The Common Table
2917 Fairmount Street
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 880-7414
http://www.thecommontable.com/
The recent North Texas edition of the Saint Arnold Brewery’s newsletter broke the news on two major events this past week: details on bars where we could find Divine Reserve #10 on draft locally as well as a vertical tasting of Divine Reserves #1 to #9 emceed by Saint Arnold co-owner and founder Brock Wagner. The tasting was hosted by Corey Pond, Jeff Fryman (with his fresh cicerone certification on-hand, congrats!), and all the other fine folks at the Common Table.
For the uninitiated, the Saint Arnold brewery releases a series of single batch beers called the Divine Reserve. They are not on a recurring schedule and do not have a particular theme. Each batch has a unique recipe, which can be identified by the number displayed on the neck label. The batches are very small, so fans of the brewery monitor the release closely, going into a frenzy to hunt it down like soccer moms in search of Furbies or Tickle-Me-Elmos on Black Friday.
Saint Arnold’s recent expansion provided 20 percent additional yield for this recent Divine Reserve; which equates to roughly 1800 cases of #10, compared to 1500 for #9. The Spec’s in Midtown Houston is a store noted for their beer selection, and reports indicate their allotment of 95 cases of #10 was gone in a matter of minutes. Fortunately for me (and other local BA’s), the demand we see in Dallas doesn’t compare to the bedlam in Houston. In other words, I’ve had an easy time finding every release since #4, the first one I seeked out. Having this experience with the releases made it clear that the opportunity to try all of the previous Divine Reserves in one sitting is indeed a rare one. I knew I had to pounce on it quickly and also invited Teresa Gubbins to tag along. We sampled each Divine Reserve in order of release, as Brock Wagner gave us a history lesson, providing anecdotes and commentary on each beer.
Divine Reserve #1: English Barleywine bottled on October 17, 2005. The beer poured an amber color and there were little bits of sediment floating around, indicating I’d gotten the tail end of a pour. Toffee and sweet notes hit the nose and I didn’t mind the sediment as the beer had a smooth mouthfeel. There was a light and subtle sweet flavor and I barely tasted the alcohol. I almost felt like I was drinking bread pudding.
Divine Reserve #2: Belgian-style quadruppel bottled on July 18, 2006. Once again, my pour was towards the bottom of the glass and had an orange-amber color that was cloudy like apple cider. Brock stated this beer was brewed in two different batches with different yeasts; Chimayand Chico yeast. The beer had very little carbonation and had sweet pear flavors, with a syrupy mouthfeel.
Divine Reserve #3: Double IPA bottled on September 21, 2006. In Brock’s words, this was an aromatic-less double IPA! The beer poured an orange color and he was correct about the aroma; there was no hop, clove, or citrus to hit the nose; the odor was more musty and pungent, somewhat like wet cardboard. The sip is nothing like the smell as it ended with a massively dry, yet pleasing bitter with plenty of oxidation. To me, the mouthfeel and flavor wasn’t what I would expect from a double IPA.
Divine Reserve #4: Wee Heavy bottled on February 20, 2007. This particular beer is special as it earned a gold medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup, making it the only award-winning Divine Reserve. This dark brown colored beer was the first Divine Reserve I ever sampled and to be honest, the mouthfeel seemed as fresh as the first time I ever tried it. The aromas included caramel and citrus fruits, as flavors of caramel and mouthfeel of syrupy smoked malt were prominent with a subtle peaty finish.
I know I’m not the only one who was really excited about Divine Reserve #5. My favorite Divine Reserve was a Russian Imperial Stout bottled on August 28, 2007. As expected of the style, the beer poured black as night with plenty of lacing, and smelled like roasted coffee and malt. The smoke flavor greatly developed, yet there were balanced notes of caramel and toffee. The beer was full-bodied, smooth, and cohesive as it gently hit the palate with warmth, while finishing with astringent mocha notes. I think this beer could still get even better with more time.
Divine Reserve #6: American Barleywine bottled on February 20, 2007. The amber colored beer was another hop monster with strong pine aromas. The hops have clearly faded, but there are still aggresive bitter flavors that blast into the tongue, which makes sense as Brock said this beer was packed full of Columbus hops.
Divine Reserve #7: Weizenbock bottled on September 5, 2008. The beer pours a light brownish cloudy color, just like most beers of the same style. Big banana, clove and yeast scents attack the nose. The mouthfeel is a lot smoother than what I remember and there was an amicable play between malts, banana, and clove. All of these flavors lingered in the finish.
Divine Reserve #8: Scotch Ale bottled on August 20, 2009. The beer had an hazy caramel/amber color and smelled peaty. The body was still full and felt lively in the mouth, while the sweetness has moderated down to a pleasant level and the peat flavors were more prominent in the finish.
Divine Reserve #9: Pumpkin Stout bottled on November 11, 2009. Brock said he hates pumpkin beers while TG doesn’t quite feel the same way. Sorry TG, but I’m with Brock on this one. Though I will admit, I am blown away at how much this beer evolved after about a year. The beer poured dark brown and had strong pumpkin aromatics like potpourri. Much smoother and the spiciness was more pleasant and tame compared to the first time, which I really enjoyed. It reminded me of a pumpkin pie fresh out of the oven but with a subtle chocolate topping.
Experiencing the development in flavors over time in these Divine Reserves was remarkable. The tasting proves that the Divine Reserve series is worth seekng upon release, sampling, and then waiting patiently to allow time for the flavors to evolve. For those of you who found some Divine Reserve #10, you better keep some around for a few years to see how they turn out! Many thanks to the Common Table for hosting such a wonderful and educational event!