“Veni Vidi Bibi .”
“I came, I saw, I drank”
After what seems like eons, I’ve finally come back to tell the tales of my exploits into the craft beer world in and around Denver thus far. However, these past few months have been full of trials and tribulations, in which, I can not simply summarize in a half-trodden toting of quaffables. So let’s just get to why I’ve been gone and why the revamp on the blog shall we?
My hiatus can be explained briefly and without too much fretting: I needed to make time to drink beer, read about beer and think about all things beer related!
Easy enough.
As far as the revamp on the page name style. I’ll start by saying that Quotients and Potions was never meant to be permanent. I originally stole it from a poem that I wrote years ago and saw it as a quick, easy fix to combine my love for art, science and beer (you can find the original poem – titled Killing Rules of Common Courtesy – plus some other terrible and not so terrible ones here: https://www.facebook.com/thelamightydejus/notes). All in all, I wanted to combine my interests and create a conduit for knowledge and future growth by branding the concept of Craft Beer, Comics, Video Games and Travel in a holistic, yet simple, phrase: The Laughing Traveler.
Finally, the fun part. Since I will not onslaught you with all of this at once, I will begin with two of my old beers that made the travels with me to Denver while being maintained in a cellared environment and reached their anniversary of my individual target dates of 1 year.
- Espresso Oak Aged Yeti by Great Divide (acquired in Ohio and brought to Denver oddly enough, since the brewery is rather close): Unfortunately, I would rather have opted for the Barrel Aged Yeti (aged in bourbon barrels) but, in this case, settled on the less hearty brother. Aged with oak chips rather than a barrel, this Yeti lacks the absorptive lignins from the core of the tree allowing more complexity and stability in aging. In that, vanilla flavors are now almost all but non-existent. Served at room temperature, this poured thick and smooth enough. The most noticeable aspect being a strong coffee still pungent from nose-to-taste. Some subtle chocolate notes and a little more thin than the pour would have originally led to believe. Overall aging potential: 4 out of 10. I would maybe allow a few months at best in the future, but this bad boy is best served on the fresher side.
- The Darkest Hour by Anchorage Brewing Company (acquired in Ohio, brewed in Alaska): This Belgian Imperial Stout may have boasted it’s Dark as night spiel on the back, but in aging some of those proteins clustered and settled creating a slightly lighter in appearance brew upon serving. The once heavy booze-laden nose from the 13% ABV has died off some, but still let’s you know it’s come to mess up any plans you had to, I don’t know…mow the lawn, pick up the kids, practice your Super Smash Brother’s combos…the important things in life. So if you expect a sweet, malty rush, you’d be wrong Donkey Kong. The rush of banana esters from the aged yeast shock your palate and leave you to tip-toe the rest of your way through this complex beer. There still is some gentle nut flavors and a bitterness that is not the bitterness you’d find in American style alpha-acid based hops, but more so like the European style beta-acid hops (purely speculation). Oh, and the final kicker, this one seems to have continued carbonating in the bottle and has a nice fizz that does not decimate a delicate smooth finish. Aging Potential: 8 out of 10. Maybe a little high rating, but I’d like to try and give this another year and see how it tastes at the 2 year benchmark.
Hope you enjoyed! Please comment and continue drinking liquid courage so that maybe you, too, can save the world.
The Laughing Traveler 