Well, today is a bit of a milestone. Today's post here is the 100th since starting this humble little blog back in January. A couple weeks ago I started thinking about whether or not I should try to do something special for this centennial post. It kind of snuck up on me so I wasn't able to get too nuts with this. But as this blog is all about talking about beer, I figured a good way to celebrate this 100th post would be to talk about a cool beer. Today's beer, The Kaiser, is the second in Avery's Dictator Series. The first Dictator I looked at, The Maharaja, is one of my all time favorite beers. I have high hopes for this one. I've been trying to find a fresh bottle of this Imperial Oktoberfest Lager for years. Oh yeah, I've been resisting the fall seasonals for weeks. But seeing as Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is next weekend (I can't wait!) I figure it's time to finally get into the swing of things. To the beer!
The Kaiser pours a perfectly clear and beautifully filtered coppery scarlet amber with bright golden highlights. It's topped by a resilient layer of off white hear that leaves some of the best lacing I've ever seen.
Aromas of subtle toasty malt hit first, followed quickly by rich nutty caramel notes. There's also an intriguing bock-like dark fruity sweetness. This is quite a delicate and complex set of aromas going on here. It's a beer you have to pore over for a bit.
Wow. This is one smooth, rich, malty beer. I can definitely taste a traditional Oktoberfest lager in here, but The Kaiser is something altogether different. Right up front theres a prickly hop spiciness that hits right on the tip of the tongue. It gives way to a toasty malt character that mingles with flavors of rich sweet pitted dark fruits. There's also a bit of slight tartness going on here as well. Spicy, herbal, ever-so-slightly fruity hop flavors are there the whole way through. They balance and add a surprising level of bitterness. This is as full bodied and complex a lager as you're likely to find outside of a doppelbock/ eisbock. The richness and alcohol warming make this beer perfectly suited for fighting off the coming fall chill.
The Kaiser is big, rich, complex, boozy, fascinating, and unexpected beer. I think unexpected is the key word here. Going in, I didn't really know what to expect from an imperial Oktoberfest, but this beer wasn't quit it. And that is absolutely a good thing. I love being surprised by a beer. Go find this one folks, it's special.
One more thing. On this milestone post I need to take a second to thank all of you folks who spend a few minutes a day reading this nonsense. When I started this blog it was really just an excuse to talk about beer. I get a massive kick out of the fact that you fellow beer nerds out there dig it. I have enjoyed these 100 posts immensely and have no plans to quit any time soon. In 100 posts I feel like I've hardly scratched the surface of all of the stuff I want to talk about. So stay tuned!
HD
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