2-4-T: New Holland Envious & Uinta Crooked Line Labyrinth

1. New Holland Envious

This beer is the first in New Holland's Cellar Series. Envious is a fruit-based beer which used pears and chardonnay yeast to ferment the beer in the secondary, and then aged with raspberries on oak. I'm on the fence about combining extreme brewing with fruit-based beers. I think most of the time, a successful fruit-based beer is simple and sessionable. Making it heavy is risky because it can turn out too syrupy and overly sweet. This beer neither confirmed nor denied my view. On one hand, I enjoyed it, but on the other, it's a little heavy. There are strong oak and dark fruit aromas and tastes coming from this beer. The thing that I liked about this beer was that it had a nice mouthfeel and amount of carbonation despite its strong flavors that could have easily turned it into fruity syrup. I'm surprised by the low ratings that this beer had on BeerAdvocate.

Overall Rating: B+

2. Uinta Crooked Line Labyrinth Black Ale

I recently first tried Uinta's 4+ Series and I was even more excited to try their Crooked Line, which includes this beer, the Labyrinth Black Ale. Following what seems to be a popular trend, Uinta had an artist design the label, which I love. This beer has common flavors but balanced them really well. Black licorice, dark, bittersweet chocolate and coffee. Though "Black Ale" suggested, at least to me, that it might have had some hoppy characteristics, this beer is mostly a sweet stout. I'd suggest sharing this bottle, considering it's 13.2% ABV, and I really wish I had paired this beer with some cheese. This is just one of those beers that you can tell is great for pairing with food. I hope Uinta expands on their Crooked Line, which currently has 3 other beers. Great stuff.

Overall Rating: A

2-4-T: Nebraska Apricot Saison & 21st Amendment Hop Crisis

1. Nebraska Apricot Au Poivre Saison

If someone told you they found a saison made with peppercorns and apricots, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't guess it's from Nebraska. But, I'm guessing they have a lot of time on their hands out there, so more power to them. Anyway, they did indeed make this saison with pepper (thus the "Au Poivre") and apricots. Definitely one of the most interesting combinations I've seen lately. Oh, did I mention it's aged in Chardonnay barrels? Yes, this beer needs to be sipped with a pinky out. My thoughts? When I see ingredients listed like this, I naturally seek them out in the beer. I'm not expecting to taste a glass of chardonnay with literally a peppered apricot in it, but I expected a boost from one of the three. The apricot was there but more in the aroma than the taste. I tasted some sweetness from the chardonnay barrels but I actually got some sour notes on here too, which if you know me, you know I ain't hatin' it. Looking at it purely as a saison, this is a great beer. Bottom line though: this beer was over $20 and I don't feel like I got my money's worth.

Overall Rating: B

2. 21st Amendment Hop Crisis

21st Amendment Brewery is at the forefront of the canning revolution and they took it up a notch by canning an oak-aged beer. No frilly cork-and-cage here...just straight up can. I'm digging this brewery more and more as they diversify their lineup, but ultimately, their "Brew Free or Die! IPA" gave me a taste for their hoppy skills. Stepping it up a notch with an imperial IPA, aged on oak spirals, got me giddy like a schoolgirl. As you can see, this beer pours beautifully. The smell hit me right when I cracked the can open. Using six different hops between bittering and dry-hopping, this beer reaches 94 IBUs, but is way smoother than that sounds. The oak flavor is pretty faint in this beer, but that's a good thing because it doesn't take away from the fantastic bitterness. This is a damn good beer that's surprisingly nearly 10% ABV. This sure as hell ain't a 6 pack to bring fishing though. (Did I really use "ain't" twice in this post?)

Overall Rating: A-