This week's Sip With Us Saturday, Obscure Exports, led me to the country of Sweden.  I hopped on my private jet, flew in to Stockholm, and grabbed a bottle of Nils Oscar Barleywine.  Well, I was going to do that until I realized my wife was already using the jet to pick up some sushi in Okinawa, so instead I sauntered over to the local beer store. The single bottle of barleywine set me back $5.99; a hefty price for a bottle so small (330 ml).  Why did I choose this?  I adore barleywines, even on a warm spring day.  They tend to be a more highly priced style (especially those that utilize first runnings) but generally I have found the adage "you get what you pay for" has some merit. So I poured the Sweedish Barleywine into my brandy snifter (1/2 for me, 1/2 for my wife)... The Pour: The beer pours a hue that is red orange.  There is almost no head, but that can be expected from the style sometimes.  A typical barley wine usually let's you know that is a barleywine with a bold display of viscosity.  Nils Oscar Barley wine did not. The Nose: I was drinking my beer that night ...

I want to start this review by saying that I'm not a very big fan of Goose Island's "normal" line of beers. I've had most everything that they put in a bottle and just don't enjoy their line of stuff. However, like many beers, their stuff is actually good on tap (312 Urban Wheat being a good example). So much for them, right? Wrong! While I would not recommend their normal line to many people, their Reserve collection is tremendous. Tremendous! Let me say it again, tremendous. In this Reserve line are Matilda, Pere Jacques, Demolition, Imperial I.P.A and Bourbon County Stout. I actually believed they have re-categorized some of these as Heritage, etc.  But I've always known them as their Reserve stuff.  I drank the last of these a couple of days ago. I can't wait to open the 2006 editions of their Bourbon County Stout (I'm aging a few). As I looked at my 2008 edition, I noticed that it is actually 2% higher ABV than the 2006. 2008 comes in at a whopping 13% alcohol by volume. There is a lot I can say here, but I already ...

I mentioned previously that I was "flavoring" some cigars with Bourbon and was going to drink some beers alongside the sticks.  We'll here is my first of numerous reviews to that affect.  This is a beer/cigar beer review, so more bang for the buck is a handy mantra for these thoughts. First, it's been a while since I had this beer and this particular one has matured for about a year and a half.  In fact, it was bottled in April of '07.  Jefferson's Reserve is a quite a good bourbon on its own (especially the small batch stuff), so I was excited to drink this Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout beer.  It is made by Bluegrass Brewing.  Upon the pour, it looked nice and blackwith hints of brown coming through when held up to the light.  There was very little head retention after the beer sat for a second.  A slightly metallic aroma was noticeable on the nose, while Bourbon vanilla, caramel, and nuts were evident.  There were also grain-driven chocolate, sweet malts, and coffee to be noticed.  A charred wood aroma also came through. The charred wood was also slightly smoky in the taste of the beer.  All the above mentioned grain and ...

Normally, we talk about beer on this site.  I've posted once before about beer and cigars.  Of course, this article will talk about beer, too, but I'm also going to give some props to Bourbon as a drink.  If you are interested in trying the best Bourbon in the world, don't look any further than what I'm about to tell you.  George T. Stagg.  For any Bourbon lover...enough said.  This barrel proof Bourbon (i.e., it is a Bourbon that is not watered down when it comes out of the barrel), comes in at a little over 70% alcohol.  It changes slightly from year to year, but it is always strong and full-flavored.  I've enjoyed a glass of this many a day.  But this year I had a great idea.  When I got this Bourbon that comes out once a year in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, I thought about how great it would be to put some cigars in a sealed jar with a shot of this Bourbon.  I'm in the middle of leaving them in there for about three or three and a half weeks.  When I get these out, I'm going to try them with various beers.  I think I'll ...

Doing this review is certainly one of the least Bourgeoisie things I've done.  Imagine paying anywhere from $160-$230 dollars for a 24 ounce bottle of beer, even if it does come in a hand-crafted vessel.  Now it is true that different boys like different toys, so I feel a little better in that respect.  I spend my money on beer...what can I say?  As some of you may know, Sam Adam's makes the strongest and most expensive beer in the world.  Utopias comes in at an amazing 26% abv.  It is an astounding achievement to make a beer that strong.  There is no distilling, nothing but grains, and a whole lot of very robust yeast strains in this beer.  Believe me when I say producing a beer of this strength is already a feat.  Since I sipped on some of this Utopias the other night, I thought I'd offer a review of it.  From the beginning of the pour (1 1/2 to 2 ounces suggested) Utopias does not look like a common beer.  In fact, there is no carbonation, no head, and a thick tracing on the glass.  The beer sits there with a thin clear line of liquid sitting on top of a beautiful whiskey-colored body.  As the ...

Last night I drank this beer that I've not had for about 4 years.  I remembered really enjoying it at the time, especially with a friend and some Davidoff cigars.  It went excellently with those smokes. Samuel Adam's Chocolate Bock is considered one of their extreme beers, if you look at their website.  They have four "extreme" beers: Chocolate Bock, Millennium, Triple Bock and Utopias (the strongest and most expensive beer in the world).  While the Utopias and company are more extreme, this one is not so much extreme as it is extremely good.  The pour:  There was a fair amount of carbonation in the brew with fair head retention.  It had a deep brown color with touches of Crimson.  The beer looked almost as smooth in the glass as it did in the bottle.  By the way, the label on the bottle might be the most beautiful on earth.  It's pewter and almost rococo label speaks to its cocoa beauty inside.  The bottle and look of the beer is truly an achievement in of itself. The aroma of the beer was floral and simply popped.  Chocolate, roasted grains, and yeast were prevalent.  The taste of the beer is really the awesome part of the brew.  Since this Chocolate Bock is put on top of cocoa, it ...

Well, as some of you know, our blog tries to be reader sensitive.  One thing we pride ourselves on is giving our reader something that truly interests them.  Given that many of the readers on here right now are linking from the Cigar Aficionado website, I thought I would give them something to read.  First, let me say that this is not the first time I have brought up the cigar-beer combination.  In fact, I mentioned what I was smoking along with the beer.  But I did not offer an apologetic for a cigar with a beer at the time.  Here goes!  Many of us are familiar with the concept of drinking Scotch with a cigar.  Companies like Dalmore even make a specific cigar malt Scotch (although I actually enjoy their 12 year more).  There are those who drink a good Bourbon with a cigar.  Even Cognac has made its way into certain cigars.  But where is the beer love? With all its complexities, beer is a wonderful complement to a cigar.  Of course, this depends on which cigar and which beer we are talking about.  Let me offer up my humble opinion.  For those who sing to the tune of  Scotch or ...