by sr November 19th 2010
When I first started sampling different beers, beer names were unimaginative. You typically had the name of the brewery, and the style of beer. About 15 or so years ago, breweries started adopting odd names, and then using strange names for their beers. Case in point, Rogue Brewing’s Dead Guy Ale, or as another example, Stone Brewing’s Arrogant Bastard Ale. Well, while the Weyerbacher Brewery may be somewhat simply named after the proprietor, some of their beer are very imaginatively named – Blithering Idiot, Merry Monks, Blasphemy, Old Heathen, and Insanity are a few examples.
While I enjoy a number of Weyerbacher’s beers, this post is supposed to be about Blithering Idiot. I first tried it 4-5 years ago, and then back in May introduced it to some friends. Blithering is a barleywine style ale, with an alcohol content of 11% by volume. The flavor is more intense than that of some other barleywines (for example Brooklyn Monster). A word of caution, however – more than one person has remarked to me that a bottle of Blithering seems to hit you harder than anything else comparable. Also, if you are a hop-head, this beer is not for you.
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by sr August 14th 2010
The release date for this seasonal release is still a couple of months away, but you can still find the 2009 release in Brooklyn at both American Beer on Court Street and Sunset Park Beer Distributors on Third Avenue. And while I wouldn’t suggest buying most American beers 9 months after bottling, at 10.1% alcohol by volume Monster has a shelf life of close to 3 years, so no worries about buying the 2009 release. In fact, in better economic times, I actually reached a point where I had a 3 year archive of Monster. Obviously, I like it. It’s got a strong amber color, similar to the color of regular Brooklyn Lager, with a more fruity aroma, and soft warm mouthfeel. Don’t chill this to refridgerator temperature – it suppresses the arom and some of the mouthfeel. Serve it at about 50 degrees farenheit
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by sr August 5th 2010
For those of you haven’t heard of it, this is one of the rare gems in the barleywine world. As of right now, the only place I know of that is retailing it is Draft Barn (look for a specific review). Each vintage comes out different (otherwise, what would be the point of the distinction?) They periodically release variations – aged in port casks, whiskey casks, and calvados casks. It’s released only once a year, which doesn’t help the availability.
All that being said, this is a wonderfully complex beer – one that should be sipped slowly, and perhaps only after a few years of aging. The aroma is complex, carrying hints of malt and maple syrup. The taste is sweet to the edge of syrupy, with flavors that tend to vary depending on whether it is an “ordinary” vintage, or one aged in specialty barrels. Don’t think of this as beer – think of this in terms similar to a small bottle of dessert wine, because it is worlds apart from your typical mass market beer. The release date is December 1, and it comes from the UK, so look for it in January.
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