep Sunday night, just haven't had the drive to write. To get moving again, I'll start with last week's visit to Kite & Key. I also have a Crooked Stave beer I drank last night which I'll hopefully get to tomorrow. For last week, I ordered a glass of Bells Expedition, something I've had aged a couple times, but never fresh. And, yes, that is not really the way to do it since you can't know how the aged beer has changed, but oh well sometimes that happens. Expedition, by the way, is an imperial stout.

Roasty nose with a big, earthy hop bitterness. Body followed with some bitter chocolate, earthy hops, and a bitter finish. There was some coffee roast around the edges as well. As I drank more, it actually became more hoppy and bitter and the roast took a slight back seat to that. I had heard it was bitter and, yeah, totally a hoppier stout. Some people like hoppy stouts, hence Storm King's popularity, so this would be good for them. If you're curious about the old bottle I drank, here's my post about it. Definitely enjoyed it a little more than fresh.

Pretty Old Bell's Expedition Stout

I had this bottle of Bell's Expedition in my beer fridge for quite a while but kept looking at it and thinking it wasn't time yet. However, I've been working through my cellar quite a bit since Pax was born so I decided it was finally ready to be opened. I mean, why not open it on a random week day? Ya know? This bottle was from batch 9512, before they started using real dates on the bottle, but was told that it was brewed around December 18th, 2009. So pretty old at this point for a random stout.

Big earthiness from the aged hops, some roasty sweetness, and a little soy sauce and saltiness in the back. Body was sugary caramel, some more earthy bitterness, and then again soy sauce in the finish. Even after 3 and a half years, still bitter but that was all the contribution from the hops and it was probably toned down a bit from a fresh bottle. Apparently, the soy sauce flavor is common in older stouts. I thought it was a compound put off by the roasted malt used in their brewing, but two minutes of research found nothing so I may be making that up. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in on this point. Regardless, this was tasty and that's what matters especially since I really love soy sauce.

Brunch at Kraftwork

Two weekends ago, Jo and I decided to stop at Kraftwork for brunch before heading over to Greensgrow to pick up our CSA allotment. On top of being on the way, I'd heard the food was quite good and their beer list is always top notch. Turns out their food really is that good as both Jo and I had excellent meals. Their biscuits especially were delicious and if you go definitely order them. To drink, I decided to start with Bell's This One Goes to Eleven. I think it's supposed to be an imperial red ale by style but I don't know 100%. I do know the name is from This is Spinal Tap, a pretty funny movie if you've never seen it.

Bell's Bourbon Barrel Batch 9000

On Friday, I was sort of bored at work and decided a trip to Varga for lunch was the perfect thing to pass the time. I chose Varga because I heard the Bell's Bourbon Barrel Batch 9000 was still on draft even though it had been available for a week and I really wanted to try it. Really glad I did since it was pretty awesome. I was pretty shocked to even see it in Philly since I thought it was only available at the Bell's General Store at their brewery. Always happy to be wrong about stuff like that though.

Bourbon and caramel nose, quite sweet without any sign of the 15% ABV. On first sip, very fruity up front with chocolate, caramel and a little heat from the alcohol in the finish. Some plum and raisin as well. Definitely tasty but also incredibly strongly flavored even if the alcohol was well hidden. This beer wasn't fooling around. While I probably could have drank a little bit more of it than what was in the small glass, it was nearly enough considering the strength and sweetness. Still, pretty excellent beer and very happy to get a chance to try it.

Bell's Special Double Cream Stout

Even at 100 degrees, I still like drinking my stouts and barleywines. I guess having A/C will do that to you. Last night I drank a bottle of Bell's Special Double Cream Stout, an american stout.

Really pleasant roast nose with a hint of tartness or dark fruit or something in the back. Nice body, thick for a 6% stout. A creamy, milky start with smooth roast following and a light licorice flavor to finish. The latter actually disappeared as I drank more with the roast smoothing out even more and some chocolate coming out. Really nice beer that just got better as I drank more. Bell's is so good.

Philly Beer Week Day 8: Jose Pistola's & A Beer Garden

We're almost to the end of Philly Beer Week! Just two more relatively full days and I'll be done and you can go back to reading shorter posts. On this Friday, Jo had the day off so we were going to have lunch at Jose Pistola's and I had planned to check out the With Love Beer Garden later on. We also ended up with an unscheduled stop at St. Stephen's Green for dinner which turned out great because they still had a bunch of great beers on tap.

As I said, the day started at my favorite lunch spot, Jose Pistola's. They were hosting a lunch for Hill Farmstead and how could I miss that? For those that don't know, Hill Farmstead is really well known for their hoppier stuff though Shaun Hill has a deft touch with mostly everything he brews as far as I can tell. I started with a glass of Florence, a saison.

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

Bell's has quite a few stouts in their lineup but they are all slightly different in more than just name. Which, well, makes sense since it would be dumb to make the same beer and just name it differently. The Kalamazoo stout is an American Stout made with brewer's licorice.

Mild roast in the nose with a hint of the licorice bite. It's not as strong as pure licorice, but it's there. Flavor basically followed with the licorice notes along with an almost smoky flavor. Not much roast really as it is overpowered by the brewer's liquid and smokiness but that's not a bad thing. Made for a unique combo that you don't find in other stouts and was a nice change of pace as a result.

Savage Sixtel Sunday at Kite & Key

This past weekend Kite & Key held another of their Savage Sixtel Sunday events. (See here and here for previous events.) I missed last time because it was on the day of the Superbowl so I was happy to be able to make this one. Even disregarding the generally interesting tap list, there are usually lots of people to talk to at them which is the real reason I enjoy it. With PhillyTapFinder on vacation in Belgium or Paris (he's somewhere over there right now), I didn't actually know what was on draft other than Pliny the Younger and Hopslam, so I was excited to find out.

When I arrived the bar was pretty full though probably not as full as other bars have been when they tap Younger. Surprise tappings will do that I guess. I said hello to one of the owners, Jim, who I last met during a previous Sixtel Sunday and then made my way to the bar to order a beer. Unfortunately, Younger had kicked a few minutes before I arrived so I started with a Bells Hopslam instead, a double IPA brewed with honey.

I've talked about Hopslam quite a few times (here, here, and here) so I'll just say it's definitely starting to fade but is still quite decent. If you have bottles or kegs, drink them sooner rather than later.

Bell's Hopslam: 2011 vs 2012

Around last July, I visited DC and stopped in a random bottle shop near my friend's house and found an old bottle of Bell's Hopslam. Rather than drink it at 6 months old, I decided to hold on to it for another six months until I could get a fresh bottle for comparison. Well, the release finally happened and I got four bottles of fresh Hopslam and drank the first one side by side the old bottle.

On the left is the 2011 and the right is the 2012.

Bell's Darkest Day at Devil's Den

Okay, so this event was over two weeks ago at this point, but it was such a great time, I don't want to just skip writing about it. The event took place on December 21st, the shortest day of the year hence the name,  Darkest Day. Devil's Den got about 6 different Bell's beers including the incredibly rare Black Note. When the event was first announced at the end of November, I quickly put it on my calendar since I knew I couldn't miss it. Now, maybe I was a little too excited because when I got there at 4, there were only three other people in the bar and they all left before the event making me the first to arrive for it. I even took a picture!

See, empty bar. Luckily, I knew the next four people that walked in after me so I had plenty of company to pass the time.

Bell's Oarsman

I've had this bottle for a while now and haven't found time to open it until now. Bell's Oarsman is a berliner weiss style beer and is a regular seasonal from Bell's.

Sort of a sour wheat nose which totally smells better than it sounds honestly. Slightly tart, hint of wheaty earthiness. The finish has a slight bitterness which fades quickly. Really, slight is the name of the game here. Everything is balanced and it's super easy drinking. It comes out some time in the summer, I think, which would make sense because on a hot summer day this would be awesome. Really enjoyed this.

Bell's Sparkling Ale

I missed my first visit to Kite & Key in a while last week but I totally had a good excuse in that it was the Dock Street bottle release party plus Thanksgiving. So yeah. Lets put that behind us and move on to the newest streak. This time, I ordered a Bell's Sparkling Ale, a tripel.

As far as I can tell, Sparkling Ale is a new offering from Bell's that made it to Philly relatively recently. I could be wrong, obviously, but I don't remember seeing it around before now. Slight Belgian nose, hints of clove and banana. Quite tasty. Started with a raisin flavor, cloves, a tiny hit of bitterness, and a dryish Belgiany finish. Continued along those lines with the raisin and clove being the major players but the dryness kept it from ever being too sweet. Really enjoyed this one and another good entry from Bell's.

Labor Day Bar Crawl

It's Saturday, my wife's out of town, I'm alone. So what do I decide to do? What? Not that, sicko. I decide to do a bar crawl going to Farmer's Cabinet -> Varga Bar -> Hawthorne's Cafe -> Devil's Den. Now, I guess it's weird that I decided to bar hop by myself for hours on end, but I really enjoy sitting at bars, talking to bartenders and trying new things. I guess I'm a weird dude and I'm okay with that.

First stop was the Farmer's Cabinet. I haven't been back since my awesome birthday dinner and knew it had been too long. At 11:30am, it wasn't particularly busy which was nice. There was only one other dude at the bar plus the bartender. I started with a glass of De Molen Cease & Desist, also known as Disputin, a Russian Imperial Stout.

Savage Sixtel Sunday at the Kite & Key

On Sunday July 24th the Kite & Key had an event called Savage Sixtel Sunday. They've had other ones previously but apparently this one was also their 3rd anniversary. I didn't actually know that until after but good for them! I hadn't been to one of these before but the tap list to this was pretty awesome plus I knew a few people going so figured it would be a lot of fun. I started with a Bells Batch 9000 which was also the first beer that caught my eye when I first saw the tap list.

This was part of Bell's "batch" series where every 1000 batches of beer, they brewed a unique one-off. This one is labeled an American Strong Ale although I could see it labeled as a quad. Smelled of caramel, plums, toffee, raisins, and wine. Really strong but delicious aroma. Flavor started similarly with caramel, toffee then a decent amount of alcohol. The alcohol wasn't harsh but there is no mistaking that it is 12.5%. I can't imagine how strong this tasted fresh considering how strong it is at about a year and a half. Still, I really enjoyed it even with the alcohol, just need to remember to sip it.

Bell's Pale Ale

Stopped by the Kite & Key to meet up with some friends on my way home from work yesterday and had a glass of Bell's Pale Ale.

Smelled grapefruity.  Initially got some notes of orange with a tiny bit of bitterness.  Similar flavors continued as I worked my way through the glass.  Very clean tasting and refreshing.  The bitterness never overwhelms.  This would be very nice on a hot day.  Tasty pale ale.

Nugget Nectar vs. HopSlam! Fight!

Last Friday I decided to see how Troegs Nugget Nectar compared to Bell's Hopslam.  I recently had Hopslam at Jose Pistola's and Nugget Nectar at Kite & Key but figured the best way to get a decent comparison would be to have them both in one night. 

I started with the Nugget Nectar thinking that since it wasn't quite as strong it would make a better beginning.  Thanks for leaving a couple bottles behind Greg!

Full Sail Wassail

Was looking for something interesting to drink during the Superbowl and came across the last bottle my brother Dan gave me for Hanukkah, Full Sail Wassail a Winter Warmer.  This one won't age well so I decided to finish my last bottle.

Some slight spice in the nose.  Initially I got spices backed by a sweet and malty base.  It feels like the spices were clove and ginger maybe but could be a few other things.  The finish was almost peppery which was interesting.  Decent spiced beer and an easy way to start off the Superbowl.

I also opened a bottle of Bells Expedition 2009 which was still fantastic.  I'm curious if it's the age or if this beer is awesome fresh too.  It's complex and really delicious.  You can see my first review here.  Mixed well with all the food we ate during the Superbowl too.

Bell's Hopslam

I can always tell when something new and interesting is coming out because the BeerAdvocate trading forum goes absolutely crazy.  Recently, the newest feeding frenzy beers were Bell's Hopslam and Troegs Nugget Nectar.  Luckily, Jose Pistolas put Bell's Hopslam on draft yesterday so I was able to try it without buying an entire six pack of it.  Let me say, it holds up to the hype.

Hopslam is a Double IPA offered by Bell's every January although at 11% it's higher than most other Double IPAs.  Bell's brews this with a number of different types of hops, a lot of malt and some honey.  From all that I've read, the honey only imparts some residual flavors on the beer and not sweetness.  It's used because it's a fully fermentable sugar so a brewer can raise the ABV and lower the gravity (thus drying out the sweetness) without adding other sugar to it.  Take that with a grain of salt though since it's not like I've done any real research on it.

The first thing I noticed was the aroma.  Just a huge amount of citrus mixed with grapefruit or pineapple notes (I honestly don't know if I can tell the difference just by smell, so sue me).  First sip I got a face full of sharp citrus which slowly recedes into a pleasing sweetness.  Very slight lingering bitterness, but it quickly disappears.  Even at 11%, I barely noticed the alcohol at all.  Compared to Brew Works Hop'solutely this beer was a dream to drink.  Maybe it was the glass size, but Hopslam was much closer to a Double IPA than the Hopwine style I got from Hop'solutely.  This should be available anywhere Bell's distributes at least for a week or two, so search out a six-pack.  Only negative is the six-packs are anywhere from $16-$20 so be ready for that.

If anyone is around, look for me at Jose Pistola's on Friday around noon.  They are doing a smoked event and will have 3 smoked beers and some smoked food specials.  Should be a tasty lunch.

Vacation Beers 3: Ridiculously Great

I opened some awesome beers this Christmas Eve.  While I expected the Troegs Splinter Blue to be excellent, I was surprised just how good the 2009 Bell's Expedition Stout was.  Ended up as a super night.

I started off the night with the 2009 Bell's Expedition.  I bought this case from Global Beer in Northern Liberties and it was already a year old when I bought it two weeks ago.  Pretty handy as really strong stouts often get better after a year or two.

Bell's Best Brown

We need to pick up a new case of beer for Jo so I opened a bottle of Bell's Best Brown for her to try.

Smelled malty with a few toasted notes for good measure.  First sip was sweet with some toasted malt flavors.  As I drank more, I got a little bit of caramel but the overall flavor was mostly the sweetness and roast.  No bitterness at all and pleasant while eating dinner.  I enjoyed it but Jo thought it was a little too much to drink an entire case.  Still, a 6 pack would probably work out for most people.  Get it soon though as it's a fall seasonal and it's probably going to start disappearing again soon.

And yeah I made another post before this weekend.  So sue me.  On a random side note, I made some awesome cookies today.  So good.