Awash in Eclectic Ales

Don't look for any rhymes or reasons - these beers occupied my kitchen counter and I needed prep space. In the past few weeks I took a brief journey through one of the Sweetwater's most interesting experiments, another stop in Fort Collins' Incredible Hop series and a few other curious brews.

15 and Life to Go: Sweetwater 15 Years of Heady Beers
Sampled: March 11, 2012

For its 15th anniversary, Sweetwater brewed an ale with seven malts (one toasted) and five-hop ale that might be classified as Imperial ESB. I know Sweetwater eschews labels, but I cannot help it. ESB is among the most underrate beer styles, and Sweetwater perfectly illustrates what doubling an ESB recipe will do.

They started with their original ESB label and took off from there. One of the malts was toasted, a callback to its early days. There’s a faint bit of roasted malt lurking in this complex beauty. The hops definitely beat the malt to the finish. Bitter flavors abound.

They’ve created a strangely drinkable strong British-style ale. After a certain alcohol content, most British-style beers turn into barleywine or get hopped like IPAs. Sweetwater nails the balance here, and the flavor profile is hardly middle of the road.

I get some hints of red fruits, including some cherry. Amber in color, some pepper peaks through the hops and malt, an undeniable flavor at 10 percent ABV. Some chicory, and faint toffee emerge in the body. At its strength, Sweetwater 15 has no right being this easy drinking or balanced. This amazing beer might never appear again, but all anniversary ales should celebrate with such fervor.

Fort Collins Incredible Hop: Imperial India-Style Wheat Ale
Sampled: March 2, 2012

This ale has a mouthful for a name, and a bouquet that fills the room. The apricot and peach tones fleshed out by spritz of herbs and hop. Pepper fills in the margins. The transparent orange body produces more waves of passion fruit, with mango growing more assertive as it warms in the glass. I am slowly working through this Fort Collins series, and enjoy the splicing of styles. None of them seem revolutionary, but the approach is tasty and impeccable.

American wheat ale, which I usually think of as filtered wheat ale, is not my preferred choice for me, but it works. This Incredible Hop is a little peppery for my tastes; wheat wine’s high-octane alcohol content tends to drive that flavor. I found myself wishing Fort Collins had left this one unfiltered to add some more character, a la Hopfenweissen from Schneider and Brooklyn.

The finish grows in stature through a few pours of The Incredible Hop. The pepper becomes less dominant as the hops produce an assertive wave of dry citrus headlined by grapefruit and lemon. A must for wheat wine fans and a curiosity for hopheads, The Incredible Hop strikes a delicate, strong and flavorful balance among the Imperial IPA and wheat ale flavors.

Old Crafty Hen 
Sampled: March 9, 2012

The draught cans of Old Speckled Hen and the fine, higher alcohol Hen’s Tooth, have regularly inhabited my fridge in the past decade. Now the Morland added a third hen to its coop, a vintage ale that blends a higher-strength Old Speckled Hen with Old 5X, an ale that runs between 10 and 12 percent ABV.

At room temperature, Old Crafty Hen shines. The amber body sports minimal head and a small but strong effervescence. Toffee differentiates the nose. Caramel and honey coat the raisin and grainy textures that emerge. The finish is quite sweet with a blossom of herbs boosting its complexity. At 6.5 percent ABV, Old Crafty Hen falls out of session ale consideration. It’s crispy and relatively light for its malt profile and alcohol content. Old Crafty Hen should appeal to any fans of British pub ales.

Victory Helios
Sampled: March 11, 2012

Fans of beers with wild yeasts have a seen veritable glut of these unpredictable ales on the market. Wild yeast, led by brettanomyces, have been harnessed to create a new generation of sour-orange ales. Green Flash put it on shelves in a four-pack.

Victory Brewing went with an affordable (under $5) bomber with Helios. Brett develops a pretty consistent flavor profile, but Victory works within those confines to knock out an original take. The brilliant lemon-orange body hints of flavors to come. A thin but lush layer of foam crowns the ale. The lemon comes in waves, sprinkling character from coriander, black pepper and touches of cider.

Forget about orange peel, it’s spring and I detect a strong taste of kumquats. Orange accents the lemon here, keeping Helios from turning into another Orval clone. No secret here – Orval ranks among my favorite beers. I expected to hit a saturation point with wild ales – hell, I blew through low thresholds with barrel-aged beers and IPAs. But I am not there yet. Helios is too likable and refreshing while retaining its complexity.