Dogfish Head Brewing Company - Palo Santo Marron

The beer I am reviewing tonight is from Dogish Head Brewing Co. A new brewery here on The Delicious Beer Blog; but most likely not unknown to many craft beer drinkers out there. The new TV show on Discovery Channel (Brewmasters, information found here) follows the owner Sam Calagione on various brewing adventures in addition to chronicling life within a working brewery. They are based in Milton, Delaware, and have been serving up "Off-centered ales, for off-centered people" since opening their doors in 1995. Sam is credited with growing the smallest craft brewery in the nation to the 24th largest in record time, and now enjoys a worldwide reputation and penchant for serving up and brewing some of the most unique, and highest quality ales on the planet. Dogfish Head is best well known for their 90-minute IPA, Punkin Ale, Midas Touch, Raison D'etre, and more recently (due to the show) Bitches Brew. They now brew over 31 different beers throughout the year. A full list can be found here.

A little background information on Palo Santo Marron: It is listed as a brown ale, but perhaps a better category would be imperial brown ale. At 12% abv, it is not to be taken lightly. The "Palo Santo" or "holy stick" in spanish, refers to the type of wood used to age the beer. Dogfish Head Brewing Co has constructed a 10,000 gallon tank composed entirely of this Paraguayan wood. According to the interwebs, Palo Santo is found in South America in both the interior regions of Paraguay and Argentina, and is used for incense, brewing tea, ancient inca religious rituals, and even possibly for wine production. It is prized because it is extremely hard and durable. Demand for the wood has since fallen off because of the modern technological development of alloys and other more durable polymers, but is still listed as an endangered species. For the brewer the likeable traits come from its ability to lend caramel-like and vanilla-like notes to beer. The "Marron" in the name of the beer means "brown" in spanish.



Name: Palo Alto Marron
Category/Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 12%
IBU: 50
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Unknown
Bottled: 07/14/10
Bottle Size: 12 oz

The Pour: Nice and dark, might be slight mahogany/slight red orange brown coloration around the edge of the glass, but not much light penetrating this one. Light tan thin head, a little lacing. Looks like the kind of beer I want to drink.

The Nose: Vanilla, sweet, malt, caramel, some spice-like notes. Cinnamon? Alcohol, almost warms my nose (It's 12%) sweet and delicious. Smells like warm-fresh-out-of-the-oven spice bread. Maybe some ginger. Smells incredible, I want to drink it real bad.

The Taste: Brown sugar, malt, caramel. Alcohol travels up the nose. Vanilla, spices and bitterness midway through. Smoke on the finish? Or is that just the wood coming through? Slight bitterness, roastiness, and cocoa powder on the finish. Woody/reedy notes, especially on the finish. Warmth on the back of my throat. Full bodied, light to medium carbonation...

The Verdict: Very nice offering. Difficult to ascertain the brown ale qualities in this one, and at 12% it's a huge beer, and should be consumed over a long period of time. The vanilla and caramel was very nice and evident from the intial testing of the nose. Definitely roasty with hints of chocolate interspersed, very similar in body and flavor to that of an imperial stout. Quite a unique beer, considering the story behind it and the construction of the 10,000 gallon open-air wooden tank using Paraguyan wood. If you can track this one down you might give it a shot for that reason alone. It should be great for sipping on late-night or sharing with a friend ;]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Midnight Sun T.R.E.A.T Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

From Midnight Sun Brewing Company comes the T.R.E.A.T (The Royal Eccentric Ale Treatment) Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter; an ale brewed with: Pumpkin, Cocoa Nibs, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves. A chocolate pumpkin ale is something I've always wanted to try. And when I ran across this ale at a market down the street from where I live, I had to buy it. Since I have just reviewed the Midnight Sun Brewery, I will not review it here (you can find it here). And so without further adieu, the T.R.E.A.T :]



Name: T.R.E.A.T Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter
Category/Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 30
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Pale, Carafa, Chocolate
Hop Types: Fuggles
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Pumpkin, Cocoa Nibs, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 22 oz

The Pour: Deep mahogany, at first glance looks black, but upon further inspection, looks as though it is filtered and dark red/maroon when held up to the light. The head is tan, off-white, thin and fading, some lacing.

The Nose: Sweet bubblegum, cocoa powder, banana, and notes of cola. Nutmeg, chocolate, spice bread...swirling reveals the deeper hidden pumpkin and cinnamon and some wheat bread...smells quite nice.

The Taste: Quite complex. Cola and clove initially. Pumpkin and chocolate, slight bitterness. Spices, nutmeg and clove mostly, a little cinnamon, banana bread on the finish. Heavy on the mouthfeel, bready and dry, dominated by pumpkin, surprisingly not much chocolate or roasted character as the color suggests. A lingering spice and pumpkin infused finish......

The Verdict: A very complex beer there is no doubt about it. So many different flavors and aromas present: banana, pumpkin, cola, chocolate, nutmeg and cinnamon. Personally, the beers I have tried containing actual pumpkin tend to leave an odd aftertaste in my mouth, and this beer was no exception. The flavor was complex but I am not a big fan of the lingering pumpkin squash-like flavor, for me I feel it throws everything off. Regardless It's an interesting offering. Most likely you'll either love it or not at all. There is no middle ground. If you have never tried a chocolate pumpkin ale, you may try and find a bottle of this. It has been in the lower 48 since late october but I've only seen it in one store :]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Midnight Sun Brewing Company

Out of all of the breweries I visited in Alaska, I would have to say that Midnight Sun was the highlight of the entire trip. This was true for one reason, and one reason alone: superior beer.

Now allow me to take a step back, and explain a little bit about Midnight Sun. It is located in South Anchorage, and it is one of four breweries in Anchorage. They've been brewing beer since 1995 and have been on the forefront of innovative brewing ever since. Never before have I seen so many unique beers brewed and offered by one establishment. They take traditional styles and do amazing things with them. This is what defines them as a top brewery in my opinion. So often I find myself in small breweries drinking the same thing everyone else is offering. It is quite refreshing to find a brewery doing things no one else has thought of. I think this fact, more than any other is why I enjoyed Midnight Sun so much.

At the time of my visit they had 14 beers on tap. The variety was mind boggling. Let me walk you through their list (I'll highlight a few of my favorites): Midnight Sun Kolsch, Kodiak Brown Ale, Sockeye Red IPA, Oosik Amber Ale, Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter, Panty Peeler Tripel, Mayhem Belgian Double IPA, Hop Dog Double Wheat IPA, CoHoHo Imperial IPA, Gluttony Triple IPA, 2nd Hand Smoke, The New Black, Pride, and Head Banger.


These beers are from one of several lists on the site. These lists include their Year-round beers, Seasonals, Specialties, Collaborations, a new special series released every year (this year the Pop Ten series, and in past years Crew Brews, Seven Deadly Sins, and Planet Brews) the Obliteration Series, as well as a Commemorative Series.

I was only able to sample six of their 14 options (36 ounces of beer) and for me it was a bit difficult to settle on only six when I'd so many interesting and unique options sitting in front of me. After much deliberation I settled upon these six: (from right to left in the photo) The Panty Peeler Tripel, The New Black Belgian Black Sour, Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter, CoHoHo Imperial IPA, Gluttony Triple IPA, and Second Hand Smoke. All of these beers were excellent but I'll only highlight a few, since this post is growing rather long...

Gluttony Triple IPA: This caught my eye because I had never seen a triple IPA, let alone an IPA with 200 IBU's. Initial flavors were orange marmalade, pine, and bursts of citrus. At 10.5% the mouthfeel was suprisingly light. The beer dissipates nicely on the tongue, and as expected, contains a huge hop presence all the way through. It was not syrupy, not overly resiny, great balance, and has a nice spicy bite. It finishes with a nice lingering hop bitterness. Incredibly well hidden alcohol for 10.5%!
Second Hand Smoke: The idea behind this ale was quite interesting; this fact combined with my love of smoked beers is ultimately why I decided to try it. To brew this beer the brewers used spent grains from a previous smoked beer to produce this one. I like that. And it was a really solid brew. It had a lovely dark tan head. The flavor was sweet, with slight alcoholic notes. The smoke was evident initially, and midway through with a nice roasty finish. Definitely something unique you don't see everyday.
The New Black: The New Black, up until now, is the most incredible beer I have ever tasted. The New Black is a black Belgian-style sour ale, half-aged in Cabernet Savignon barrels, half-aged in Bourbon barrels, with the addition of Black Currants. It is a sour ale, so the yeast strain used to produce this beer is Brettanomyces. The complexity and flavor profile was out of this world; something new each and every sip. Initially the nose is astrigent, sour, hints of red wine and fruit present. Midway through the tangy fruity sourness fades to roastiness. Hints of vanilla and oak, and the finish is all dark and roasty. There was no doubt about it. My favorite beer ever, hands down.
Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter: I had to include this one in here simply because it remains my favorite coffee beer, and you should definitely go try and find a bottle if you enjoy coffee beers.


All in all as I stated before, Midnight Sun was my favorite stop on the Alaska Brewery Tour. The ales and ingenuity really amazed me. If you happen to see their brew in stores, go ahead and buy a bottle and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.


Thanks for reading!

Zach

Stone Brewing Co - Double Arrogant Bastard

Today I am bringing you the review of a beer I have only sampled and until now, had never had the opportunity to purchase. For quite some time now it had been eluding me. It was something I had talked about trying and finally, randomly found a bottle down the street from where I live at a local market: Central Market (which I might add has a great beer selection). The name of this beer is: Double Arrogant Bastard. And it's from Stone Brewing Co. If you've never seen it's younger, smaller, much less aggresive sister (and honestly, this is saying a lot) Arrogant Bastard then you should do yourself a favor and track one down and taste the amazingness that is Arrogant Bastard.

I remember the first time I tasted the Bastard. A friend and I saw it in the store, and after reading the name, decided it sounded like a cool beer and wanted to try it out. We split one in the parking lot of a bowling alley. I remember thinking how awfully disgusting it tasted. That was before I enjoyed beer. And a year or so later I had acquired a taste for the brutally hoppy and brutally strong. Arrogant Bastard achieves this. I can now say that Arrogant Bastard is one of my favorite beers. Reading the back of the bottle I thought it was quite humorous that it reads: "This is an aggresive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth." I think that just entices you to crack one open. But please be forewarned, the words hold true. It is quite aggresive. But I love it. And so if you have tasted the Arrogant Bastard and you know what I am talking about, the only thing left for you to do is track down a Double Arrogant Bastard and give it a taste.

The reverse side of the bottle is quite similar to Arrogant Bastard. Multiple warnings about the potency of this ale, it talks at length about how the majority of America has been brainwashed into thinking that beer advertisements on TV are simply attempts to force their watery thin American lagers into the masses, and that drinking beers like this is attractive, but that these beers are complete shite. And if you enjoy these beers you won't like Double Arrogant Bastard. Highfive to that in my opinion. In any case after picking up the bottle, it sat on my counter for 3 or so days before I decided to crack it open. It sounded like one mother of an ale, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Since I have previously consumed and talked of the amazing Stone Breweing Co I will not do so during this review. Please refer to previous reviews if you feel the need to educate yourself on Stone Brewing. Ok so here we go....



Name: Double Arrogant Bastard
Category/Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 11.2%
IBU: Unknown
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Unknown
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 22 oz

The Pour: Clear, filtered, ruddy reddish brown, orange magenta. Definitely along the lines of a red ale. Head is white and thin, retention is poor. Slight lacing.

The Nose: Initial notes of malty cereal, wheaties, sharp burst of sweetness, is that fruit? Cherry perhaps? Candy sugar, slight hints of orange. Swirling reveals something more, chocolate? A little roasted malt, and slight hint of alcohol (thought it would be more noticeable considering it's 11.2%).

The Taste: Initially bitter, light body disappates on the palate. Really smooth, warming of the mouth nose and throat. Bitter from start to finish. Somewhat malty. High alcohol character comes through here. I'm detecting some caramel toffee-like notes, a little roast and maybe orange peel. Nice hoppy spicy explosion in the mouth. Not overly heavy, which is quite surprising.

The Verdict: It's a huge effing beer. Let me say this first. I had to spread out the consumption over the course of a couple of hours. In my opinion this would be best shared with a friend ;] but if you're daring, you could take it down on your own. Just make you sure you've got something on your stomach. No joking around with this one, it definitely packs a whopper of a punch. All hops and bitterness. The back of the bottle is spot on with this one. It's massive and brutal. But perhaps even overly so. If you can find one, prepare for one hell of a ride :]

Oh and also, I consumed this beer at room temp. If you want to taste the true flavor of a beer this is the best way to do so.



Thanks for reading!

Zach

21st Amendment Brewing Company - Fireside Chat (Yes like FDR)

Hello hello everyone! Here I am, taking a break from writing about the amazing breweries to the north, by throwing in a random brew review. This time from a new brewery and also something I never thought I'd see on here, a beer from a can. And yes you heard me right! I am in fact reviewing a canned beer tonight.

Ok so what gives? A canned beer? Really? I know what you're thinking. Probably you are thinking exactly what I was originally thinking. The classic mindset and general association of cans with cheap beer. And it's easy to see why one would make that association: walking down the beer aisle of your local supermarket, the majority of the cheap, flavorless, watery american lagers, and cheap malt liquor comes in cans. A funny story: while I was traveling in Belgium touring the brewery in Brugges, the woman giving the tour (quite a stern and serious woman) stated quite forcefully, that good beer comes only from bottles, and never from a can. I remember thinking how right she was. So how could it be true that good canned beer actually exists? Good question. Let me attempt to explain.

Are there benefits to storing beer in a can? There certainly are. Most notably by better preventing exposure to heat, oxygen, and light. Beer stored in glass bottles of the dark brown variety are good at preventing exposure to light and the other two varieties, green glass and clear glass are ok, but sit at the bottom of the protection spectrum. Clear and green bottles are more often associated with beer not intended for cellaring (storing for long periods of time). Brown glass is better than green or clear, but purportedly, the can takes the cake for best protection and overall preservation of freshness.

What kinds of beer can I find in cans? Another good question. The varieties are all over the board. You can now find everything from IPA's to winter spiced ales, Coconut Porters to pale ales, and even Imperial Stouts. The truth is, canned beer has every bit of variety one might hope to find from bottles. Obviously the more popular route is the glass bottle, but more breweries are exploring the world of canned beer. There are approximately 30 craft breweries in the US currently distributing beer in cans, and 16 in Canada. To list a few more well-known: Oskar Blues, 21st Amendment, and New Belgium all distribute beer in cans.

Quality canned beer for the time being remains a mystery for most people, and It may take some time before the general public accepts that quality and cans can in fact go hand in hand. It took me a while to branch out and crack open a can of beer. This current sampling tonight, is the 3rd canned beer I've had. And it's true. It is good beer. So I encourage all of you to give it a shot also. Try something new. Find a can of 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer and try it out. Or perhaps a can of Kona Brewing Co's Coconut Porter. Continue with your trend of trying new beers, and reach for a 12 oz can next time, instead of a 22 oz bottle. Ok onto the good stuff!

21st Amendment Brewing Company comes to us from San Francisco, CA and they've been producing beer since 2000. They've won numerous awards and are most well known for distributing their beer in cans. You may have seen these beers in stores: Hell Or High Watermelon Wheat Beer, Brew Free Or Die IPA, Back In Black IPA, Fireside Chat Spiced Winter Ale, Monk's Blood Dark Belgian Ale.



Name: Fireside Chat Spiced Winter Ale
Category/Style: Winter Ale
ABV: 7.9%
IBU: 45
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Spices
Canned: Unknown

The Pour: Deep reddish brown, filtered, head is light brown and thins quickly. Head retention is poor, and lacing is non-existent.

The Nose: Sweet and malty initially, sour acetic acid notes, something heavier, dark roasted chocolate perhaps? Some spice, nutmeg, hints of coffee and cereal. Swirling reveals more depth and layers; a definite earthiness becomes noticeable. Do you think it will taste the same? Let's find out...

The Taste: Initially sweet and roasty, as the nose suggests. Bitterness and spice. Deep earthlike flavors, dirt and moss are predominant. Cinnamon and nutmeg, spicy on the tongue midway through and near the end. A slight roasted finish along with a slight lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel is light, not overcarbonated, not a heavy beer, slight alcoholic notes and warming of my throat. I kind of like this beer a lot. And it definitely got better as I worked my way down the glass.

The Verdict: My first canned winter ale. And a spiced winter ale at that! Really a nice offering. I didn't feel the spice was overpowering as with some spiced ales I've sampled in the past. It was well balanced, had characteristics of a darker heavier ale, but is not a high gravity ale by any means. Very drinkable and very much a nice ale for a cold winters night...makes me want to snuggle up by the fire and have a long conversation :] go try one!



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Homer Brewing Co.

Finally I am getting around to reviewing the southernmost brewery we visited during my visit to Alaska. It's in Homer, AK, and ironically enough, the name of the brewery is Homer Brewing Company, go figure eh? Upon first arrival to the city, the brewery was closed and so we had to wait until the following afternoon to make a visit. We sufficed ourselves to purchasing a growler of Homer Brewing Co's Scotch Ale at a local specialty beer store: The Grog Shop (which I might add, had one hell of a selection for being so seemingly isolated on the Kenai Peninsula). We headed out to the end of Homer Spit (which is where our campsite was) and made a pit stop at the world renowned Salty Dawg Saloon. Since we were looking for Homer Brewing Co beers, we noticed they had a couple available. We both ordered a bottle of Bitter. At first glance I thought they'd be arriving to us in specially designed totally unique bottles, but upon closer inspection it turned out they were using recyled So-be Bottles! Kind of funny and kind of cool at the same time. We ended the night around a campfire composed of driftwood, right on the beach, taking pulls from a growler of locally brewed Red Scotch Ale. Yeah, pretty awesome.

When we woke up the sun had cleared every last bit of fog and for the first time I was able to see the surrounding mountains. Amazingness. We quickly headed into town to get some breakfast at The Caribou Family Restaurant, which to my surprise served something I had never seen before: sourdough pancakes. Delicious. Oh and I also ordered Caribou sausage.


The Brewery: Homer Brewing Company
Location: Homer, AK
Beers on Tap: 5 Regular Handles & 4 Seasonal/Specialty

In any case we were quickly headed off to Homer Brewing Company (which opened at noon). Upon entering the facilities, one quickly realizes how small the operation really is. They operate a 7-barrel system and more or less everything is contained in one small out of the way warehouse. Considering how small Homer is, it is very well hidden, and took Thomas' keen eye to spot it. Walking into the brewery there is a small gift shop, and at the far end is a countertop, where someone was waiting to greet us, and offer us our choice of two complementary samples. They offer a smattering of core brews which include: a pale, bitter, scottish, porter, and an oatmeal stout. Additionally, they offer four seasonal/specialties, which includes, an imperial stout, oktoberfest, barleywine, and celestiale (a belgian style spiced ale).


The brewmaster Steve McCasland was there and we spoke with him at length about the brewery, the history, its' goal, and where it was decidely headed. He explained that they chose the name: Homer Brewing Company, because they wanted it to represent the place they called home. He also explained they had no plans to expand production, they enjoyed being a small operation. He showed us their old and very unique kegs which contained a "bung hole" (and yes I am sure this is where the current present day version originates from) through which he could place a muslin sack with extra hops to dry hop the beer while still in the keg. Their motto is to brew and offer fresh country style ales. And this is exactly what they do. Upon tasting their beer it is apparent that each one tastes exactly like a homebrewed beer. I suppose this is what makes it a unique brewery. They have found their niche and plan to stay put. After all isn't that what life is all about? Figuring out what you want, reaching it, and being happy once you've gotten there?

Back In Action: Alaska Brewery Tour

Yes it's true. I have decided to come out of retirement and post again to my blog. How long has it been? Ah, the last post was supposedly in April. Don't know if I disappointed anyone by failing to continue to post regularly, but in all honesty, I had no idea if people were reading what I was putting out, or if my words fell short and were lost amongst the millions of other blogs floating around cyber space. We'll see if my pageviews and comments pick up after I begin posting regularly. In any case I installed a little analytics (thanks to google), and was able to see how many people viewed my page, and where they were from worldwide. I've had views from people in India, Brazil, UK, Belgium, Germany, Finland, and Spain. Ironic that I know people in each of those places? Perhaps. Only time will tell. And so without further adieu, I am back, and unveiling something completely different and new...

I am currently typing from my good friend: Thomas Schultz's home outside of Anchorage, AK. Something we talked about doing in the past was a brewery tour around Alaska. While at the time it seemed like a distant, unreachable dream, we're actually doing it. And we've the first selection of breweries out of the way. And as a result I am going to attempt to write about them. I have photos. I have tasted all they have to offer. And I have collected what I deem, adequate information in my head. So here we go, the first attempt at writing about a brewery (something I thought I'd be doing much more of when I first began writing in this blog)....


The Brewery: St. Elias Brewing Company
The Location: Soldotna, AK, USA
Beers on Tap: 5 Regular Handles
4 Rotating/Seasonal/Specialty

The brewery itself is located in a rather nondescript location nestled in the trees next to the highway. The patio out back grabs your attention first, and then the large tanks inside the windows.

Upon entering the actual brewery you are met with a lovely interior reminscent of a Belgian Abbey and a large brick wood-fired oven. The bar top is quite nice, overall a very pleasing atmosphere. And as it was sunny, we elected to sit outside. As our waitress asked what we'd like, I immediately selected the sampler, which as I was hoping, included all of their beers. She informed me of two extra beers, a very strong Belgian Style Tripel (Nimbus Belgian Tripel), and the ever popular: Black IPA. I was excited.

In order from right to left: Even Keel Kolsch, The Farmers Friend Rye Ale, Puddle Jumper Pale Ale, Mothers Milk Irish Stout, Williwaw IPA, Hefeweizen, Nimbus Belgian Tripel, Calypso Red Ale, and lastly the Black IPA. It quickly became apparent that they knew how to brew beer here. Working my way through all of the intial lighter bodied ales, I was satisfied with the flavor profiles of each. Of course what I was really after was coming later.

The first beer that caught my attention was the Hefeweizen (German for: Unfiltered Wheat), but as opposed to most american Hefeweizen, this one reminded me more of a Belgian Wit. It was very light, crisp and refreshing. The spice was there and I really enjoyed this (granted one of my all-time favorite beers is Hoegaarden), it reminded me very much of this beer.

The next beer of note was in fact the Calypso Red Ale, which was brewed with tart cherries. Very distinctive in this ale, but not the sole focus. I liked it very much (but please note: I am a huge fan of cherries). I thought this beer was very well balanced and enjoyed the cherry flavor on the finish.

The Belgian Tripel really intrigued me. They used traditional belgian yeast, and purportedly included 100 lbs of Belgian Candy Sugar into each batch. Lots of sugar, lots of alcohol (at 10.75% they weren't joking around with this one). After traveling through western europe, most notably Holland and Belgium, I felt I had a pretty good knowledge of beers from that region. I was admittedly skeptical beforehand, but after smelling the aroma and taking a few sips I was impressed. If I was in europe drinking one of these, I'd have no idea it was brewed in Alaska. A very well done belgian style ale. I enjoyed this one a lot.

The last: the Black IPA (or as it is becoming known: CDA (Cascadian Dark Ale)). I was skeptical with this one as well. Now don't get me wrong, I love dark ales, and I love IPA's, but to combine the two has always been a difficult thing. How do you blend dark chocolate, coffee, and roastiness with the pungency, flavor, and bitterness of an IPA? The task is made more difficult because all of those initial flavors associated with dark ales imparts its' own bitterness into a beer. The Black IPA's I have had in the past have never quite achieved a well balanced beer where each party is equally represented. This one however, did just that, in my opinion at least. Initial is the dark roasty flavors, midway through there is a burst of smoke, and the finish is somehow hoppy and lingering. This is the first Black IPA I have really enjoyed. I love the unique splash of smoke midway through, and was impressed by the great job done by the brewmaster to achieve this.

During this time of beer sampling, the experience was also enhanced by a great menu. Their pizza is all brick oven wood-fired and delicious. They offer lots of options for pizza, sandwiches, large salads, and offer suggestions for beer/food pairings as well. Overall my experience at St. Elias Brewing Co. was an excellent one. I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed sampling the unique and delicious beer. This place gets my stamp of approval :]