2015_beeradventPast half way and the Craft Beer Importers Advent Calendar box gets lighter and lighter (you can read Part I and Part II as well). Didn’t get to Sunday’s beer, so it will have to wait until the final installment later this week.

Here is last week’s offerings:

14. Saugatuck Blueberry Maple Stout

The name alone makes me nervous. It smells like blueberry syrup, the fake kind that goes on pancakes. But, I still find it impressive that the blueberry comes through as much as it does in such a dark beer. The beer, itself is inky black with almost no head. I find it quite sweet upfront, with maple syrup some fruitiness and a sweetened coffee character. The middle brings out a bit more coffee and the linger is dark roast malt and maple. The blueberry really only comes through in the aroma and a bit in the linger. The rest is an overly sweet stout with some mildly interesting maple notes.

15. West Sixth Christmas Ale

Chestnut brown with a decent, creamy off-white head. There are classic Xmas spices in the aroma: clove, cinnamon, ginger, sweet brown sugar. The flavour starts with a creamy soft caramel sweetness with accents of honey and plum. Spices pick up in the middle and remind me of a ginger cookie and mulled cider. The finish is fairly balanced, with a light sweetness mixing with earthy spiciness, nutmeg and clove. I like the balance in the beer, the spices are present but not over done. It also has an attractive velvety mouthfeel. A nicely delivered Xmas spiced ale, but as will all of this style I am happy to stop at one.

16. Big Sky Biere de Noel

Another mid-week bouncer of a beer. This one clocks in at 10.1%. It is light red hue offering only a thin head. Its understated aroma offers some toffee, bits of fruit, raisin and a subtle butterscotch. The sip has a fairly nondescript beginning, some raisin and plum, a bit of soft generically sweet malt. A bit of yeast spiciness picks up in the middle adding an earthy, soapy character and also a bit medicinal. I get some clove and pepper in there as well, but more in the background.  I realize this is brewed as a Quad, but it seems oddly simple and lacking complexity. The yeast spicing is okay but the base beer doesn’t offer enough to hold it up.

blackmarket17. Black Market Sour Ale with Cherries

I have never seen a sour ale in a can before. Pours very hazy with a deep pink/light red hue. It forms a bubbly white head that lasts. The aroma is clean tartness, some earthiness with some hints of cherry. I expected more cherry aroma. I first get hints of fruity sweetness right at the front but it quickly gives up the stage to a clean lactic sourness. Only a light candy cherry note. The dominant feature is the lactic, which is clean and fairly pleasant, but not as much fruit character as I would want. It is only vaguely cherry and not even close to a Kriek. Also the body is too thin, leaving an empty sweetness and the sour.

18. Black Oak Neck of the Woods Vintage Ale

A dark red beer with a noticeable haze. It forms a thick, dense light tan head with some lacing. An impressive head. It gives off a rich, oily aroma with deep burnt caramel, some darker fruit and a light alcoholic character. The front sip is a bit lighter than hoped offering some fruit and only a delicate malt sweetness. The middle sharpens up noticeably with almond, port and sherry notes, some whiskey hints and a light astringency. It finishes with sweet with a sharp grainy tang and some earthiness. The linger is quite alcoholic.

19. Back Forty Trade Day Cuban Coffee Stout

This is a deep space black with a dark tan head that fades away rather quickly. However for its deep hue, it provides only a subdued aroma of light coffee, some dark malts a bit of cherry and chocolate. The front has some chocolate, fruit and not a whole lot else. The middle brings in some coffee and a bit of a tart tang in the back ground. The finish is moderately roasty, fairly dry and sharp, with a bit of alcohol linger. A bit timid overall, I think.

Check back on the 24th for the last edition.