E Nine Brewery Selcouth Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

7.0% ABV - Batch No. 1
Beer Advocate score - 4/5 (1 review)
Untappd score 3.88/5

25B. Saison

Most commonly, a pale, refreshing, highly-attenuated, moderately-bitter, moderate-strength Belgian ale with a very dry finish. Typically highly carbonated, and using non-barley cereal grains and optional spices for complexity, as complements the expressive yeast character that is fruity, spicy, and not overly phenolic. Less common variations include both lower-alcohol and higher-alcohol products, as well as darker versions with additional malt character.

In my never ending quest to find new places that sell loads of different kinds of beer, my pursuit brought me to a whole in the wall place called 16 Tons. It's a place you can find a plethora of ever revolving beers to enjoy on premise or take home for the comfort of your own couch or favorite chair. Per square inch, this place has more brands of beer than any other place I have been to. They use there space wisely my friends. This week, I came across E Nine Brewery. They tout to be the first craft brewery in Tacoma, Washington located in an old engine house built in 1907. Sounds pretty cool, I might force my wife to go someday. The brew is called Selcouth, which is a barrel aged farmhouse ale. On to the review!


Aroma: To me, it smells of soft fruit, like an apple or maybe a pear. I also detect a little bit of spice... coriander possibly? I don't detect a big hop aroma, just enough to let you know they used it.    7

Appearance: The color is hazy golden color, which is expected from a Saison (farmhouse ale in American lingo). It also has a nice foamy white head that lasts for quite a long time. When it dissipates, the lacing is what you would expect from a Saison.  8

Flavor: At first sip, I was surprised. It was a sour fruity flavor of apple. I was not expecting the sourness of the brew. It did have a spiciness on the back end that gave way to a slight resinous hop bitterness.  7

Mouthfeel: The brew comes through as a light feel to it. It definitely leaves a crisp and dry feeling. Bubbly, very bubbly.  7

Overall: To be honest, when I picked out this brew, I was not expecting it to have a sour taste to it. It's not a bad thing as I like a good sour... but not from a farmhouse ale. If it were just a tad bit more sweet this brew would be more to my liking from a saison. Not a bad brew but not what I was expecting from it.  7.25

Matt's mark: 3.63/5

Today, I finished my project that I tasked to myself to do. I made my bench! Well, it's not totally complete... it still needs legs. But that is easily remedied by a trip to the Home Depot where I can buy galvanized piping... so I am not worried. After completing a project, I like to finish off the day with a nice brew. Although the brew was not what I was expecting, it was still good and might have scored a little higher (around the Untappd score probably). When I say might, I definitely mean it would have as I like a good sour. If I were expecting a sour, this would have been a good sour. But as everything in this world, the mood that you are in has a overriding factor that creates a bias. Count this as bias created. If you are in the mood for a sour, I recommend the Selcouth. If you want a true farmhouse ale, try something else, like the Colette from Great Divide, one of my all time favorite breweries.

Update! Unfortunately, I was not able to capture a yeast strain from the pear tree in the backyard. I did, however, have a neat science experiment going and did capture a fungus or bacteria! Not worth the money I spent on it though. I will try again, oh yes, I will try again.

Coldfire Bourbon Council Imperial Stout

10.5% ABV Bottled Spring 2018
Beer Advocate score - 4.33/5
Untappd score 4.2/5

20C. Imperial Stout

An intensely-flavored, big, dark ale with a wide range of flavor balances and regional interpretations. Roasty-burnt malt with deep dark or dried fruit flavors, and a warming, bittersweet finish. Despite the intense flavors, the components need to meld together to create a complex, harmonious beer, not a hot mess.

As you recall from last week, I bought two bottles of beer at the Bier Stein. This is that bottle, this is that review. An Imperial Stout aged in a mixture of Bourbon barrels for up to 2 years... uh, yes please!

Aroma: Definitely cocoa, coffee and bourbon on the nose. Layered behind the dark, roast malt at the forefront. I started to drool a little.  9.25

Appearance: Nice darkness to this brew. Like a cup of full bodied coffee. Medium creamy tan head with medium lacing.  9

Flavor: Tastes just as good as it smells. Slightly sweet dark roasted malt on the first sip with layers of cocoa, coffee, vanilla and some oaky bourboness at the back end.    9.3

Mouthfeel: Creamy texture with light carbonation and a full body. A smooth finish. A nice sipping drink that warms a little.  9

Overall: Uh, I need to buy more of this stuff. It was just perfect. Well, not perfect as anything can be improved upon. But I don't know how you would do it on this one. Good job, Coldfire. Good job.  9.15

Matt's mark: 4.57/5

This was the perfect beer to go along with the busy, crazy and weird weekend. Busy in that I bottled a blueberry wine, a blackberry port and brewed another batch of my wife's favorite beer (while still working on the porch bench). The crazy was from the wild finish of the Oregon football game... I am still hurting inside from that one. As my older brother said, "they weren't fumbles, they were tragedies and mortal sins." Couldn't agree more. Catching defeat from the clutches of victory. And finally, weird. Our daughter moved out for college this weekend. What the hell!? Am I really that old? To cope, my wife and I watched two movies... the 2nd and 3rd installment of the Twilight series... yes, you read that right, no judging. The movies are actually tolerable when you have consumed a large, high ABV beer. Like I said, no judging.

Block 15 Brewing Company Golden Ticket

10.75% ABV Bottled January 2018
Beer Advocate score - 3.96/5 (1 review)
Untappd score 4.12/5

22C. American Barleywine

A well-hopped American interpretation of the richest and strongest of the English ales. The hop character should be evident throughout, but does not have to be unbalanced. The alcohol strength and hop bitterness often combine to leave a very long finish.

This week, I was feeling extra rich. I garnered some extra money by putting my asthma to work which allowed me to splurge a little on this weeks (and next weeks) brew. As you recall from last week, The Bier Stein is the best place to go when one wants to splurge, so that is where I headed. Man o man was it tough to decide on just one bottle to buy... so I bought two! This weeks review is a Golden American Barleywine matured in Cognac Barrels. Definitely drool worthy, am I right? On to the review!

Aroma: Little to no hop aroma. First whiff is honey with a little fruit, possibly fig and raisin. I detect a little bit of a sweet booziness (obviously).  8.50

Appearance: A lovely clear copper. The creamy white head quickly dissipates, leaving a little lacing.  8.50

Flavor: A little bit of orange at the forefront, possibly from the hops that were used. The Orange gives way to a nice sweet honey and a hint of vanilla. A little bit of burnt sugar/caramel at the back end that trails of with some booziness (obviously).  9

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation with a medium-heavy body. A smooth finish. Surprisingly drinkable for the high ABV.  8.25

Overall: I've had a few brews from Block 15 but none of them have compared to this one. With such a high ABV, I would not expect it to be so balanced. All the flavors go so well together and it goes down really easy. If I had more than one bottle of this, I could easily drink another one. Dangerous stuff.  8.5

Matt's mark: 4.28/5

Today I started a new project. The job tasked to me is making an imperfect bench for the imperfect front porch, which I built a few years ago, in the front of the house. I love to build things even though the projects never go as planned. If there is one thing wood working has taught me it's that I am definitely not a carpenter. But the feeling of accomplishment is not matched by anything else... except maybe pushing my body to its limits and finishing with a high ABV beer. Which is what I did today! What a coincidence! Not the pushing my body to its limits part of course. Apparently, the Beer Advocate crowd has not caught wind of this spectacular brew as there has only been on review... and it was a little low. Really? Not even a 4/5? Psshh. The Untappd crowd though, they know what they are talking about. Myself, let's face it, I had to try extra hard to find faults with this brew so I wouldn't give it a 5... no beer is perfect... except the brews I make... I kid, I kid. Okay, I better stop now 'cause it's getting hard to type as I can't feel my fingers anymore... or my brain. Wait, are you suppose to feel your brain? Whew!

Stickmen Brewing Company Red Kit NW Red Ale

76 IBU 7.0% ABV
Beer Advocate score - n/a
Untappd score 3.67/5

22B. American Strong Ale

A strong, full-flavored American ale that challenges and rewards the palate with full malty and hoppy flavors and substantial bitterness. The flavors are bold but complementary, and are stronger and richer than average strength pale and amber American ales.

For this weeks brew, I hopped over to The Beir Stein Bottle Shop & Pub, an Institution in Eugene, Oregon since opening in July of 2005.  This is the place where I go to stand in awe of all the beers that are available to drool over and every body present understands all the feelings rushing through your body and leaves you alone. If I am feeling extra rich, I will splurge and buy a nice, expensive bottle to bring home. This time, I reached for a middle of the road $7 bottle from a brewery I had never heard of... Stickmen Brewing Company's Red Kit. I just love NW Red Ales. Don't you? On to the scores!


Aroma: Hop forward with a nice grapefruit presence. Slightly sweet on the back end.  7.9

Appearance: Nice dark red, hazy brew with a thick foamy, creamy, persistent head tinted with a little red from the brew itself.  7.8

Flavor: Citrusy hoppiness at the forefront that give way to a slightly sweet biscuit maltiness. The hops drive through to lend a bit of a bitter aftertaste.  8.1

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and lingers slightly. Not under-carbonated but could have a little more.  7.5

Overall: From a brewery I had never heard of before, this was a solid offering. If this is an indication of what I can expect from their brews, I'm all for it. Red Kit is a nicely balanced, hop forward beer that will keep you coming back for more. The slightly sweet biscuit reminds me of an autumn evening right before the chill sets in. Definitely a must for this time of the year.  7.8

Matt's mark: 3.91/5

This weekend was all about inspiration in the kitchen (as well as Duck football per usual). My lovely wife has been canning and roasting tomatoes all week (I am pretty sure this is why she is sick this weekend). We had so many tomatoes, I decided to spend some time making a yummy dinner... and also do some pickling (not tomatoes 'cause that would be gross, cucumbers from the in-laws garden) which is a first for me. On top of that, I decided to try and capture my own yeast from the pear tree in the backyard (the jury is still out on that one; update next week). I stewed tomatoes with herbs from the garden to make a wonderful sauce for Spanish rice, boiled and then roasted mini golden potatoes and then cooked chicken thighs with herbs and grapefruit... I must admit, I outdid my usual performance in the kitchen. Even my teenage, first year of college, daughter liked it. In between all this, I managed to drink the Red Kit. It's quite unusual to come across a beer that is not scored on beer advocate but I am pretty sure the drinkers from Untappd have no clue what they are talking about. Really? A 3.67? That is waaaaay to low. If you are in the Tualatin, Oregon area (basically Portland), I highly recommend you stop by and grab a brew. If you can't make it, request your local bottle shop to carry it. Delicious!

Traquair House Ale Scotch Ale "Wee Heavy"

-- IBU 7.2% ABV
Beer Advocate  - 4.16/5
Untappd - 3.7/5

BJCP Category - 17C. Wee Heavy

Rich, malty, dextrinous, and usually caramel-sweet, these beers can give an impression that is suggestive of a dessert. Complex secondary malt and alcohol flavors prevent a one-dimensional quality. Strength and maltiness can vary, but should not be cloying or syrupy.

This weekend was all about friends, family and the opening weekend of football. It was a weekend of good talks, hanging with the nieces and nephew in from New York and, of course, watching football with my NY brother. On game-day (Saturday of course), I had the opportunity to take my older brother out to a Oregon Duck game. He hadn't been to a game since 2007, after watching Dennis Dixon going down with a torn ACL (I still say we would have won the title that year). But before the game, you have to eat, right? I decided to take him to a local brewery that I had not been to, Elk Horn Brewery. Boy was it a good decision. The Reuben was great and the Boggy Boon Hazelnut Stout was even better. My brother had the Windigo Chocolate Coconut Stout and it went down easy as well. I was tempted to do a review on an Elk Horn beer but, alas, they don't bottle their beer. Afterwards was a walk through the UofO campus and tailgating at Autzen Stadium. An acquaintance (Shelby and Kyle) from a premium college football recruiting website for the Oregon Ducks called Scoopduck ( I highly recommend), has an open invite to all fellow Scoopduckers. After many vodka jell-o shots, watching the Fuskies lose to Auburn and making new friends, it was time to find our seats and watch the game (which the Ducks won 58-24).

The next day, a buddy from work and his wife were coming down to hang and eat good food. My buddy and I left our significant others to do some artsy stuff (which, come to find out, didn't happen) and headed down to my favorite watering hole, The Coast Fork Brewstation. The Brewstation has a great variety of brews on tap, which always makes for a tough choice. So, we both decided to get a flight to go along with our food. I had a delicious Tuna Salad sandwich which went great with the all the tasty beers. My favorite ended up being the Crux Peach Farmhouse Saison...which I also had a pint of afterwards to wash down the huge sandwich (not pictured).  Before we made the short walk back to my home, I decided to check out the refrigerated case. Lo and behold, I found a delicious looking beer to do my brew review on. Then we were off for many hours of fun conversing and even more food cooked on the grill. I tell you what, I felt like I rolled to bed that night. Too much good eats to say no to. It's a problem that I always have. It's a damn good thing that I run, otherwise I wouldn't just have a beer gut, I would have a spare tire as well. I got to say, this was a nice and full weekend. On to the beer review!

Aroma: Roasted malts, caramel, toffee and a little raisin. A little bit of pleasant smoky peat.  8.25

Appearance: A rich, toffee color with clear appearance. Thin rim of lacing when the white head quickly recedes.  8.75

Flavor: A nice malty sweetness that could last for days. Tastes like burnt sugar/toffee on the forefront with hints of smoky peat and a little woodsy vanilla from the oak on the back end.  9.25  

Mouthfeel: Medium mouth feel, with low to medium carbonation.  8.25

Overall: The overall complexity of this beer is awesome. A nice example of the style. It's heaviness gets you in the mood for autumn, which is great since it is right around the corner.  I have always liked Scotch style Ales and in Scottish fashion, the smoky peat is a nice touch to the style. For the price ($6.99) it's not a bad option for some sipping in the colder days to come.  9

Matt's mark: 4.35/5 

I decided on this beer mainly because the label looked so enticing. At first, I had no idea what kind of beer it was, but the description alone was very intriguing. A handmade Ale Brewed in the ancient Brew House of the Oldest inhabited House of Scotland. What's not to like about that? It goes on to say that it is brewed in a 1738 copper kettle and fermented in oak vessels... I don't know how you could turn that down. So I didn't. And it was a great treat after a day of picking yet more blackberries to be turned into a yummy blackberry port. You have to take the Untappd score with a grain of salt. I mean, only six beer drinkers had rated it (possibly because it's not that easy to find) but Beer Advocate gave it a solid score. Of course, this type of beer is a gateway beer to the darker stuff and therefore I scored it accordingly.