-Reviewed- Bourbon County Stout

 I drink, therefore I am. I believe someone famous wrote that. Wait, that's not right, it's "I think", therefore I am. Anyway, in philosophy it's supposed to prove one's existence or something like that. The experience of enjoying good beer might also prove one's existence I would say, wouldn't you? One of the BEST of said great beers, and one of my favorite varieties, are the bourbon barrel aged beers. These can be such a sublime experience that if you've never had a bourbon barrel aged beer before, be sure to place the one I am about to review on your "bucket-list" -one to try before you die!

Goose Island produces some damn fine beers. And there are certain breweries that just happen to produce the best beers in their category. Take for example, the Double/Imperial IPA category. Beers such as Rajah's Royal IPA, by Harmon Brewing in Tacoma, WA., Stone Brewing's 10th Anniversary Ale, or Ballast Point's Dorado (this one sadly is no longer being produced).

Or in the case of what I am reviewing this time, not just a Stout, but perhaps the very best Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout of all time... the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. This is one of my "holy grail" beers. As in, "stranded on a desert island where you can have any beer(s) you want to help you survive", beers. I'd definitely have this along with a few select others.

The Bourbon County Stout begins in a typical, unassuming 12oz bottle with a plain white label and fine print -nothing that hints of the wonderful boozy treat inside. And I do mean BOOZY. But we'll come back to that later. However, it's the "print" on the label that does forecast the "perfect storm" waiting for you inside this bottle. A storm of wonderful complex aromas, flavors, and consistency. Yet there's no chaos in this storm. Everything is layered in perfect harmony with each other. (I only use the term "storm" because of how powerful this is, and how MUCH there is to savor!)

This sublimely viscous liquid pours "black" into my small Delirium Tremens snifter. The perfect glass for a beer so close to a fine brandy in many ways that it's surprising. Black as obsidian and completely opaque. I even tested this by holding my glass right up to a very bright halogen lamp and could not detect any other color whatsoever. An interesting note: Even with an aggressive pour there is very little carbonation or head to speak of. The tiniest lacing is left on the glass only when tipped for a sip, and then disappears immediately. What remains is the thinnest ring of extremely fine bubbles around the inside of the glass.

Taking a step or two back, when poured there is also a very noticeable "boozy" aroma that makes itself know well before I even get the glass close to my nose for that phase of the tasting. Which of course hints at what's coming next. Upon closing the eyes and taking a slow, steady, and long draw through the nose in the glass I am greeted by a sickly, but not at all unpleasant "sweetness" that gives way to layer upon layer of intense aromas. Among these are hints of vanilla, malt, burnt wood, caramel/toffee/popcorn -like Cracker Jack, a slight touch of cocoa that reminds me of Cocoa Puffs cereal for some reason, and bourbon. Oh yes, the bourbon! The Grand Patriarch of this family of aromas which makes himself know to you at any and all times. But this is a good thing!

Folks, to say this is a strong beer is an understatement. Upon tasting, bubbles miraculously appear and begin to gently scrub your tongue. The mouth feel is rich, thick, creamy, and viscous. An explosion of similar flavors to what the nose experienced fill my mouth, but with one very important addition. Alcohol. There it is. When smelling this beer you don't really "smell" the alcohol -per se, but the booziness character does give the brain a "heads-up" of what's to come when tasting it. The alcohol is very warming -weighing in at a whopping 13% and not at all hidden. But therein lies the paradox: As much as the alcohol is right up in your face, it's somehow not only tolerable, but you can't help but get the sensation that it BELONGS there! Oh, my God this is good.

To sum this up in two words... Boozy beer. The experience is closest to enjoying an excellent aged brandy, and in other ways somewhat akin to a fine, 30 year old Scotch such as a Highland Park, Glenfiddich, or Ballantine's, but with a "sweet, syrupy edge" to it that makes it soooo quaffable. Yes, this IS beer, but you have to keep reminding yourself of that fact.

If I were ever to have an opportunity to have a master brewer craft a few special beers to my exact specifications and tastes, this would be one of them. And yet, here it is! Gotta give this one a 10 out of 10 bottles!

Clam Chowder!

I grew up in Lakewood, Washington (just South of Tacoma). Right on the Puget Sound -best place on earth to get the freshest seafood, both fresh and salt water varieties. And also the best place to find KILLER clam chowder. New England style. (BTW: I love really good Manhattan style chowder also)

Back in the late 80's/early 90s, there used to be a place in the town of Steilacoom called "The Forge", which was a small hole-in-the-wall deli that offered the "holy grail" of New England clam chowder. And I believe the key is that they did it consistently. I've heard some chefs say excellent clam chowder is a fluke and difficult to reproduce again and again. If you can do it, you've got a "best kept secret".

But not only did the Forge do it consistently, but they made a chowder that put hair on your chest and literally made you close your eyes and savor it! "Delicious" was an understatement. This chowder was so thick that if you stood a metal spoon up in your bowl it would remain standing indefinitely. This was chowder that had abundantly large pieces of clams -along with the occasional whole clam, potatoes cut just the right size and cooked to the perfect consistency. And creamy and buttery, but too much so, with a blend of spices that defied description. All came together to make lunch at the Forge a Friday a ritual with a group of close friends that included an equally killer "Roast Beast" sandwich (or ham, or whatever your favorite), followed by a short trip to Fort Steilacoom park to share a bowl of legendary Pacific Northwest killer greenbud to cap off the perfect meal. Religiously, every Friday for several years. Ahhhh, those were the days.

Then the Forge closed and sadly like many other good things in life, chowder Fridays came to an end. Now life is very different. Today I am married and have a child, I own a computer consulting business servicing all of San Gabriel Valley, and I own my own home- pretty much sums up the American dream. But one thing hasn't changed: my love and quest for the best clam chowder on earth.

Then, many years later, I thought I found it again. Three times, actually. First in Santa Barbara there is a rather high-end restaurant called the "Rusty Pelican". They serve a very good New England chowder that even though wasn't nearly the same as the Forge's chowder (which by the way still stands as the benchmark for the ultimate chowder) , is still what I'd consider world class. The Pelican's chowder isn't quite as creamy, but still has the chunky goodness of lots of clams and tender potatoes in a buttery, slightly spicy chowder base.

Next, was on Catalina Island. Armstrong's Fish Market & Seafood Restaurant. I attended their establishment during my honeymoon back in the summer of '94. They had chowder to knock your socks off. In many ways a lot like the old Forge chowder. And if memory serves, Armstrong's chowder arrived as a LARGE portion in a traditional sourdough bread bowl. I haven't been back there since, but someday I'd like to see if they still do it the same.

Finally, there's the "Stuffed Sandwich" in San Gabriel. Owned and operated by Sam And Marlene Samaniego, the Stuffed Sandwich is THE place to go for chowder and a beer. They have a great selection of beers on tap and beer is what most people go there for. But rules are rules. This is not a bar, so you have to order food when you order your beer. And what's better to go with a really good beer than a bowl of chowder? Hmmm, come to think of it, add one of their excellent ham or turkey sandwiches to that and you've got an hour for lunch you won't forget. And can't help but come back again. And again. You get the picture. They always have excellent beer on tap. And Sam carries so many bottles in every variety that he literally has something for everyone. Several times over. But this particular blog entry is really about chowder, not beer.

A little background: Much to my surprise about 2 years ago I sought out the Stuffed Sandwich on a recommendation by a friend in Tacoma who found them on the Internet while helping me find some places to get some good beer on tap. REAL beer, not that fizzy yellow stuff you can get anywhere. But I digress... When we arrived I ordered a beer and discovered that I also had to order food or it's adios, amigo! So when I saw they had clam chowder on the menu I thought, what the heck. And I was blown away. Sam makes his chowder fresh every day and I must admit it's the closest thing to the Forge chowder from a time long ago that I just sat there quietly in stunned silence at first and savored it like I did that chowder of old. Sam's chowder is so similar that it was almost uncanny. As if Sam has somehow either inherited the original recipe from the Forge itself, or by some divine coincidence concocted the same recipe!

In any case, The Stuffed Sandwich is THE place to go for the best clam chowder you have ever tasted. In fact, I almost would say the reverse of what others do. I'd say go there for the chowder first, and the beer second.

The Stuffed Sandwich can be found at:
1145 E. Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA. 91776
www.stuffedsandwich.com

Ps. Their website has just about any info you need to prepare for your visit, including what's on tap each month!

The "Dead Horse"

Stone 10th Anniversary. Geeze, what more needs to be said about this one? This is one of the "holy grails". Most IPAs/Double IPAs/Imp. IPAs are just NOT suited for aging and MUST be consumed fresh for their full enjoyment. That's a given if you are "in the know".

But... Certain rules are simply meant to be broken! And that means there are certain beers that defy convention. And the Stone 10th is just such a beer. In fact, one could almost say that this beer is "magic" in that it's really 2 beers in one. When this beer was fresh just a few short years ago, it's hoppiness kicked your ass right off your chair it was so good. Monstrously hoppy, fruity, and perfectly balanced malty goodness for those of us who remember it well.

But then Father Time began to take his toll. But wait, is this really a bad thing? Certainly not in this case! Time has been gentle, caressing and transforming the contents of this bottle into something otherworldly. A different beer entirely. Think; a perfect transformation from "Hop Bomb" to "Malt Bomb" in just a few years! And who knows where it will go from here. It just keeps getting better every time I crack open a bottle. This stuff ages like a fine cognac or whiskey and in my opinion has really transgressed into one of the finest barleywines you can get your hands on. Or, at least IF you can still find one. I search high and low for a wayward bottle of the 10th and occasionally find it stashed away in some "Ma and Pa" store somewhere. And you can bet I buy every last one!

So my hat's off to Stone, and more specifically to Steve Wagner, Brewmaster. For the 10th is a beer crafted by a true master, and if you believe this sort of thing, just might have had his inspiration influenced by the touch of God. My only hope and suggestion might be that Stone brings this recipe back in the future -not as an "anniversary beer" (after all, it has already lived that life), but perhaps in a new incarnation called "Stone Imperial IPA", or something else that's catchy. I'll be one of the first in line to try it. Of course, this may all be wishful thinking, but who knows?

Well, the Holidays are Officially Over...

And it's been a while since my last posting. Time to get back into the swing of things again and get caught up. There's a lot that has happened during the holidays and I've quaffed some really great beers!

First, I'll catch everyone up with some nuggets I was lucky enough to find around the holidays both just before and after. These are "top 10" or in some cases, "top 5" beers without a doubt. There is no specific order to these as I really don't believe in "numbering" my favorite beers. Why? Because I have found that my tastes tend to change from time to time based on a number of factors. First and foremost, I try not to imbibe in anything when i am not feeling well. That goes without saying. But there ARE those times when something is "off" on a particular day, such as my senses of smell and or taste.

Once in a while I do crack open a bottle and go for it anyway, only to realize later that something is not right, preventing me from enjoying the beer to it's fullest. This is in some ways good and bad -bad because an accurate review cannot be recorded, and good because that means I'll have to do it again in the near future when my taster and sniffer are "in sync" with each other and firing on all cylinders! But sometimes as luck would have it, I may only have access to a particular beer once if it's a certain vintage or extremely difficult to find. So care must be taken in consideration of tasting those.

To reiterate as in an earlier post, at this point I might point out several beers that I have found to be what I call my "holy grails", beers that from personal experience are "perfectly balanced" and have one of more qualities that stand out head and shoulders above the rest. And they do this consistently. Beers such as Stone 10th Anniversary, Doggie Claws, Hop Juice, Harmon Brewing's Rajah's Royal IPA, Stille Nacht, Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor, Deschutes The Abyss and Mirror, Mirror, Green Flash Imperial IPA, Ballast Point Dorado and Sea Monster, Bourbon County Stout, and a few others you may or may not have heard of.

There will be reviews of some of these fantastic beers in future posts, as well as where to find them. In light of that, I must admit that we all have our "secrets" and I may or may not reveal some of these over time. So stay tuned and you might catch me leaking a few of these secrets so you can get your hands on a few of these "precious gems" you just can't get at your favorite local store or Bevmo. After all, that's what this blog is all about. Sharing my imbibing experiences and where I found them!

Ps. In all fairness, it should be noted that in certain situations, some of the beers reviewed or referred to in this blog cannot be found here in San Gabriel Valley -or anywhere else in Southern California due to the fact that they are not distributed here. Yet. So what do I do? NETWORK! For example, I have someone trustworthy (who also beers like I do) with whom I occasionally exchange a "box of goodies" via a well known shipping company. He lives in a completely different part of the country (west coast) and has access to certain beers that simply are not distributed here, and vice versa. So we both get to indulge in some of the best beers every crafted.