Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale

A beer lover's dream

Now this is a beer I can write about.
If you guys haven't heard of Trader Joe's I suggest you Google it immediately, and then get out more. This place is awesome, it mixes healthy food with random snacks crap that 20 something bachelors love, as well as being the only grocery store I know of that brews it's own beer. I was originally hooked on their Name Tag lager (which I'm not going to talk about on this blog, it's hard to sell a $2.99 six pack as "classy") and found out about their Vintage Ale in 2010. After picking up a couple bottles then, and drinking it over the year I fell in love with this particular "Limited Edition". So today I'm going to talk about their 2011 Version

Now this beer is classy. On a scale between drinking Old Milwaukee in front of your trailer to sipping on Scotch and discussing building railroads I'd put it probably around wearing a V-Neck sweater and telling your neighbors how you acquired a bear skin rug. While Joe only brews this for a limited time, it's not exactly hard to find. All you need to do is walk into Trader Joe's around X-Mas and they should have a display like above full of the stuff. Now I fully recommend picking up at least 2 bottles, because the stuff ages pretty well. If you're a bit more of a connoisseur of finer alcohols (or like to pretend to be) you'll notice that the ale picks up a different profile as the months go on. This year the cute little cashier told me she was sitting on a 4 year old bottle, and was planning on popping it open fairly soon. Regardless I've had it brand spanking new and a few months old, and I can honestly say that each is it's own experience.

Seeing a Pattern yet?

So what does it taste like?
Well first off lets talk about how it pours and smells. This stuff is high gravity. So it pours pretty thickly and builds head quickly. A nose full will give you an almost obnoxious spicy odor, but don't worry: It smells stronger than it is. When you finally take a sip you should enjoy a fairly malty and distinctly spice flavored beer. I'm not chef or baker, so I can't tell you if it's Cinnamon, Nutmeg or Ginger. But it's pleasant and reminds you of a nice lazy winter day sitting by the fire and muttering about those damn kids half a block down.



Now before you run off and try to commit suicide for missing this delicious brew the last couple years I should say this - This Ale is far from perfect. Like a lot of the Higher Gravity drinks the flavor can be a little rough to swallow after a while, and the spice makes this particular beer seem one sided. Unlike some of the more subtle drinks I've tried this is a one note beer. It's flavor doesn't evolve as you go down the bottle, and the aftertaste is about the same as the second it hits your tongue. Of course as long as you accept that enjoying this beer is pretty easy. A whole bottle wont get you tanked (damnit), but by the end of it you should have a warm buzz not unlike what you get from sipping a glass of Gentleman Jack (without the wanton anger of course).

The final verdict.
Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale is pretty good, if a little one sided. Considering the fact that it runs $5 for a 2 pint bottle I strongly recommend it for the experience of trying it. I have personally fallen in love with the stuff, and will probably pick up a case next year to introduce friends and family to it. Is it going to win any beer awards? Probably not. But you could do much worse for the price.