Review: Mikkeller Black Buffalo

At 19.3% ABV I think this may have been a new toxicity record for me. And though all super high alcohol beers are at risk of coming across way over the top and messy, Black Buffalo is a stunning stout. Aged in bourbon barrels, the beer somehow manages to limit the booze to a warm lingering heat in your throat: no resistance in the mouthfeel, and goes down relatively smooth. 

The flavors are intense: lots of dark bitter espresso and dark chocolate with a great buttery bourbon sweetness and some vanilla/toffee flavors lingering in the finish. It’s an amazing beer. If you can still find it, it is absolutely worth a try - if you can handle the intensity that is. 

Score = 9.75/10

Review: Firestone Walker Parabola

Finally tracked this one down and it was well worth the wait. Living up to the hype with huge notes of bourbon, toffee, vanilla, and a strong lingering coffee finish, Parabola is a dessert beer perfected. There’s also some dark fruit sugars in the middle, with rich chocolate malt flavors rounding out the oily body. It reminded me a bit of Goose Island Bourbon County, but with a little more espresso and a little less vanilla sweetness. Parabola was also surprisingly smooth, though the few months of aging may have helped there. In the end, it certainly deserves to be in the conversation for best bourbon aged stout out there. 

Score = 10/10

Review: Goose Island King Henry (Bottle)

One of the most hyped, and rarest offerings I will review all year, King Henry is truly an incredible beer. The quantity and quality of bourbon flavor present in this guy is unparalleled: unbelievably buttery, creamy, and rich. In combination with the sweet maple syrup malts, and some light fluffy bread notes, the bourbon makes this beer taste like buttery waffles in a glass. Of course there’s also a few layers of complexity with caramel, fig, and maybe a bit of chocolate. Overall, a must find: one of the best beers I have ever had. 

Score = 10/10

Poll: Finding Beer Places and New Brews

Fellow beer geeks, I have a couple questions for you guys:

1. How do you go about finding cool craft beer bars, either at home or traveling?

2. When your at a bar or liquor store and you want to try something new, how do you go about picking what to drink? What if you haven’t heard of any of the new ones you want to try?

Review: Avery The Czar Imperial Stout (Bottle)

I have been wanting to try this beer for a while, but I have to say I was slightly disappointed when I finally did. Don’t get me wrong this is a good stout, but with chocolate, a little medium roast coffee, some dry walnut, and some smoke, it’s lacking a but in terms of complexity. Then again the price isn’t bad so it’s not a bad seasonal option. 

Niko (FF) Score = 8.5/10

Review: Green Flash Palate Wrecker

This beer is about lots of hops and lots of malt, resulting in a bitter sweet bomb of pine, honey, and earthy floral notes. It’s really good if you like maltier IPAs, and it’s also a relatively affordable high alcohol four pack.

Score = 8.75/10

Review: Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye

I’m not really sure why I like this beer so much, but for some reason it’s just really damn delicious. All about balance, you get a great grapefruit and pine hop mouthfeel that lingers as the beer is cold. However, the more it warms, the more prominent toasty pie crust malts come in and leave a great lingering sweetness. It’s not one of those beers that’s going to obliterate your tongue with flavor, but regardless, it’s a damn good beer. 

Score = 8.75/10

Review: Goose Island King Henry

Coming Soon :)

Poll: Finding Beer Places and New Brews

Fellow beer geeks, I have a couple questions for you guys:

1. How do you go about finding cool craft beer bars, either at home or traveling?

2. When your at a bar or liquor store and you want to try something new, how do you go about picking what to drink? What if you haven’t heard of any of the new ones you want to try? 

Review: Evil Twin Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room (Bottle)

Another quirky and strangely named imperial stout from Evil Twin. I’m having a little trouble differentiating all of these guys at this point, but whatever they are all good. This one is pretty simple: very smokey with some dry dark chocolate and vanilla. It’s worth a try but not if you see it for more then 7-8 bucks. 

Niko (FF) Score = 8.75/10