Breckenridge Brewery - Small Batch 471 DIPA

Tonight we feature a guest review from our good friend Dave Kasper, who we know simply as Kasper.  Kasper has traditionally been a fan of Keystone Light, with an emphasis on quantity over quality....

Kasper is historically an anti-hop-head, but he's broadened his horizons to include some of the more....hop-nasty...brews in recent months.  He even authored this photoshop masterpiece, highlighting the intense hoppiness of Surly Furious:

Makes me laugh every time

Tonight Kasper will be reviewing a hop-bomb - the Breckenridge Small Batch 471 Double IPA.  This is a big, aggressive IPA with 9.2% alcohol and a mean American hop profile that is available year-round.  Just to put things into context, this is Kasper's recounting of his first experience with this beer - he wasn't planning on reviewing it at the time of drinking...

In my quest to experience the finer points of the hoppy beer world, I have taken it upon myself to pick out beers with big, bold flavors. This visit to the liquor store, I stumbled across Breckenridge Brewery's Small Batch 471 Series Double IPA.  Without any preconceived notions about the beer, it was off the shelf and on it's way home with me!

Absent-mindedly, I poured a glass of this Double IPA and continued about my evening, not paying any real attention to the beer.  Taking the first sip really snapped me back awake... it was amazing!  Holding my glass to the light, I peered into the beautiful deep clear copper color, and began to wonder why I'd never heard of it before.  Each successive sip had me singing this beer's praises.  Until it was gone, and I was left with the sinking sadness knowing that I didn't have anymore.  

The beer is very light on carbonation, and pours with a thin creamy head.  It's scent is a little muttled, but there is a faint fragrant floral scent that permeates it.

On the palate, you are first hit with a full mouth flavor of caramel, sweet malt, and almost fruity hops.  Initially I thought it was going to be too heavy, but the flavor waned and was replaced with a sharp short burst of hoppy bitters.  Intense, vivbrant, then gone, leaving only a lingering taste of caramel.  For a beer with such a heavy bitter bite it doesn't pollute your palate with lingering bitter.  It finishes quite clean.

Overall Rating:  This beer is certainly my favorite imperial IPA, and has actually taken a place in my top ten of all beers. Quite an unexpected surprise. I'm sad that this is the only current offering I can find at my local liquor store, as the other 3 offering in the 471 series really have me intrigued.

Breckenridge Lucky U IPA

This is an ale from Breckenridge Brewery for "everyone who believes you make your own luck."  This beer is brewed with a gaggle of American and English hops, with 68 IBUs and 5%ABV.  The label states "A hoppy homage to a Denver Landmark."  "A Tivoli Brewery."  And on the bottom, "Drink Up Fortuitous One."  You got it Breckenridge!

As you can see, this pour was an Epic Fail.  Actually, I knocked this bottle over in the fridge about 10 minutes before opening it up, so I think it was still a little charged up when I poured.  That, combined with my general clumsiness, led to this glass of foam.  This pours a clear, bright-orange copper hue with a sticky off-white head.  The nose is a combination of musky caramel malts and earthy citrus peels.  I'm also reminded of freshly cut cantaloupe.  It took another 10 minutes for that froth to recede enough to get a drink out of it.  First sip is similar to the nose - starts off with an earthy hoppiness of lemon rind and a hint of orange.  Then comes a light and transparent layer of malts - very thin.  The dots don't seem to be connecting with the flavors, they are all gritty and somewhat bland.  At the end, there is a hint of pepper in the background, and a dry finish.  The carbonation is overbearing, and the mouthfeel is thin.

Overall Rating:  (2.7 out of 6.0)  Although it was balanced, this was a bland, uneventful, boring IPA.  Not a beer I would recommend.

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

Well, it's snowing again.  It's been a cruel and relentless winter so far in MN - I feel like I'm digging myself out of the driveway every F'ing day.  But, today is Friday so I'm going to pretend it's not snowing, and pretend I don't need to shovel....ignorance is bliss.  TGIF, and cheers!

Tonight's beer of choice is a 12oz bottle of Breckenridge Brewery's Oatmeal Stout.  Beer geeks, this brew registers at 4.95%, 32 IBUs, and is brewed with Pale, Caramel, Chocolate malts, and black oat flakes, and hopped with Chinook and Perle. 

Pours an almost shiny black color, no light gets through this one, and it leaves a small amount of tan head.  The nose is really nice - a combination of chocolate malts, coffee, and an almost nutty sweet malt....it actually smells creamy. 

First sip is...you guessed it.  Creamy.  There are some roasted chocolate malts, but not nearly as prominent as I expected after smelling the beer.  There are some bitter notes in the middle, and a malty sweet, warm finish.  The alcohol content is pretty low on this one, and doesn't show up in the flavor profile at all.  I did also notice a smoked wood flavor.  The texture is fantastic - creamy, smooth, with mild carbonation. 

Overall Rating:  (3.2 out of 6.0)  In general I wasn't all that impressed with this brew.  It wasn't bad, but it didn't have the bold flavor that I really expected after smelling it... I thought it was a bit lacking in flavor, especially compared to some of the other examples in this category (Bell's, Samuel Smith's, etc.).  The smell was great, the nose was great, and the taste was just OK.

**Side Note - the flavors did improve after I let this sit for a while and warm up.  I'll have to revisit this one again in the future.