One of the most sought after beers in the world has made it’s way to St. Louis. With only about 50 cases brewed at a time and the fact it’s only brewed three or four times a year, you can quickly see just how rare Péché Mortel is. Here is the description from the Shelton Brother’s website about Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel’s mortal sin:

If you love really good coffee and really good beer equally, you will be thrilled with Péché Mortel. If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, and caffeine makes you bounce off the ceiling, then just put the bottle down and find something else to drink. This beer is all about coffee. Indeed, you may have seen ‘coffee stouts’ before, but no brewer has ever married coffee and beer so naturally and seamlessly.

And this isn’t just any stout, but an imperial stout, which means that it is modeled on the strong, rich, and very complex stouts that were made in England in the 19th and early 20th centuries exclusively for shipment to Russia, where they were a special favorite at the court of the Czars.

Just two cases made it into St. Louis and only two places have it for your enjoyment: 33 Wine Shop and the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton. Fair warning, I’ve heard this is rather expensive, but it may be worth a little extra cost to try this very special beer.

I made a decision before attending Monday night’s beer tasting at Growler’s, this was probably going to be my last tasting.  Growler’s recent beer menus have left a bit to be desired.  It seems like the same beers over and over again mixed with a few light lagers to really spice things up.  But if the this most recent tasting is a sign of things to come, I may have to change my mind.  Just a few beers I remember from the tasting:

• Avery Hog Heaven
• Arcadia Coco Loco
• Het Anker Gouden Carolus Carolus D’Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
• Great Divide Yeti
• De Proefbrouwerij - Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale
• O’Fallon Smoke
• Great Divide Hercules
• Left Hand Milk Stout
• Arcadia Hopmouth

Imperial IPAs?  Imperial Stouts?  Wild Ales?  Was this the same Growler’s I’ve been going to for the past 5 years?  And sure, that Wild Ale isn’t the more funky wild beer you’ll ever find, but it’s a step in the right direction!  Let’s just hope some of these beers make it onto the final beer list.  We’ll have to wait until September to find out for sure.

OK, back to brewing this weekend after a 3 week break. I almost did an extract batch this weekend just to save a little time, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend the extra $20-25.This weekend will be another Two Hearted IPA clone. I’m extremely happy with how this last one turned out, even if it is a bit cloudy. It smells and tastes fantastic. I’m probably going to end up making it my go to brewing beer from here on ou, hoping to perfect it along the way.

Pictured in the photo to the right is my Mango Blonde, my Raspberry Wheat and my Imperial IPA. After working on the Mango for 4 years, I think this is my last attempt.  I just don’t get any mango taste or aroma that comes through so it seems like a waste of time and energy.  It was a worthy effort but it’s time to hang it up.

You may remember my brewing schedule that I set up back in January, here’s the list as it stands right now:

May
Russian Imperial Stout
Weissbier
Two Hearted Clone

June
Belgian Dark Strong
Oktoberfest

July
Pumpkin Beer
Chocolate Cherry Stout

August
Schwarzbier
Robust Porter

September
Dopplebock
Christmas Ale
Imperial IPA

October
80 Schilling
Southern English Brown

November
Belgian Dubbel
Oatmeal Stout
Two Hearted Clone

December
English Barleywine
Brown Porter

I originally was going to brew a Belgian Dark Strong this month, but the Belgian beers just aren’t doing it for me as much anymore. I find them a bit too sweet and I can’t drink more than one without wishing I had something a bit hoppier. So I’ve decided to move the Weiss beer up to May and I’m thinking about taking the BDS out all together and moving the English Barleywine up to June and finding something else to brew in December.

Also, if anyone is interesting in homebrewing and has never done it or if you just want to help, you’re always welcome to come over to the house and help out.

Readers of STL Hops probably have figured out by now that I’m pretty obsessed with Three Floyds Brewing out of Munster, IN. If you’ve ever had some of their beers you’ll quickly realize why my obsession took root. Because of my sickness, I decided to attend Dark Lord Day 2008. If you’re unaware of what Dark Lord Day is, once a year Three Floyds brews a Russian Imperial Stout named Dark Lord and it’s only sold on Dark Lord Day. People (like me) travel from miles around to buy the beer.

But what makes the event so much fun is that it’s a huge gather of beer nerds that get together to not only buy the beer, but bring beer to taste and trade. You can’t swing a dead cat without having someone offer you something from around the country to taste that you’ve never had before.

This is the front of the line, people were mingling, sharing some beer and trying to stay warm. It was about a balmy 45 degrees on Saturday morning.

Read the rest…

With two beer events happening at the same time in St. Louis, it sometimes gets a bit difficult to decide which one to attend. Light night you had the option to attend the O’Fallon Beer Dinner at Big Sky Cafe or the Imperial Tasting at Whole Foods. How is a beer lover to decide? Luckily for me, I had already paid for my ticker for the Imperial Tasting before the beer dinner was announced, so I had the decision made for me.

Andy and Ric put on a fantastic spread of beers and snacks that not only allowed us to cut some of the big beer’s alcohol content, but also allowed us to pair beers with certain foods. For instance Ric provided malted milk balls to pair with things like the Imperial Stouts and a mildly sharp cheddar cheese to match with a bitter Imperial IPA.

The beers provided on this beer adventure were:

• Schlafly Imperial Stout (’06 and ‘07)
• Schlafly Barleywine (’06 and ‘07)
• Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
• Rogue - Old Crustacean Barleywine
• Arcadia - Imperial IPA
• Goose Island - Imperial IPA

Now you may be asking yourself, how did they get an ‘06 Imperial Stout and Barleywine? Normally I’d say that Andy is one of the few beer managers in St. Louis that actively holds beers back to age and sells them at reasonable prices. But in this case it’s because we had some very special guests, Dan Kopman and Nick Vickery of St. Louis Brewery, who brought along this wonderful beer.

If I were to rank my personal favorites from the evening, I’d probably choose the ‘06 Barleywine and ‘06 Imperial Stouts as my two clear cut favorites. It was amazing to try the beers side by side and see just how much they’ve mellowed and smoothed out over time. I also really enjoyed the Oak Aged Yeti from Great Divide. I’ve had both the oaked and un-oaked versions of this beer and have always preferred the oaked version. To me, the oaking really softens some of the harsher notes and gives the beer a subtle vanilla flavor as well.

This was a very fun event because it lets you really nerd out with fellow beer enthusiasts and really talk about beer. Andy and Ric are always looking for suggestions about styles for these tasting sessions. Feel free to comment here or in this thread on the forum to give them your ideas for future tastings.

Did anyone attend the event at Big Sky?  Feel free to leave comments about that as well, I’d love to hear about it.

Sorry again about the lack of posting this week, it’s been pretty hectic. I promise that next week will be better. In the meantime, here’s the Round-Up:

Stuff from around the web

• Looks like Anheuser-Busch is trying to find some space in downtown St. Louis.
• An exhibit I’ve been meaning to visit, Kettle to Keg is still at the Missouri History Museum
• Looks like some of the big boys are facing a state probe. Which isn’t as much fun as it sounds.
• The Big Foamy Head podcast had a chance to try out the Schlafly Bourbon Aged Imperial Stout.

Beer Releases and News

• Andrew from Bon Vivant Wines informs me to some new beers he has in his stock:
  • Ommegang - Rare Vos 12oz
  • Boulder Brewing - Obovoid
  • New Holland - Night Tripper
  • Brouwerij St. Bernardus - St. Bernardus Abt 12
• Jerad from Piasa Winery lets me know about some beer beers he has to offer you:
  • Boston Brewing Company - Sam Adams Triple Bock
  • Schmaltz Brewing - Jewbelation Eleven
• Paul at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton alerts me to some new beers he has in stock:
  • Unibroue - Unibroue 17th Anniversary
  • Kulmbacher Brauerei AG - Mönchshof Kellerbräu
  • Brasserie de Blaugies - Saison De L’Epeautre
  • Brasserie de Blaugies - Bière Darbyste
  • North Coast Brewing Co. - Le Merle

Here’s a list of upcoming beer events:

• Feb 23 - Beer Lovers Anonymous
• Feb 29 - New Belgium Beer Dinner at Whole Foods
• Mar 5 - Imperial Beer Tasting at Whole Foods
• Mar 5 - O’Fallon Beer Dinner at Big Sky Cafe

For those of you that are looking to get your big beers on, Whole Foods has got an event for you.  Ric Syberg and Andy Snead will be hosting a Imperial Beer Tasting on March 5th at 6:30 PM.

Well, it’s still pretty bit chilly outside, so we thought we’d taste the heavy beers before we delve into the lighter spring beers. On this night, we’ll be serving up belly warming imperial stouts, deep barley wines, and some hefty double IPA’s. This class is always a sell out, so sign up quick.

This event will set you back only $20.  You can purchase tickets here.

As I mentioned earlier in the week the St. Louis Brewery and Ritz-Carlton will be hosting a beer dinner to kick off the release of the 2007 Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and Barley Wine on Thursday, November 8th. One of the most interesting parts of the dinner is that you’ll have the chance to taste the 2006 and 2007 vintages side by side. This is a great opportunity if you didn’t have the will power to hold on to a 06 bottle to see what a difference a year makes.

You’ll also be one of the first people to try this year’s Christmas Ale. I got a chance to talk to Dan Kopman from the St. Louis Brewery last night and he’s very excited about the Christmas Ale. He thinks it’s their best one yet.

The menu is as follows:

Reception: Featuring Schlafly #15

First Course: Cornmeal Fried West Coast Oyster, Anise Spinach Flan, Lobster Cream
Featuring Pilsner and Hefeweizen

Second Course: Hot Hickory Smoked Atlantic Salmon Fine Bean Salad, Mango Mustard Dressing
Featuring Dry Hopped APA and Christmas Ale

Third Course: Roast Pepper Crusted Rack of Lamb, Toasted Barley, Blue Cheese and Tarragon Caramelized Shallot Jus
Featuring 2007 and 2006 Oak Aged Barleywine and Winter ESB

Dessert: Gianduja Orange Mousse, Matchu Green Tea Financier, Citrus Sauce
Featuring 2007 and 2006 Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and Coffee Stout

This is shaping up to be quite an event. Be sure to call the Ritz at 863-6300 to make your reservation now.

For all of you eagerly awaiting the 2007 line of St. Louis Brewery’s Schlafly Oak Aged Reserve Imperial Stout and Barley Wine your wait has gotten a lot shorter. Starting on Friday, November 2nd you’ll be able to purchase these beers at the Tap Room and the Bottleworks.

According to Dan Kopman, approxmately 600 cases of each beer was produced. So you’re going to want to get your hands on this as soon as possible. There will also be a launch party/dinner at the Ritz Carlton on Thursday, November 8th. I’ve got a call into Rhett Haynes at the Ritz to get more info on that event.

If you missed it, I had a chance to help bottle part of this 2007 line. It’s an interesting process you may want to check out.