Greetings hop heads and malt maniacs! We’re back with another installment of the Saturday Night Sixer, brought to you on a Sunday this week (thanks, technical difficulties); this week we’ve got a few heavyweights to pop the tops on. Not sure which six pack will please the palates of your friends? Tired of the same stagnant beers from the corporate guys? Want to put some new flavor in that glass? Well, look no further than this week’s offerings, which you can find at fine package liquor stores in your area. Can’t find what we’re writing about or have a new suggestion? Feel free to e-mail us or leave us a comment; we’re always looking for new beers to try. Onward to the beers…

First up this week we have the Ken Schmidt/Iron Fist/Stone Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout. Now, I’m sure we don’t have to introduce Stone Brewing; however, if you are wondering who Ken Schmidt is, he is a homebrewer based out of San Diego. Ken was given a golden ticket, so to speak, the opportunity to collaborate with Stone and Iron Fist Brewing Company on a beer after winning the 2012 March Madness Homebrew Competition. That win gave birth to what I, and many others, have been eagerly waiting for; mint and chocolate go together like peanut butter & jelly. Therefore, an innovative recipe combined with the experience of the folks at Stone and Iron Fist has given birth to this dark devil in a bottle.

With a jet black hue you would expect from this style, this brew has a strong, thick head that sticks around for a bit, but swirls well. The roasted malt and mint aromas hit you with your first whiff and continue with each drink. The roasted malts and cocoa are all over your palate with this one, with the mint finishing on the back of the palate, and giving you what one would expect with a beer with these ingredients. The mint actually blends well with the hops here, giving the beer an extra punch. Still, though, the chocolate and malts are the stars here. The mint actually comes through a bit more when this brew is a bit warmer, so you might try drinking this one longer after it’s been out of the refrigerator than normal, around 50 degrees or so. This is a velvety, smooth, dark mistress, very thick but it goes down smooth with just enough mint on the back of the palate to balance the rich chocolate and roasted flavors. Overall this is a very enjoyable beer, especially for this time of year or as an after-dinner beer. This is an extremely limited offering that will not last long, so head out soon and pick this up. This will be a perfect gift for the holiday season for any beer aficionado!

Now, for those with adventurous taste buds, you need look no further than Kickin’ Chicken Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine from Santa Fe Brewing Company. If you are familiar with Santa Fe Brewing’s Chicken Killer Barley Wine, then you are in for a treat, as well as a kick in the face, with this limited-release beast. They have taken the Chicken Killer and brewed it with twice the ingredients of any of their other beers, but only get about half the yield, therefore producing a concentrated brew. After brewing, they took the batch and aged it for nine months in Wild Turkey 101 (cripes!) bourbon barrels, giving way to a mingling of extra flavors to enhance the experience. The result is this batch of liquid gold that is equal flavors barley wine and bourbon!

As intimidating as Kickin’ Chicken may sound, it is remarkably welcoming. With a hazy, dark amber/caramel-color and strong toffee and sugary, vanilla aromas, you would almost not expect the bourbon flavor. With the first sip, however, you get the full flavor; the toffee and caramel malts are there, along with slight citrus hints from the hops. But the aging in the bourbon barrels really shows through, as there is an even whiskey taste throughout. The notes of vanilla and oak actually blend well and produce a slightly smokey flavor on the back of the palate. This definitely has a kick (the name may have given you this impression already, but it is definitely not overwhelming, and is surprisingly pleasant and smooth). Don’t let the smooth nature of Kickin’ Chicken deceive you, though, as it still clocks in at 12-percent ABV, so make sure you’re someplace comfy for the night before unleashing one of these bad boys. Kickin’ Chicken is in pretty limited release and probably won’t last long, so grab a few of these and maybe store one away to age for a special occasion, as I have!

Both of these beers can be found at Jubilation Wine & Spirits and most Whole Foods Markets in and around Albuquerque, but any of your fine neighborhood packaged liquor stores should be able to point you in the direction of either of these fine brews. So, happy drinking and until next time …

Prost!

— Brandon (Cryptogrind)