New Beer Friday | January 11 Edition

By Chris Siciliano

'Swig' Johnson / Lagunitas Sucks

After a one-week hiatus, New Beer Friday returns with a bevy of new beers, all of them good, many superb, and one in particular commanding special attention.

I'm referring of course to Bell's Hopslam, and if you're enthusiast enough to read this far into something called New Beer Friday, you probably know already that Hopslam came out earlier in the week.

In fact, Vegas oddsmakers tell us there is a good to excellent chance that some of you are quaffing a pint of Hopslam right now, even as you read these words. To that we say good, drink up and enjoy. For the time being at least—who can say for how long—there remains in Beer City plenty of Hopslam for all.

By the way, the return of New Beer Friday and Hopslam are not the only noteworthy stories to come from Siciliano's this week. Did you hear we're having a party, holding a contest, and writing a book? Exciting times we live in, no?

New (and Returning) Beer

• Bell's Hopslam, $2.99/12oz - "Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell’s Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s repetoire. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style" (source).
• Goose Island Night Stalker, $10.09/22oz (1 bottle/person) - "Night Stalker, as an homage to the Chicago-based television show. Night Stalker is a jet black, dry hopped Imperial Stout, extremely rich and full flavored with malt and chocolate followed by a bright dry hopped aroma. It is the same base as our Bourbon County Stout, but instead of aging in Bourbon barrels, we dry hop it like madmen" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, $1.59/12oz - "Ruthless IPA is brewed with this rustic grain for refined flavors – combining the peppery spice of rye and the bright citrusy flavors of whole-cone hops to create a complex ale for the tumultuous transition to Spring" (source).
• Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, $4.79/22oz - "Our Original Stout, brewed with real Hardcore Coffee from Sebastopol" (source).
• New Holland Night Tripper, $8/22oz - "Night Tripper is an Imperial Stout brewed for a Fat Tuesday release. Dark, mysterious and poetic, Night Tripper's abundance of roasted malts, combined with flaked barley create a rich, roasty beer with deeply intense and lush flavors. Night Tripper's layered, nuanced tones invite intrigue and reward a curious palate" (source).
• Gulden Draak, $5.69/12oz - "Gulden Draak is a high fermentation beer with secondary fermentation. For the secondary fermentation, wine yeast is used. The white bottle, the black banner, the golden dragon and the red letters, constitute a stylish result that has no equal among the many Belgian special beers. Gulden Draak can be drunk as an aperitif or dessert, or whenever you have the time to sit back and relax. But this barley wine is also perfect with and in stews, especially the Ghent variety. It is also a plus in sauces for red meat, such as a bordelaise. It is particularly suited as a dessert beer, especially in combination with dark chocolate" (source).
• Crown Valley Cowboy Coffee Porter, $2.09/12oz - "Cowboy Coffee Porter is full bodied and smooth with rich undertones of roasted coffee and chocolate malt" (source).
• Lagunitas Sucks, $1.99/12oz (1 six-pack/person) - "A ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats…. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.85% abv, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor" (source).
• Victory Baltic Thunder, $6.49/22oz - "This dark lager still features a reminiscent roasted character that embodies the fullness of toffee, along with subtle fruit flavors derived from its higher temperature fermentation. Long, cold aging tempers this complex beer into a well-rounded delight that warms with its significant alcohol strength. The final packaged product will be released in 25.4 fluid ounce bottles" (source).
• Shorts Publican Porter, $2.19/12oz - "Defined as an imperial London porter, Publican Porter contains only traditional brewing ingredients" (source).
• Big Sky Cowboy Coffee Porter, $1.69/12oz - "Roast malt flavors, a crisp hoppy edge, and infused coffe flavors" (source)
• Atwater Andiamo Birra, $1.69/12oz - An artisan lager (source).
• Frankenmuth Winter Bock, $1.69/12oz - "A special seasonal offering made with six varieties of roasted malt. It features a dense rocky head, a tawny color, hints of toffee and a warming finish" (source).

Picture of the Week

Hopslam cap in an ideal setting, off the bottle, that is.

Cheers!