Engrained Events

We are sometimes are reminded of world events by where we were or who we were with when we first heard the news. Depending on your age, examples might be the assignation of President Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. or the death of Elvis or John Lennon, 911. Not all of these examples have to be tragic events. Where were you when… [fill in the blank]. Strangely enough, perhaps due to my label as a beer geek, I remember when and where I tasted certain beers. Strange, huh? Maybe not!

The Tale of Two Hearted

One such occurrence was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and I first tasted Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Back in 2013, some colleagues and I were at a pub in Marquette that served only Michigan beers. You can easily get away with that considering this is the home of Founder’s and Bell’s. I had never heard of Two Hearted Ale and gave it a try as did others at the table. We finished our beer and the beer keeper asked if we wanted another. To the person, the response was ‘yes’, that was very good. And Two Hearted has been on the list of my favorite beers since then and a safe recommendation for those tipping their toes into the IPA world.

I share that story to tell you this one. A few years ago Bell’s began shipping to Maryland and now I can have it just abot anytime I want. That is a big deal to me. I also remember the first time I had 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust. That is another good story for another day. And I can now get Zombie Dust just by traveling 5-minutes to The Winery on Kent Island. And now, another one of those iconic breweries is shipping to Maryland and is available at The Winery, Prairie Artisan Ales.

Prairie Ales

I was traveling on a business trip to the mid-West and arrived a day early, rented a car, and visited Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City MO, American Solera in Tulsa OK, and Prairie Artisan Ales in Oklahoma City OK. That is when I first tasted Bomb! (and some of the variants).

Now, beer from all three of these breweries is available at The Winery. It’s a great time to be a beer drinker. Just as my kids wonder what life was like before the internet, many budding beer neophytes will wonder how we survived without the selection of beer we now have available only for the asking.

Prairie Artisan Ales is the most recent of these famous breweries to come to Maryland. I brought home Bomb! to reacquaint myself with this old friend. I'll share my tasting notes with you.

Bomb! Tasting Notes

Imperial Stout aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and chili peppers. The label lists the ingredients and thus provides a glimpse of flavors to expect from Bomb!. Yes, it’s a big beer as “imperial” suggests clocking in at 13% ABV. I think of these as “dangerous beers” because the alcohol is masked by its many flavors. Surprisingly I'd rate the alcohol heat at only moderate. The coffee and chocolate is obviously present but not over powering, plus a hint of the vanilla. The question when you see chili peppers as an ingredient is whether you get heat or flavor. With Bomb! the chili definitely comes down on the side of flavor, so don't fear the heat. I have tasted some beers with chili as an ingredient that grabbed the back of my throat. Beer shouldn't be painful, don't you agree? There is little to no head on the pour. As expected, it pours a deep dark opaque black with beautiful tan rim. A beer with this many flavors balance is the key for me. Are the adjuncts overpowering or do they compliment the base beer? And with many big stouts, I've found they change their flavors as they warm up a bit and actually build character.

I rated this beer at 4.5 out of 5.0 points. That is rare air for a beer rating. It is well made and brings from a beer at this price ($11 per 12 oz bottle) what you hope and expect. Is it worth the lofty price tag? You will have to be the judge based on your pocketbook and tasting experience. I'm always hesitant when paying this much for a single bottle and ask the question, “Would I buy it again?” as a determinant. While this certainly isn't an everyday drink, it would be nice to have one around for a special occasion or a beer-geek friend drops by that you'd like to impress.

At the time of this writing, Untappd has Bomb! with a Global Rating of 4.3 with over 257k total ratings and 466 monthly ratings.

Bomb! is an imperial stout aged on Nordaggio’s espresso beans, chocolate, vanilla beans, and ancho chile peppers. All the flavors meld to create a truly unique beer. The peppers add just the right amount of heat to complement the intense coffee and chocolate flavors.

Final Thoughts

Next time you are in a bottle shop take some time to look around. Hopefully, your old favorites will be waiting for you but sometimes something new will sneak itself onto the shelves. Ask the staff what’s new, were there any new breweries picked up. Because sometimes that answer may be the Bomb!.