Archbeer.com is an independent informal site for beer enthusiasts, providing information on specific beer brands tested by guitarist Archaon of the Norwegian black metal band 1349.
Every time I crack a bottle of this kind, I must admit it fills me with a great deal of excitement. Having had several of Anchorage’s stunning brews before, I do know that the bar is placed high- and tonight‘s thick’n oily beverage is about to prove that it is no exception.
Clocking in on a massive 15.5 ABV, it sure holds a powerful body enough for a huge complexity. Nose is BIG, with features of figs, overripe dark fruit, leather, burnt wood, hints of tobacco, all backed by a veil of delicious chocolate. So, more importantly: What does it taste like?
Sweet, chocolaty, nutty. Spice (cinnamon?) Lots of nuts! Sooo amazing! Silky smooth veils uncovers fruity layers in the middle section, before it slowly fades over in Bourbon notes, Ona foundation of warmth underneath. A light acidity is then defeated by the sweet sword of cocoa, laying any opposing elements to eternal rest. Absolutely superb, top noch, sublime… No wonder that many an adjective comes to mind in order to justify this work of art.
Photo: M.K. Burheim
Been looking forward to trying this. A part of the funny gaming-concept «Green city», a series of beers that Other half has launched, this one comes in funny packaging w/box set. What we’ve got at hand today is the funny-named lvl. 2 installment.
Looking as you’d want a hop-juice to do, this is pouring a great creamy layer on top of the yellow sea in the glass. Nose reveals massive fruityness, pineapple & citric fruits in play. Elegantly hopped. Fruityness is furthermore altered in the actual taste, all the while fronted by a stingy hopflirt underneath. There’s also a foresty, earthy (perhaps lightly nutty?) touch to it.
Superb degree of bubbles gives the presentation on the palate a fresh and still smooth impression of this medium bodies Triple IPA. Coated smoothly with interesting twists & turns, it’s definetely a smooth beer. Rounds off with an ever-increasing bitterness, fading slowly.
Photo: M.K. Burheim
I remember this one from the early days of discovering craft beer- and it still holds the standard. Dark. Black as a Wintery night, great carbonated and pouring a nice creamy head. Subtle nose reminiscent of coffee. Taste is lightly molasses, coffee and bitterness. Light bodied with ABV well hidden, somewhat a bit thin. A tad bitter aftertaste. Still awesome.
A special occation as the better half passes the 5000 mark on Untappd, demands a special beer. What’s better than this legendary, sought-after 2020 version of Alaska’s pride, Anchorage? That’s right: A deal with none other than the horned one himself. Expectations have long ago sky rocketed with regards to this one, and it’s a matter of hopefully validating the already established fact- that this is a King amongst Barley wines.
Beautiful, simplistic esthetics, waxed can. Thick and oily running down the glass, leaving a rather small head. Aromas I’m getting is a vivid huge spectre that spans from ripe plum and deep high quality red wine, to paralyzing oaky notes. Already know this is gonna be sick right by now.
The thickness builds a perfect fundament, Sweet burning sensation. Dark, figs and dried fruit- heavy raisin-driven. There’s even a slight touch of carbonisation in here. Hints of Sweet caramel/toffee. Heat in bottom, heavy Sweet and a little sour mouth coating that’s close to everlasting. Perfection in style! I did expect that actually, but still left gobsmacked by the outstanding quality of this magnificisent work. Goddamn! This is absolutely amazing. So happy to even taste this brew. Top notch!
Photo: M.K. Burheim
As one would with such a hyped item, this beer has been looked forward to consuming a long time. Being one of the pretty difficult ones to get hold off out there, expectations are high when pouring this deep murky yellow perfection in the gloss. Aromas of citric fruits, piney notes and mango strikes the nose instantly, all the way from can into glass. Powerful indeed!
Murky-looking, perfectly carbonated, fresh albeit broad and bold, this masterpiece first teases the palate with a swift sweet brush, before all hell breaks loose- cause that is indeed what happens here. I mean sure, yeah- it’s an incredible double IPA, but the grip that the stingy hop has on the tastebuds cannot be described along anything else than stormy, yet still evolving. It’s one of the best examples of how this style’s mastery can be: Complex, all over the place, multi-dimensional and violent to the palate… Completely insane.
Looong after the swig, it keeps on stinging the back of my tongue, like a swarm of miniature hop-bees, ravaging. And several minutes after, it’s slowly fading out, with a sweet fruity touch closing. This was actually worth the wait. Supreme.
Photo: M. K. Burheim
Perhaps not the style that Associated style this brilliant brewery is known for, but none the less; what we have here is an esthetic, deep red berlinerweisse. Pours a beautiful light head in glass, mild nose of red fruits and berries.
Like a light fruitpunch, in contrary to the typhical smoothie-like sours. Superb texture even though so light.
Taste is mild for a split second, before evolving into a fruit-layered, intense Berrytrip. Boysenberries are most distintively active here. It all works very well for this style. Lightbodied, great carbonisation.
Aftertaste is lightly acidic, swiching in between that and sweet hints. Brilliant.
Photo: M.K. Burheim
Why not make it a fully fledged run? Up for grabs is the last version for the eve. For those whom have followed the previous blogs of mine this month, will know that I’m prone to like such beers as this. Still- whether the different characteristics comes into play in a mantionworthy way, is yet to be discovered…
Nose is clearly Bourbon-dominated, with a very, very slight twist of burnt coffee. As for taste, it’s just too smooth to believe. Where one would think that the most boozy of them all (and the most bourbon-ish one of them) would be the the roughest when it comes to edgyness, it’d just not so. Pure silk, little carbonisation (nitro), long sweet taste, with coffee entering midway, but only mildly so. The sour mash bourbon taste is distinctly there, albeit not accompanied by the heat. It’s just unbelivably smooth.
Incredible. Only my personal note here (I won’t allow my self to rate it lower than the previous two: I prefer them, but they’re all superior. If you get a chance to try either one: Go for it!
Photo: M. K. Burheim
Another one to go from these Bourbon barrel-aged series from Modern Times. Whilst we already know that their stouts prolly are heavy, complex and amazing (not the first time I try one of theirs), I’m exited about this, contrary to the vanilla & coffee version.
Nose is still vanilla, and less Bourbon than it’s precedessor. And more coffee features.
First off: It’s sweet- even though not as much as the previously mentioned one. A tad more bitter, with massive presence of coffee this time around. Super balanced, and with a suitable, mildly sweet introduction (much emphazised by the almonds), extremely silky smooth coating. Then, striking heat entering after a long break, like 7-8 seconds in. Very dry finish. Stunning as expected.
The aftertaste is mainly coffee and heat, whilst the almonds are still there. Wow. I can’t find the foundation to critizise it/rate it lower than the vanilla one- this sinply a stunningly good imperial stout, yet once again flawless.
Photo: M. K. Burheim
OMG. These guys. Not only am I familiar with them, but when I visited their San Diego venue approx. a month ago, I close to OD’d on their awesome brews… Despite that particular beer-infused eve, the associations that comes to mind are positively dominated: They know stouts. (And hazy IPA’s, for that matter)
On the table today is one of their Devil’s teeth-series. A rather strange coloured can, reminiscing more of one of Paris Hilton’s purses than a hardcore stout, to be honest. Wolf in sheep clothes? I bet. Let’s find out!
Visuals: Black tar-like. Nose is heavily boozy, Bourbon-fronted. Smell is smooth. Diving in…
With X-mas time just around the corner, there’s the Season for some heavy-weight’ers, including some motor-oil stouts like this one. And even in good company, I must say it keeps up; Carbonisation still there, lurking subtly in the back. Distinct supersmooth, oaky whisky-notes, draped in chocolaty layers that dances teasingly around on the palate. Subtle coffee-notes comes in midway here. Fullbodied. Long lasting heat drives this one, all the way to and throughout the aftertaste. Exceptional and phenomenal beer. Goddamnit. Modern Times knows my weak spots, it seems.
I can’t find nothing that pulls it down here. Superb!
Photo: M.K. Burheim