I managed to make it to the Bistro on Saturday night to meet up with friends Mike and his wife Diane. I met Mike at Beer and Winemakers of America homebrew shop one afternoon. It was a fun time and we decided to go out for some beers on Saturday.
The Bistro is a great little beer bar that mainly caters to a more local crowd. They are mainly known for their epic Double IPA Festival and IPA Festivals. In the time we were waiting for Mike and Diane to show up, I noted to Sammy that this could possibly be the first time we’ve been to the Bistro when it wasn’t a festival. While it was fairly slow when I first arrived, it was getting loud and packed by the time we left.
I had just finished tapping my Milk Stout the night before and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to put down some really hoppy ales but thankfully they had some other types of beers there as well.
Steelhead Bourbon Extra Stout, Mad River Brewing Company, 7.0% ABV
Black, nearly opaque beer with a tan/brown head. Sweet “caramel-ish” aroma that is a combination of roasty malts, black coffee, wood, bourbon notes and slight alcohol. The flavor is pleasant, smooth and similar to the aroma with deep roasted malt flavors, coffee, bourbon and a slight sourness in the finish. The bourbon character is noticeable but not very hot or harsh. This beer is medium-high in body with low/medium-low carbonation.
Unfortunately, the link above is only for the Steelhead Extra Stout. The bourbon version of this beer was specially made for the Bistro’s Wood Aged festival. I didn’t get to try it at the time of the festival but I’m glad I was able to have glass that night. If you enjoy bourbon flavors with your stout then I’d recommend this beer to you.
Old Scouter Barleywine, Bear Republic Brewing Company, 9.7% ABV
Still not wanting anything really bitter, I scan the beer board in hanging over the bar and settle on Old Scouter Barleywine from Bear Republic Brewing Company. This was another beer that participated in the Bistro’s Wood Aged Beer Festival. It was aged in for 6 months in an American Oak barrel that used to hold a Cabernet Sauvignon.
This beer pours out a very dark brown with reddish highlights and an off-white head. Sweet malt aromas, spicy notes, some floral notes, powdered, dark chocolate and slight alcohol notes are in the aroma of the beer. The beer is initially malty sweet with spicy, chocolate notes which give way to a medium-high/high hop bitterness that lingers into the finish. The beer is medium-high/high in body with medium carbonation. According to the beer sheet from the Wood Aged Beer Festival, there should’ve been a slight sour hint in the flavor but I didn’t pick it up.
Winter Ale, Black Diamond Brewing Company, 7.2% ABV
Black Diamond Brewing Company is a brewing company based out of Concord, California. They used to be in Walnut Creek as a brewpub but shut down the brewpub and continued on as a brewery.
Winter Ale pours out brilliantly clear, reddish brown in color with ruby highlights and an off-white head. Spicy, peppery, clovey aromas are primary with malt aromas secondary and a slight alcohol note. The flavor is a peppery and spicy in a Belgian yeast sort of way that gives out to a slight malt sweetness afterwards. This beer is medium/medium-high in body with medium carbonation and a slight dry finish.
Brewed with Belgian malts, candi sugar and using Belgian yeast, Black Diamond intended this beer to be brewed in the style of a Dubbel. While not a bad beer in it’s own right, I don’t think it’s much of a Dubbel. I am missing out on a lot of the complex maltiness that is a signature of the style and the spiciness is more reminiscent of a Trippel. But as the label says, it’s a Dubbel-style beer and not a Dubbel.
Good beer to have if you’re into malty beers, while the higher than average alcohol make it a pleasant choice for the colder winter evenings.
While I’m here reviewing…
I was able to finally tap my Milk Stout on Friday night. I had brewed this beer in early November and I am now reaping the benefits. I really like this beer. It’s pretty close to the BJCP standard, and save for a few flaws, it’s pretty darned good. Click here to view the original post where I’ve put down all the final details for this beer.
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