Speaking of cellar beers, I remembered that I had put a few of my brothers bottles away in the closet nearly a year ago, out of sight out of mind sort of thing. The three bottles are his Contemplation Ale, Double IPA (which I should not of put in the cellar, oops, thought it was a different one!), and the Biere de Noel. As I write I am enjoying maybe the first consumed aged and labeled Dirt Bag brew, it makes me feel all special and fuzzy inside.

The beer in glass is the Contemplation Ale, of which Julie and I have split. This beer has a kick! But before I get too into the flavor, lets step back for a moment. The color is amber brown, mostly opaque as this is an unfiltered Belgian Dark Ale, it expresses itself with aromas of raisins, currents, spices, and well, winter, yes, winter has a smell, and somehow Josh put it in a bottle. The head is velvety, which I find intriguing, as when I had it last, if memory serves me right, and usually it does not, I remember a more relaxed head …? On to taste, the aromas do not let down, they are represented in full effect. The brew does have a level of sweetness, but I am forgiving of this as the alcohol content is at 12% ABV, nearing a barley wine, however, it has managed to maintain mostly pure balance.

Way to brew a beer Dirt Bag, and my compliments to the branding/labeling, matches the personality of the beer perfectly.

Cheers!