Tasting Notes from Friday 08/11:
Monsters' Park in Quadruple Flowers barrels - 4.5 - Aged for approximately fourteen months in barrels. They weren't given any more information about the barrel than the fact that it's from Four Roses, so no word on which recipe. First sniff of the tasters hit with a big dose of dark cherries but that subsided, giving way to bakers chocolate, vanilla, and oak spice. A bit of heat on the aroma but not excessive, just enough to remind you that you're smelling a 15% ABV beer. The palate largely follows the nose with semisweet dark chocolate and vanilla leading, followed by oak and whiskey character, and that small note of dark cherries lingering in the background. One of my favorite single barrel treatments thus far, although trying various barrels has really driven home what a phenomenal job they do in blending Bourbon Monsters' Park every year and creating something that hits every note you want out of the style and builds immense complexity.
Devil's Teeth Aged in Jamaican Rum barrels - Turkish Coffee Edition - 4.25 - One of our included bottles, it takes the place of Devil's Teeth Aged in Cruzan Rum Barrels with Vanilla & Cardamom. I was really curious about this one and it didn't disappoint. Cardamom is evident right away, but not overbearing - it integrates nicely with the coffee and while it took a minute for me to process it, I really dug it. Vanilla is a piece of the puzzle but not playing lead, so don't expect a vanilla bomb. Rum barrel character in the background. On first sip, rum barrel hits first, followed by a nice dose of vanilla that helps to build a slightly sweeter coffee profile than on the nose. Cardamom helps keep it in check, the adjuncts really balance each other, well executed with a spice that could've turned the beer into a tire fire.
Countermagic - 3.5 - It has evolved since I tried it on draft, but still not really my jam in the context of a hazy IPA. The mouthfeel has softened and the aromatics have developed, but it's still markedly bitter and lacks the big juicy punch I want out of the style. There's nothing particularly flawed with the beer, and it works fine if you approach it as a hybrid style, but it largely falls victim to a comparison to everything else Modern Times has done in the past year of canned NEIPAs.
Symmetric Orchestra w/ Blueberries and Black Currants - 4.25 - Moderately acidic nose led by blueberries with a small dose of black currants mingling with funk in the background. On the palate, the fruit character is very nicely rounded. It would be easy for a huge dose of blueberries to create a runaway sense of acidity, but the black currants help keep it in check. Also no phenolic character from the berries, which is always a risk. Funk and light oak notes in the background.
Symmetric Orchestra w/ Guava, Blood Orange, and Hibiscus - 4.25 (borderline 4.5) - Andrew called it Symmetric Orchestra Hawaiian Punch edition, my first thought was a more complex Star Metal. Tropical punch bomb on the nose, guava hits you hard right away and blood orange comes in, followed by hibiscus notes rounding it out. Taste is a bit more balanced with hibiscus taking a slightly larger role and the funk and oak integrating nicely. Awesome beer, votes were split roughly 50/50 on which fruited version people preferred.
Assorted Notes:
1) LA is coming along and looks to be open by the end of the year. Steven (quite wisely) refused to give any dates or promises on LA or any other facility, but said things are moving along nicely.
2) There will be some upcoming perks for the top X members based on tasting room points and BPT purchases, one of which will be an embroidery thing. If anyone wants to get loincloths embroidered with the MT logo for a Modern Times x ManOwaR cover band, hit me up.
3) Unless they deviate from their usual scheduling of preview tastings, I will very likely be out of town for the tastings in both September and October. Hopefully someone else can string a few sentences together. If not, I guess we can all just blindly max our purchases and hope for the best.
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