Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla & Abstraction Coffee Imperial Porters

Treehouse Brewing, Abstraction Vanilla & Abstraction Coffee

(C) 2018 popsonhops

Treehouse Abstraction Coffee
Beer #: 1,146
Tasting: December 20, 2018
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 8.8%

Has a bit of an acrid flavor quality that cuts through flavors like a knife. Most likely the coffee bitterness and the alcohol ethers working in conjunction. A bit distracting as it mutes everything else down a few pegs. On the plus side, it has cocoa and nutty undertones but conversely I would like some more of a creamy mouthfeel with more mocha quality but it just wasn’t there. Still nice but only 90 points from me.

Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla
Beer #: 1,147
Tasting: December 28, 2018
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 8.8%

This is the clear winner when comparing these two imperial porters. Much smoother with just enough vanilla to make it push it to decadent. Not sure why this one presents more creamy than the coffee version, but it does. Like its counterpart, some nutty and cocoa flavors. I’ll push Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla a couple ticks ahead of its coffee counterpart. 92 points.

Thanks Mark for picking these up…glad you made it.

 

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Madness and Civilization #9 by Hill Farmstead Merry Christmas indeed!

Madness and Civilization #9 Hill Farmstead

(C) 2017 popsonhops

Madness and Civilization #9

Tasting: December 31, 2017
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout
Beer #: 1,123
ABV: Not listed. My guess, 9.0% based ABV of components.

This bottle of Madness and Civilization was a surprise Christmas present. On the sight of the label, my eyes lit up like an eight-year-old. The only word I could utter out of my slack-jawed mouth was “wow”. Why wow? First, you have to appreciate that this is a beer that is only available at the brewery. Then you have to realize that this brewery is in the most remote area of northeastern Vermont. For persepctive, Hill Farmstead is about an hour from Stowe and about 25 miles from the Canadian border. On the drive to the brewery, you may spend a half an hour on unmarked dirt roads questioning your GPS. Lastly, you have to account that releases like this may only happen over a few days each month.

Notes from the brewery: This batch of Madness & Civilization is composed of Barrel-Aged Everett (PoH note: 8.0% ABV) and Birth of Tragedy (PoH note: 9.0%), each aged in our favorite bourbon barrels for 2 years, blended with fresh Genealogy (PoH note: 9.5% ABV), and then conditioned further with coconut and vanilla. After months of bottle conditioning, this beer is now ready for release and enjoyment.

This motor oil colored stout was a little cold at first pour and flavors were limited to a charred roasted flavor. Let it sit quite a bit, hoping that some of the adjunct flavors of vanilla and coconut would come through but I didn’t get any of those flavors. I shared this bottle with two others and they reported the same. I did pick up some cocoa, nuttiness and coffee. Mouthfeel is rich and decadent. Not as great as I was expecting but not as bad as getting underwear for Christmas. Madness & Civilization is a very good 92 points.

Read my thoughts on some other Hill Farmstead beer including Everett 97 points

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Careful Man, There’s a Beverage Here and Fall Saints, Exit 18 and Boris the Crusher Reserve

Fall Saints by Kane Brewing Company, Ocean, NJ
Exit 18 Baltic Porter by Flying Fish
Hey, Careful Man, There's a Beverage Here, White Russian Imperial Milk Stout by Pipeworks Brewing Company
BORIS the Crusher Reserve by Hoppin' Frog

Careful Man, There’s a Beverage Here by Pipeworks Brewing

Tasting: November 10, 2017
Style: White Milk Stout
Beer #: 1,117
ABV: 10.5%
Line from the movie, Big Lebowski. The reddish brown color of Careful Man, There’s a Beverage Here threw me for a minute but a double take on the label does say white stout. Looks more like a barley wine and tastes a bit like a barley wine. Boozy, caramel sweet, and mellow vanilla coffee flavor. This unique beer grew on me as I worked my way through but still a so-so beer, 86 points.

B.O.R.I.S. Reserve by Hoppin’ Frog

Tasting: November 11, 2017
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Beer #: 1,118
ABV: 10.4%
Called a reserve for the use of better, darker grains. I guess regular B.O.R.I.S. uses crappy grains. Lots of roasted grains, mellow chocolate underneath. A tad boozy. All-in-all ,92 points.

Read about regular old B.O.R.I.S.

Fall Saints by Kane Brewing

Tasting: November 19, 2017
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Beer #: 1,119
ABV: 9.4 %
A few sips in and I’m reminded why I don’t like pumpkin beer. Well in this case, butternut squash beers. Spices give this a chemical flavor. Not enjoying this at all, 70 points.

Exit 18 by Flying Fish

Tasting: December 9, 2017
Style: Baltic Porter
Beer # 1,120
ABV: 9.5%

Another release in the series named for New Jersey Turnpike exits. This time, Bergen County’s Exit 18. It’s noted that the Baltic reference is a tribute to the many Baltic residents in the county. That’s Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden. A pretty broad brush. Frankly, this beer should have been named for the Hudson River as it’s quite demure in watery flavor. Offers up some boozy burn. Very disappointing. 72 points.
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Bo & Luke Stout Against the Grain Just some good 'ol boys

Bo & Luke Stout, Against the Grain. An Imperial Stout made with smoked Corn, Rye and Barley aged in used Pappy VanWinkle Bourbon Barrels

(C) 2017 popsonhops.com

Bo & Luke Stout

Tasting: October 6, 2017
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 13%
Beer #: 1,100

Originally an Against the Grain Brewery and Brouwerij De Molen collaboration beer. Here’s how the Against the Grain describes Bo & Luke Stout:

We took the ingredients in bourbon whiskey (Barley, Rye, Corn) and then smoked them with cherry wood and brewed a huge imperial stout with them. Then to top it off we aged it in Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels. The resulting beer is rich, smokey and complex, with a bourbon character of caramel, vanilla and spice.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?

Here we are at beer number 1,100.

Very active carbonation, bubbles out of the bottle and no matter how careful I pour, it leaves a very active khaki-colored head. Even my first few sips are fizzy.

First flavor impression is a lot of peat and damp moss flavor. I assume whiskey influence here. Some cherries, smokey. Unique flavor for sure. Not your typical imperial stout. I’m not getting any of the advertised caramel, vanilla or even spice. A bit of a let down for me, but still interesting enough to call it at 89 points.

As I usually do, here are some of my milestone beers…

Beer # 1,000 The Bruery Black Tuesday
Beer # 900 Goose Island Cherry Rye
Beer # 800 DeStruise Black Albert
Beer # 700 Three Floyds Dark Lord
Beer # 600 Alesmith Speedway Stout
Beer # 500 Fifty-Fifty Elijiah Craig Esclipse
Beer #400 Founders Bolt Cutter
Beer # 300 Mother Earth Trippel Overhead
Beer # 200 Theakston XB
Beer # 100 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp # 37
Beer # 1 Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

October 6, 2017 is beer # 1,100 and 342 days since #1,000
October 29, 2016 is beer # 1,000 and 225 days since # 900
March 18, 2016 is beer # 900 and 172 days since # 800
September 29, 2015 is beer # 800 and 228 days since # 700
February 14, 2015 is beer # 700 and 163 days since # 600
September 5, 2014 beer # 600 and 300 days since # 500
November 9, 2013 was beer #500 and 340 days since # 400
December 4, 2012 was beer # 400 and 182 days since # 300
June 5, 2012 was beer # 300 and 195 days since # 200
November 23, 2011 was beer # 200 and 134 days since # 100
July 12, 2011 was beer # 100 and 244 days since # 1
November 10 2010, was beer # 1

How about another beer from Against the Grain?

Love the label art? Visit the website of the artist, Robby Davis.

And lastly, visit the brewery website here.

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