Oak 'Em if you Got 'Em

Schlenkerla Eiche 2010

Holy shit, I was unprepared for the magnificence of this beer. Let me preface with the statement that this beer is among my favorites of all time, especially in the smoke category. But speaking of time, I had no idea that it cellared this well. If I had, I'd have bought a case in 2010. It's a more tempered, balanced smoke than the other Schlenkerla offerings (due to oak rather than beech) and commands a slightly more premium price (same reason). This 5-year vintage costs even a bit more due to the costs of storage, but it's a pittance for what you're getting, just trust me.

Appearance is a red mahogany with suspended stuff which looks like maybe carbonation at first but is actually delicious, delicious dirt. Even smelling the bottle after I prized off the slightly rusty cap, it had the nose of a world-class, top quality Rauchbier, which it is. Smells like the deep forest, maybe like decaying wood. Or like barbecue. People always say Rauchbier smells like bacon, but for Pete's sake people, show a little variety in your lexicon. First off, almost no beer actually smells like bacon. (Excluding that one I tried that was made with ham bone, but that's another matter entirely). Secondly, I was reading that English simply lacks a lot of words for tastes and smells which are identifiable by humans (and which exist in some other, perhaps more obscure languages). Absent the words to give voice to our perceptions, it would seem these flavors cease to exist, in an Orwellian puff of (oak) smoke, but they don't, and you'll just have to take my (lack of) word for it that this beer smells fucking great.

Taste is actually a bit easier. First and foremost, it's unabashedly a Doppelbock, and this comes through very clearly, even more to with aging. It's got that characteristic malt sweetness and hint of apple-juice character that I think comes from lager yeast, but don't quote me—those strains are know for being clean and relatively ester-free. It's got serious body, which as I've said time and again, until people roll their eyes and management starts making hand signals to the security staff, is crucial to a smoky beer, otherwise the smoke is acrid and unpalatable. It's also got a lot of wood, but smoke is here in spades as well, in addition to a character that I would liken to Parmasean cheese, but of course it doesn't actually taste like cheese. Boy would this pair well with cheese though. I'm talking a hard 1000-day Gouda. Not a smoked Gouda you rube—don't pair things which taste alike! But if smoke and Gouda go well enough together to justify smoking Gouda, you can bet a smoky beer will go well with an un-smoky Gouda, if you catch my drift. And the smoke is almost acrid; it's big and bold and tastes like a victorious day spent tending a Brinkmann charcoal smoker. Which is hard to do, and I'm terrible at it, so this beer exists for people like me.

If you like New Holland's Charkoota Rye (which gets aged in brandy barrels these days), you'll like this, and vice versa. Very similar beers, though I gather Charkoota is made with rye (of course this is also wordplay). If you don't like smoky things, you will absolutely hate this beer, so don't even try. Next time I'm at the store, I'm going to buy a couple of current year ones (I didn't get one this past time because I have a decent recollection of what this tastes like fresh) and stick them in my beer cellar.

Trappe-d

La Trappe Oak-Aged Quadrupel

This favorite of mine is packaged in corked (synthetic these days) and caged 375mL bottles, and is expensive. This particular bottle is from Batch 16 (my favorite is of course Batch 7, aged in whisky barrels. From reading descriptions, it seems possible that Batch 8 might be similar) and is a blend of brandy, Oloroso sherry, late Burgundy, and two levels of toasted new oak. With a five-way blend, the monks (though La Trappe is one of the more commercial trappist breweries) must be zeroing in on something; this batch was blended last year.

I should note that La Trappe used to be named Koningshoeven, but the Batch 7 bottles bear the La Trappe brand, so it is possible that the name change predates this barrel aging project (which seem to be a more recent development in general.) So I believe any Koningshoeven bottles you find are guaranteed to be several years old. Also, due to pricing, La Trappe can sit on shelves for a while—not  always a bad thing as their quad has aging potential. I have a recollection of a tripel (I think it was La Trappe) which was markedly superior on draft to in bottles, which surprised me. Try for yourself and let me know; it's a bit of a rarity in this market either way.

The cork smells okay even though it is difficult to remove and feels almost waxed. The pour smells hot, but with the nutty oxidized (the sherry, not the beer) character imparted by the fortified wine barrels. Tastes pretty good, and there's a lot more grape here than I'd have expected, which might explain the significant (20% overall) presence of new oak in the blend. The finish has that nutty sherry character as well as a bit more heat than I'm used to from this line. I have to really pay attention for it to taste like beer at all, but there's a great quad buried in there somewhere!

Ultimately, this beer is good, but not 'Batch 7 good' and not something I'd seek out or buy again. Conversely, I'd be willing to pay more for Batch 7 than this, provided I could afford it.

Not ready to give up the ghost / Going off the rails on a ghost train

"Freigeist" literally translates to 'free ghost' though I suspect it means something more along the lines of 'free spirit' inspite of the cartoon ghost on the outstanding packaging. I love the hand-lettering; very German and reminiscent of old movie titling, like from Metropolis.

Freigeist Ottekolong Unfiltered Kölsch

I poured this one into a tall glass. Not a real kölsch cylinder, but as close as I could manage. It's got way more funk that I'd expect for the style, so kölsch may be a misnomer. Just what exactly it smells like is really hard to pin down. 'Dishwater' sounds more negative than I mean to, but is not inaccurate. Taste-wise, it's full-bodied, with some earthy hops that to me taste kinda like arugula. It did say it was going to be hoppy, though only by German standards. Anyway, it's decent, and much less expensive than other beers I've had by the same brewery.

Burnside Brewing 'Merkur,' She Wrote Pale Ale

I didn't make notes on this, but I had a pint at a meeting with someone who owed me a favor and brought me back a cake of tea straight from China, but that's another story for another blog, one that doesn't exist yet.

Anyway, this beer promised, earthy hops, and boy does it deliver. One to try even for non-hop-lovers as it was under 50IBU, and not remarkably bitter. Well balanced, tasty, and showed off a (German, but I suppose I might've guessed) hop varietal I wasn't aware of. Not on their website, so possibly a one-off. Who knows if it will ever get bottled? (Buy a ticket to PDX, take the MAX to Lloyd Center [my home!], start walking south, and) Get down to East Burnside and try some!

Freigeist Geisterzug Traditional Spiced Gose

I've said this before and gotten weird looks, but actual German gose isn't necessarily that sour. Just like English IPA's aren't necessarily that bitter, I suppose. The style does involve some lacto souring, but in my limited experience, isn't any tarter than a berliner Weiße (no, you don't capitalize 'berliner,' but you do capitalize 'Weiße'... it's a long story.) Anyway, this one is named 'ghost train,' and I've got a one-way ticket to Beertown on the express line.

It's a potent smell, especially since it's warmed to near room temperature. I guess some of it's coriander, but I cheated and looked that up. A little bit tart and a little bit funk, but pretty complex and weighty, on account of the wheat. Not Reinheitsgebot compliant, Wikipedia notes that gose receives an exemption for being a traditional beer style (which sort of defeats the purpose).

To say nothing of the fact that the Reinheitsgebot is now defunct (replaced by a different law), and that its real purpose at inception was at least partially politicoeconomical, to prevent " to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye" (Wikipedia). And that wheat beer is by definition, non-compliant.

I had thought that the Reinheitsgebot was completely defunct, but it does indeed live on in spirit as the Vorläufiges Biergesetz (according to Wikipedia), and applies to German-made beers (presumably with exceptions for styles like this), but not to imports. Quite possibly the reason we don't see zanier craft brewing out of the good old BRD.

Four Freigeist bottles. Note the glue lines marking previous labels from where bottles have been completely re-used, as compared to America, where you wait in a giant line for a machine to fail reading it 8 times in a row, ultimately smash it into shards, and dispense a five-cent gift certificate to  Fred Meyer.

Anyway, this beer is good, if not particularly spiced (to my perception) beyond some salt and maybe coriander, a hallmark of the style. But hey, in a country where spice in beer seems to still be literally illegal, that's got to count for something.