Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout by Great Divide Brewing

9.5% ABV April 2018
Beer Advocate score - 3.86/5
Untappd score 3.85/5

20C. Imperial Stout

Look who I found hangin' in the backyard!

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.

Aroma: Sweet malt on the nose that flows into a chocolate aroma laced with a dose of vanilla.   8

Appearance: Roasty black darkness that of a fine coffee. Has a milk chocolate head that last for days. Quite a bit of lacing.  8

Flavor: Upfront is of bitter chocolate that gives way to sweet malt and an Oak wood flavor w a good dose of vanilla. A bitter roastiness to balance it out at the end.  8

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with medium carbonation. Definitely a sipper.  8

Overall: I have had the regular Yeti by Great Divide. While that is a solid brew, the oak aged version is definitely better. It has a balance to it that makes you want to sip it all day long. Not a good idea, as it is quite high in the ABV, but I wouldn't tell if one decided to do it. No judgement here.  The flavor profile makes this a nice fall/winter warmer.  8

Matt's mark: 4/5

It seems like I am always doing something in the brewing world. This weekend, I needed to get my blackberry wine bottled (24 bottles, some for drinking and some for aging... if the missus allows anyway) and also wanted to get a squash brew in. I love squash brews and didn't want to be left out of the making of one. I am partial to the Blue Hubbard and decided to use this variety for my brew. It is a brown ale base with cardamom pods, nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Heavier on the cardamom pods for a unique take on a squash brew. I am bouncing around with a few names for it but I am leaning towards "My Boy Blue Hubbard Ale" (a nod to the movie Old School). As for the Oak Aged Yeti, my score is higher than both Beer Advocate and Untappd. Not by much, so I don't think I would pull the score higher than what it is. This beer is perfect for sipping while brewing. You wanna take your time with this one because the flavors get more intense the warmer it gets. It is sooo yummy. This weekend as a whole was a nice diversion to the hard to watch Oregon Duck football game... the worst road team in the Pac-12. Now it's time to finish of the Yeti and take my honey out to dinner for a well deserved date night.

Claim 52 Brewing Kolsch

I can't take credit for this picture.

15 IBU 5.2% ABV
Beer Advocate score - 3.73/5
Untappd score 3.63/5

5B. Kölsch

A clean, crisp, delicately-balanced beer usually with a very subtle fruit and hop character. Subdued maltiness throughout leads into a pleasantly well-attenuated and refreshing finish. Freshness makes a huge difference with this beer, as the delicate character can fade quickly with age. Brilliant clarity is characteristic.

Aroma: Slightly floral and citrus notes. Mild herbal notes. Fresh.   7

Appearance: A Clear, bright golden straw color with little to no haze. White head with little lacing.  8

Flavor: Nice clean mild malt flavor with a touch of lemon/herbal notes. Smooth low bitterness on the back end. Overall well balanced.   7.5

Mouthfeel: Light and fresh with low carbonation. Crisp and dry. Smooth and refreshing on a warm autumn afternoon.   8

Overall: I can see why Claim 52 has made their Kolsch a flagship brew. Totally tasty and refreshing. All the flavors are quite delicate and well balanced. I am actually surprised I have never had it before. Well, not really. They do have an extensive list of IPA offerings. I highly recommend the Kolsch if you want something different from the rest of their menu. 7.65

Matt's mark: 3.82/5

It was a full weekend for me. One of my friends/co-workers had his last day at work and the crew and I headed over to our favorite "safety meeting" location to help send him off with a couple of brews. A sad day for us but necessary for him and his career. Then later on that night, another good friend of mine and I headed over to the Claim 52 Kitchen for good food and beer. Alas, I forgot to take pictures of the new establishment, but, I assure you, it has a nice inviting atmosphere and a pretty nice menu to choose from. They have an extensive list of IPA's and a few sours if you're into that sort of thing. I recommend their Westside IPA, a solid offering of which I filled my growler with for the after party back at the apartment. The next day, I said my goodbyes to one friend and hopped next door to spend time with my ex co-worker/friend. Yes, they are literally neighbors. After spending all day and night playing games on something called "Jackbox", eating a decent amount of hot wings and drinking copious amounts of hard cider, I crashed. Overall, for a sports fan like me, it was a great distraction from the Oregon Duck game. Which, from what I gather, was not a great game to watch if you are a Duck fan. Oh well, better luck next time. On the way home, I picked up some nice, juicy bone in New York steaks and starting feeling all was well with world once more. After all, my wife (whom I hadn't seen for a couple days) was waiting for me on the couch with a good book (hence the picture with books in the background), a beer from Claim 52 was on the docket and lovely steaks was for dinner. A good end to a nice weekend.

Sky High Brewing Freewheel IPA

77 IBU 7% ABV
Beer Advocate score - 3.65/5
Untappd score 3.62/5

21A. American IPA

A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale, showcasing modern American or New World hop varieties. The balance is hopforward, with a clean fermentation profile, dryish finish, and clean, supporting malt allowing a creative range of hop character to shine through.

Aroma: Smell of tangerine and orange blossoms with piny, resinous notes from the hops used. A sticky sweet aroma.  7.5

Appearance: A clear, burnt orange color with a solid head retention and medium lacing. Other than reminding me of the Texas Longhorns, a nice visual.  8

Flavor: Sweet citrus up front that quickly dissipates to a nicely balance bitter floral note. A tiny bit a pine detected. Nicely done.    7.5

Mouthfeel: Light and crisp with decent amount of carbonation. I transported it in a crowler so the carbonation is probably a bit livelier if it were coming from a bottle.   8

Overall: Sky High brewing out of Corvallis, Oregon did a solid job with this brew. It is a typical NW style of the American IPA that does a good job of mixing in both floral aromas and the bitterness of the style. Definitely a nice cap to a warm autumn afternoon. Nice job Sky High! 7.75

Matt's mark: 3.88/5

It was a beautiful weekend. My wife and I (mostly the missus) needed to get out of the house for some well deserved R&R. So, of course, we didn't even leave town. The nearest hot tub was all that was needed and so we booked a room at the Village Green Resort here

in our hometown. A beautiful place with beautiful gardens, a restaurant on site and, of course, the hot tub (also a pool but who's kidding whom, it was all about the hot tub). While the missus was relaxing in the hot tub, I was in the bar/lounge watching an excellent game between Oregon and Washington (while drinking a few local brewski's), two excellent programs that absolutely hate each other. It's no joke, us Oregon fans hate the Huskies even more than our little brother, the Oregon State Beavers. We even refer to the week leading up to the big game as "hate week". It's a thing, totally a thing. AND WE WON! IN OVERTIME! Oh the exhilaration! Afterwards, I joined my lovely wife in the hot tub. It was a glorious day. The next day, we packed up and headed up to Corvallis to have lunch with our gorgeous daughter that is now out of the house and in college (it still seems weird saying that). Of course, no one knew where to go, so I suggested the local brewpub Sky High. They definitely are Sky High. The building itself is four stories high and the restaurant is located on the fourth floor, a unique setting. The food is great and the beer even better. I highly recommend if you are in the area. Of Course I had flight to taste the menagerie of beers that are available...all of which were solid. They didn't sell bottles of beer so I came
home with a crowler of the Freewheel IPA, the most popular beer they have according to our server. After eating and saying our goodbyes, we headed home. My wife turned on Doctor Who re-runs and I bottled my braggot...and, of course, had my crowler of beer. Both Beer Advocate and Untappd had a score pretty much the same. I was a little higher...probably because I had such a good weekend. Or my taste buds are way better than everyone else's...that's probably not it. I am not that arrogant.

Epic Brewing Imperial Pumpkin Porter

8.4% ABV Release #38
Beer Advocate score - 3.82/5
Untappd score 3.93/5

30B. Autumn Seasonal Beer

An amber to copper, spiced beer that often has a moderately rich body and slightly warming finish suggesting a good accompaniment for the cool fall season, and often evocative of Thanksgiving traditions. (Disclaimer: This also could be classified as 30C. Winter Seasonal Beer as they are darker and more full bodied, like the beer being reviewed. But the pumpkin is autumn, therefore, I will grade on how I like it and less about how it compares to the class.)

For this beer, I went back to one of my old haunts (I worked in the meat department)... The M.O.C., otherwise known as the Market of Choice. As the name touts, they do have a large selection of many different kinds of produce and goods...and also beer...many different varieties and brands of beer. There is so much variety, it's like walking into another bottle shop. The clientele is a little pretentious, so I don't go often. But when I do, I am usually not disappointed. Now on to the review!

Aroma: On the nose you can detect the roasted malts. It definitely has a strong chocolate smell with traces of nutmeg, clove and sweet vanilla.  8.7

Appearance: Dark with a head the color of cream when it hits a nice cup of coffee. The head is persistent and dissipates with medium lacing.  8.5

Flavor: Roasted maltiness that gives way to bittersweet chocolate. Of course I detect all the essential spices of a pumpkin beer; nutmeg, vanilla and the slight trace of clove.    8.4

Mouthfeel: Creamy texture with light carbonation and a full body. A smooth finish. A nice sipping drink that warms a little.  8.5

Overall: I like a good pumpkin beer and this is a good pumpkin beer. It had all the flavors you look for and it has a high ABV. The pumpkin was not detectable in this brew but it did lend to the creaminess of the beer. The varying spices that usually comes with a pumpkin brew were there and weren't overpowering, lending to nice roundness to the over arching theme. Solid and will buy again. 8.5

Matt's mark: 4.26/5

The calendar turned to October, so obviously I was going to buy a pumpkin beer. I always turn to this feeling when the temperature phases from the heat of summer to the briskness of autumn. Pumpkin beers, in my humble opinion, get you ready for the cold season to come by providing a little warmth via spices and high alcohol content. My scores were quite a bit higher than Beer advocated and Untappd. I am not sure why, maybe I just like pumpkin beers a tad bit more than the usual beer drinker. I am biased at this time of year. Also, I am in a particularly good mood since I finished my porch bench (featured in the picture) and my training for my next race (a half marathon) is going fairly well. Now, I must attempt cooking...which is going to be difficult as I am highly intoxicated. See ya next week!