Sourcing Suds: Aardwolf Early Bird Special

'Sourcing Suds' is a monthly column I write for Buzz Magazine which acknowledges a locally brewed beer being served at a locally operated beer joint. The people and places pouring for us are what make the craft beer community what it is. Join me each month as I highlight some of the great places and beer found right here in Jacksonville!

Source: Aardwolf Brewing Co. (Taproom)

Aardwolf Brewing Company is located in Jacksonville's San Marco neighborhood, just minutes from the heart of downtown. The Taproom is an inviting space. There's exposed brick, plenty of seating, and a long bar that practically spans the length of the entire taproom.

It's been a full year since Aardwolf opened its taproom, and I recently sat down with co-owner, Preben Olsen, to talk about his initial vision for the space.

Beertender, Kevin, offers samples of beer to a customer

"Our taproom is a place to teach people about beer. We don't just have our beer, but we have great guest taps too. And our bar, you can see it's really long. We designed it to help people interact with others," said Olsen.

It's clear that Aardwolf's owners put a lot of thought and intentionality into the design of the taproom, and a year later, they are seeing the fruits of their efforts. The taproom is usually full of patrons, and it's not uncommon for a food truck or two to be stationed in the parking lot.  Aardwolf might be Jacksonville's youngest brewery, but it's quickly building a name for itself. 

Suds: Early Bird Special (Anniversary Breakfast Stout)

Aardwolf wanted to celebrate the one-year mark with a bold beer that has a lot going on. And Early Bird Special certainly fits the bill. This breakfast stout is brewed with generous portions of oats, vanilla, and cinnamon, and then aged on coffee beans. It's a dark beer that gives off an appetizing aroma of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon.

After taking one sip, I looked up at my server and said, "It's like drinking French toast!" The flavor profile is loaded with cinnamon and vanilla that provide a maple-syrup like essence. The coffee bean flavor is also there, giving a nice roasted flavor that mimics burnt toast a little. The finish is slightly bitter with some heat from the alcohol.

This is a great-tasting beer with a great aroma and some very complex flavors. It's a great beer to celebrate Aardwolf's taproom anniversary, and it's a beer that we might see again. According to Olsen, Aardwolf might consider brewing Early Bird Special again. September will mark the brewery's one-year mark for the brewing side of operations, and just maybe we will get some more of this breakfast stout for that celebration. But until then, stop by the taproom and check this one out. You won't regret it!

The Taproom is open Wednesday through Saturday at 3pm. My recommendation is to go on Wednesdays for their weekly tapping of a pilot batch. These are rare and extremely limited batches (sometimes only 5 gallons of beer), that highlight the brewery's experimental and riskier side.

Underdark Release: February 1, 2014 (Intuition Ale Works)

Intuition Ale Works is gearing up for their annual release of Underdark, an Imperial bourbon-barrel aged stout. The release will be on Saturday, February 1, though members of their Mug Club will have the opportunity to buy bottles of Underdark the night before.

Before we get into the details of the event, let's make sure we know what Underdark is...

Legends tell of the Underdark, a vast dark and dangerous place where few brave souls have journeyed, and from which even fewer have returned. Journeying through the unforgiving terrain where cruel creatures lurk within the dark caves is not for the faint of heart, and neither is this drink. It is for the brave who journey fearlessly into the dark void to battle true darkness. Let the mead halls forever echo with the sounds of praise for the warriors who dared travel the Underdark.

Bottles will go on sale at 12pm on Saturday, and Intuition will be shutting down King Street, creating a block party for the event. There is a 2 bottle limit, and sales are cash only ($15/bottle). So, you'll want to arrive early and stop at the ATM on the way.

To make the event even more exciting, Intuition will be serving Underdark on tap along with a limited quantity from last year's batch to allow folks to conduct a side-by-side tasting of the two releases.

There will also be guest beers on tap and local food trucks to keep the party going. Intuition Ale Works is located at 720 King Street. The event is from 12pm-9pm with parking along the street.

7venth Sun Root Down Stout

Brewery: 7venth Sun Brewing Co.
Location: Dunedin, FL
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 8.3%

7venth Sun is a young brewery that held its grand opening less than two years ago. However, with the owners having past experience working for breweries like Anheuser-Busch, Sweetwater, and Cigar City, there's no shortage of beer knowledge and brewing credentials. Oh yeah, and to up the ante, all their servers are certified cicerones! 

I visited 7venth Sun over the Thanksgiving Holiday for their bottle release of Root Down Stout. I was fortunate enough to meet up with a good friend, Alan (@SuwanneeRefugee) who was the one who originally tipped me off about the release. I've said it before, but if there's one thing I love about the craft beer culture more than the beer, it's the people. Good beer is almost always accompanied by good people. Now back to the beer...

This particular bottle is labeled no. 289/500. Root Down Stout is an Imperial Stout brewed with sweet potato and spices aged on vanilla bean. The label is simple, but appealing. There's an "indie" vibe about the design that screams "Drink Local." I appreciate that.

The pour is black with a tan head that keeps its retention.

The aroma is strong coffee, caramel, and allspice.

The taste is full of coffee--bold and dark roasted. The coffee is followed by a creamy sweetness (possibly from the sweet potatoes) and a spicy finish. The more I sipped on this beer to find the sweet potato and vanilla, the more I got lost in the roastiness of the coffee. There's a slight acidic aftertaste (probably from the coffee) and a mild kick from the booze. But as much as I tried, I couldn't taste the sweet potatoes or vanilla.

This is a full bodied beer. No doubt about it. The mouthfeel is very creamy, almost frothy, at times. This is your thickest, darkest, boldest latte at its best.

Overall: I think this would do well to sit for a year in the cellar. The flavor profile is nice as it is, but I would like to see the various layers become more apparent on the palate. I really didn't detect the sweet potato because the coffee and spices are so overpowering at this point. Cellaring would do this beer good.

Cheers!

Black Rose "Standard" Imperial Stout - Grasslands Brewery

This is a recurring monthly series in which I taste and share my thoughts on a different beer from Grasslands Brewing Co. as they progress on their journey to open their doors to thirsty craft beer lovers (2014).  Grasslands is an up-and-coming brewery out of Tallahassee, Fl. that centers their philosophy on making quality "earth first ales." I will taste pilot batches and share my thoughts with the BeerApostle community. You can read past posts about Grasslands beer in the archive section of this blog.

Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10%

What I have today is Grassland's second edition of their Black Rose "Standard" Imperial Stout--Standard meaning this is (unfortunately) not the bourbon aged version that will be released as a specialty beer.

BRSIS was brewed on November of 2012 and my tasting notes are from when I opened the bottle on April 1st. As I mention below in my review, this beer will get better with age but I just couldn't holdout any longer. I received the bottle in mid-February and it's been taunting me from my fridge ever since.

Appearance: Holy black, Batman. With the exception of the tannish-brown head and lacing, this beer is as black as they come. As you can see from the picture above, there is a really cool marble effect on the head of the beer that makes me think I am about to dive into a carmel-chocolate sundae of sorts.

Aroma: chocolate, yeast, and malt. Not a ton of strong aromas coming from this beer, which is a bit surprising.

Taste: The booze really comes forward on the front of the palate and follows through with a dry finish. Some burnt malt flavors linger on the tongue. Not nearly as chocolatey as I expected based on appearance and nose. As the beer warmed, I got a ton of vanilla and dark fruit flavors that I completely missed on the first four or five sips.

Mouthfeel: Definitely full body but there's plenty of carbonation to help this one seem lighter.

Overall: I'm glad I let this beer sit for a while because it became a completely different beer as it approached room temperature. Still, I don't think this beer is as complex as Grasslands is shooting for. I think the booze needs to mellow and allow the vanilla and roasted malts to play a bigger role. Carbonation really dies off at room temperature (which I like). Really smooth and enjoyable- transcends into a completely new beer after sitting for about 15 minutes.

Special thanks to Gabe Grass for sharing this with me. Can't wait to try the bourbon BRIS!

Sweetwater Happy Ending 2013

Brewery:  Sweetwater Brewing Co.
Location: Atlanta, GA
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9%
Price: $8.99/22oz

Ever since I was a little boy, I have been a fan of happy endings. The first movie I ever saw in a theater, An American Tail, was about a mouse who gets lost but is eventually reunited with his family--happy ending. My first fight came in the fourth grade when Adam, a weasel-of-a-friend, sucker-punched me in the locker room while I was pulling my shirt up over my head. A few years later, Karma gave Adam a case of the herpes--happy ending. And then there was that time when I went to prom...well, you get the pattern.

Given my experience with happy endings, I was naturally drawn to this one by Sweetwater. I really enjoyed the last beer I had from them and have been looking forward to this!

I think I got a little giddy as I poured this one into the glass. There's something about a pitch-black beverage that excites me every time. Despite a gentle pour, there was a large, untamed, head that formed (seems oddly appropriate given the name of the beer). Too far?

The aroma is vibrant with lots of citrus--likely from the cascade hops with which the brewery dry-hopped the beer. This is a great example of why you cannot judge a beer by its color. I expected to get a lot more roast and chocolate on the nose and there is next to none of either. It smells a lot more like an IPA than it does a traditional stout.

The flavors are excellent! This is a two-faced beer that will please both hop-heads and stout-lovers. There is a nice roasted malt profile that balances the pine and grapefruit flavors of the hops. I would also point out that this stout features a nice smokiness somewhere in the middle of the palate.

This stout has a bitter and slightly boozy finish that is expected with the ABV and hop profile. And like all great stouts, this is a full-bodied beer. Great mouthfeel.

Happy Ending is quite creamy. But then again, aren't they all?