Ommegang 2015 Belgian Independence Day Dry-Hopped Tripel Ale (6/10)

Each year, Brewery Ommegang produces a beer honoring Belgian Independence Day.  The style of beer differs each year and (so far) isn't repeated.  For July 21, 2015, Ommegang decided to dry-hop a Belgian Tripel with Mandarina Bavaria hops.

2015 Belgian Independence Day pours a slightly hazy gold color with thick beige head that doesn't last long.

As we would expect for a dry-hopped beer, the aroma is hoppy and mildly fruity.

The flavor is a bit bitter for a Tripel, so much so that it takes away from the other great flavors of the Tripel.  I would imagine that fans of pale ales and IPAs would find this beer more pleasant than other Belgian Tripels because of the added hops bitterness.

RateBeer gives 2015 Independence Day Dry-Hopped Tripel a 97 overall.  Beer Advocate gives it a 91 or "outstanding" rating.

DuClaw's Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter (6/10)

DuClaw Brewing Co. of Baltimore, Maryland, makes Sweet Baby Jesus.  This is a peanut butter flavored porter, described on the label as "A classic, full-bodied robust porter with a smooth,  dry finish and just enough hops to balance aromas and flavors of roasted malt, chocolate, and peanut butter."  The bottle pictured here is the third time I've had the beer.  Once was at a beer event.  The second time at a restaurant where it was the only craft beer choice that wasn't an IPA.  So I think I have a pretty fair and accurate picture of Sweet Baby Jesus across time, draft vs. bottle and place.

The beer pours a pitch black color with thin medium brown head that doesn't last long or leave behind any lacing.

The aroma is a mix of peanut butter and roasted grain, with hints of coffee and chocolate.  It smells as much like a dessert as anything.  It puts me in mind of a Snickers pie or some kind of mocha peanut butter dessert.  A+ to DuClaw on the aroma.  They nailed that!

The flavor starts very malty, with no hint of hops, chocolate, coffee, or peanut butter.  In that instant, it's almost like DuClaw pulled the rug out from under you because nothing from the aroma appears in the initial taste.  After that surprise wears off, roasted malt, a hint of chocolate, a touch of peanut butter, and a well-balanced hops bitterness swells up.  There's a kind of sourness that I get in most porters that is more subdued here, perhaps hiding behind that swirl of powerful flavors.  The finish is bitter, kind of a mix of coffee and hops, and lingers quite a while.

Bear in mind as you read this that I fell out of love with porters a while ago.  They were probably favorite beer at one point.  I brewed a few before once day realizing I just didn't like them much anymore.  Even today, it's a style that I "don't mind" but can't say that I love.

Given that warning, it's probably no surprise that my rating for this beer is a 6 out of 10.  The aroma's a clear 10 out of 10.  If I ever brewed something that smelled that great, I'd be proud.  While I love the aroma, the base beer is primarily a porter.  A good porter, to be sure.  I like it, and I want to love it, but I just don't.  I don't think it's the beer's fault, or DuClaw's.  I think it's just not the beer for me.

That said, Beer Advocate rates Sweet Baby Jesus a 70 to an 85.  Honestly, I think I'd easily rate this a 7 or 8 out of 10 if I wasn't burnt out on porters.  Rate Beer gives it a 93 overall, which seems pretty high to me.  It's a good beer, but I'm not quite sure it warrants a 93 out of 100.

If you want to try this one for yourself, I found this bottle at the Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington, but I've seen it at other Giant Eagle locations and on draft at a variety of restaurants, such as Pizza House near Morse Road.

Vliegende Paard Brouwers Prearis Quadrupel (7/10)

Long-time readers of this blog won't be surprised to know that I'm a long-time fan of Belgian beer styles. Of those, the Quadrupel is probably my favorite.  I love the malty richness, the complexity of the fruit and spice flavors, the mild hops bitterness, and amazing aromas.  When I encounter a new Quad while I'm out browsing craft beer shops, I'm always interested.

While visiting The Andersons General Store back in August 2015, I encountered a few bottles of Prearis Quadrupel.  Prearis is made by Vliegende Paard Brouwers of Oedelem, Belgium, so it's a true Belgian quad.  It won a "best craft beer" award in Belgium in 2011.

Prearis Quadrupel pours a hazy mahogany with a thick beige head that looks like a milkshake and lasts quite a while.

The aroma is malty, with an enticing mix of leather, noble hops, and dark fruit in it.

Peaeris Quad's flavor is a balance of malt, hops, a boozy warmth, and mild dark fruit flavors.  Compared to many Belgian quadrupels, it's a bit more dry and bitter.  Because I prefer my quadrupels to be slightly sweet with a balanced or subdued bitterness, I don't like this one nearly as much as many others I've had.  I'd still consider it a good quad, it's just not my favorite.  I much prefer Weyerbacher Quad, Ommegang Three Philosophers, or a number of others which are more to my taste. By comparison, Ommegang's Three Philosophers is rated at 19 IBUs (BU:GU of 0.21) versus 50 IBUs for Pearis Quadrupel (and an estimated BU:GU of about 0.52).  For that reason, I'm rating it a 7 out of 10.  When I've had it on draft, it's more like an 8, especially as it warms and the bitterness subsides a bit.

Beer Advocate rates it an 86 or "very good" while RateBeer gives it a 94 overall.

I've only seen this in bottles at The Andersons General Store near Sawmill Road.  It was on draft at The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road for a while, but I believe it's long-gone from there now.

Rogue Farms Honey Kolsch (7/10)

Rogue Ales of Oregon has been producing craft beer since the late 1980s.  Their product line has expanded over the years to include mead, cider, sodas, distilled spirits, and a very wide variety of beers.  Rogue's beers are generally known for being hop-forward and unusual.

Their Honey Kolsch is brewed with malt grown on their own farm and honey from their own hives - along with a variety of ingredients from other sources.

Honey Kolsch pours a hazy yellow with thick white head that lasts a while as a thin disc on top of the beer.

The aroma is a mix of what seems to be noble hops and honey.

Flavor is a fairly balanced mix of citrus, honey, and hops bitterness. There is a slight imbalance toward hops, expected for a Rogue Ale product.  Finish is mildly bitter and lingering.

All things considered, it's a nice Kolsch.  The addition of honey offsets to a degree the typical hop-forward nature of a Rogue brew.  I'm giving it a 7 out of 10.  Beer Advocate rates it an 84 or "good" and RateBeer gives it a 70 overall.

The Rogue web site says it's a 5% alcohol by volume beer with 26 IBUs of bitterness and a 12 Plato starting gravity (1.048 SG). This makes the beer's BU:GU ratio 26:48 or approximately 0.54.

I found this particular bottle at The Andersons General Store near Sawmill Road, and have also seen it at Kenny Road Market when in season.