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So, I did make it down to Novare Res last night for some of the Rogue goodness. I waited for my wife to get home from work, so we didn’t end up getting downtown until almost 9:00 PM. I’m not sure how busy it was earlier in the evening, or if anyone from Rogue gave any remarks or anything, but by the time we arrived, the crowd had thinned to the point where a beer could be had in just a couple minutes. Much better than the 5-10 minute fight to get to the bar in the early part of the Dogfish Head event. On the flip side, though, I did not get a tee shirt this time; I had to “make due” with a couple cool Rogue pint glasses.

As mentioned in the update to my earlier post, the tap list is available online and is very impressive. All told there are 27 Rogue brews on offer; I managed to sample just over half that many before I called it a night. Only one (the Double Dead Guy) was a full pour (half pint, in the case of the D2). The rest were done as racks of 4 oz tasters—a very cool way to sample a bunch of beers without getting so full and so inebriated that you can’t tell the difference anymore. For me the two highlights were the Imperial IPA (I2PA) and the Chocolate Stout, though the Imperial Red Ale was excellent as well. Here is my breakdown, following my new “rating” system:

Don’t Miss These

• Chocolate Stout—A wonderful nose and taste of bittersweet chocolate; this one is like drinking dessert
• Imperial India Pale Ale—Slightly less hoppy and intense than Dogfish Head’s offerings, this one is very well balanced and has a nice, dry finish
• Imperial Red Ale—Probably the best red ale I’ve ever had; some brown sugar and raisins in the aroma and taste and a very nice dry finish as well
• Double Dead Guy—Dead Guy is one of Rogue’s most famous brews; its little brother has a deeper color and some more toffee notes in the taste

Worth Trying

• Anniversary Brewer—A winter ale with some nice hopping and a finish that sticks with you
• Chipotle Ale—Wow, this one is different; I’m not sure I’d drink a full pint of this, and it’s certainly no session ale, but it’s a taste experience that you really should try at least once
• Menage a Frog—A very nice Belgian tripel, this one isn’t quite as good as Allagash or something from a monastery, but it’s got some nice yeasty flavors and a pleasant aroma
• Mocha Porter—This fairly mild porter has some nice roasted malt character and is well balanced; I was hoping for a little more of a coffee taste here though
• Morimoto Imperial Pilsner—I’m not usually a big pilsner guy, but this one is pretty good; a nice full mouthfeel and some pleasant hop aromas make this one worth a taster at least
• Old Crustacean—A very well rounded barley wine, this one has some great grain flavors to it and a smooth finish
• Russian Imperial Stout—A good RIS that was overshadowed by the Chocolate Stout; this one doesn’t have the nuance of the Kate the Great I had last month, but I wouldn’t say no if someone offered me one (or two)
• Imperial YSB—A stronger version of Rogue’s well-known Younger’s Special Bitter, this one takes the malts and hops from the YSB and kicks them up a notch

Don’t Go Out of Your Way

• Juniper Ale—I’m a gin drinker when I’m not drinking beer, so this Juniper finished pale ale caught my eye; I’m not sure if it was because I got it with my last rack of beers or if there really wasn’t much here, but this one was kind of lackluster; not bad, but nothing really notable and no real hint of gin
• Honey Orange Wheat—A pleasant wheat beer with some fruit notes, this one would have rated a little better if I hadn’t had so many beers that simply outshone it; it was a little less cloudy than I like (American vs. German), this one would benefit from a tangier citrus presence

Again, as a reminder, the beers that I rate “Don’t Go Out of Your Way” are not bad beers by any stretch. They are good, but nothing out of the ordinary that merits special consideration such as making dinner reservations specifically to get it on tap or changing the bar you planned to go to for an evening just to try it.

I had considered going again tonight, but after 40 miles of biking today, some of through a pretty nasty storm, I think I may just take it easy tonight. The Sea Dogs have a 1:00 PM start tomorrow, and there are usually a few good beers to be had behind first base.

Sam and the folks from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery are making another Maine appearance tonight, this time at Great Lost Bear. The 60 and 90 Minutes IPAs and the Indian Brown Ale will all be poured for $2.50 per pint from 5-9 PM. I may have to go down and see if I can get a few more Dogfish Head glasses to complete my collection…

A group of friends recently got together to taste beer, so we seized the opportunity to taste a few older beers that had been sleeping peacefully in the cellar.

The first we tried was a vertical of Chimay Blue (Grande Reserve), in this case the 1994, 1995, 2001, and 2007. In spite of the fact that the brewers have changed the recipe in recent years, this is still a serious beer, well worth observing as it ages. The old ones were in their glory, flaunting the malty complexity this brew achieves when aged properly. The 2001 was an adolescent, just showing hints of what was to come. The 2007 suffered the fate of the foil in a tasting like this. Tasted alone it would be a star; next to its older siblings it was a bit player.

Another flight paired a Thomas Hardy’s English barley wine from 1994 with Swiss brewed Samichlaus from 1994 and 1995. Samichlaus once claimed to be the world’s strongest beer. How the world has moved on! The Samichlaus was soft and smooth, very big in the mouth. In contrast the Hardy’s was far more lean, more comlex and sophisticated, much easier to drink.

When first released the Sam Adams Triple Boch struck me as virtually undrinkable. Remember the little blue bottles with corks?  We tried the 1994 next to the 1995. While perhaps not drinkable, they were eminently sippable. The aromas were amazing as we pulled the corks. This beer is soft and smooth, but all power in terms of resolved malt and molasses flavors.

Finally, we recently enjoyed the Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisboch from 1996 paired with a 2007 bottle. On tasting the 1996 we commented on how delicious it was, how well it had aged, didn’t taste like an old beer at all. Tasting the 2007 highlighted how much depth and complexity the beer developed in 11 years.

So, how does one cellar beer? First, keep it cool and dark, just like wine. Any cellar with a constant temperature will do, 55 degrees is probably ideal. Second, leave it alone. If you drink it young you can’t drink it old. Finally, have a plan. I have several beers I collect. Each year, usually in December, I buy 3 to 6 bottles of each beer and put them away. One hint: write the year of purchase on the label or cork. It’s really pretty simple.

Not every beer is made to age. The high alcohol beers are the best candidates; English Barley Wines, Belgian Triples and Quadrupels, and of course American beers made in those styles. I have some older Stone beers I’ve not yet tried, looking forward to that. Anchor Christmas Ale has a reputation for aging well. Collecting Allagash beers could be a lot of fun…

July 18 was chosen because that is the feast day of St. Anou of Metz (a.k.a. St. Arnold), the best known patron saint of brewers.

How to celebrate? Well, drink beer for one. Profile your favorite brewmaster. Hold an event. Hug your favorite brewer. Petition Hallmark to create greeting cards for the occasion. Whatever you do, tell the world about it. For more information, please check out the official International Brewers Day website.