Bad Business 101

Today in BrewSounds I want to talk about honesty.

Honesty is of utmost importance in any relationship. It's the glue that keeps us together. It's transparency allows us to see each other for who we really are. 

What we like and don't like. What we loathe and what we love.  

 This applies whether we are talking about work or family. 

Friends or a mere acquittance. For some this takes longer to learn than others. I, for one, have been on both sides of dishonesty and can tell you, truthfully, both sides suck. It is the side that creates the dishonesty, though, that does the damage. Ruins marriages, breaks up families, tarnishes reputations and puts the "bad" in "bad business" like no other.

But, it's not just about being honest to others.

We must be honest with ourselves. We need to have a realistic and honest knowledge of our strengths.

And of our weaknesses.

Knowledge of ones own weaknesses can be used towards bettering oneself. Or it can be used to create a mask. To create a false impression. To make oneself appear bigger and better.

We all must avoid this for it is a trap. 
Each time we lie a bar is created. And with enough lies and enough time we are surely and inevitably surrounded by these bars. Trapped within them, sometimes to never escape.

Be honest with yourself. Be honest with the ones you love. Be honest with the ones you work with and for. And if you are a brewery don't ever, ever, ever be dishonest with craft brew people. We will see through your mask. We will know you for what you are. And we will talk about you, in a very honest fashion, with our friends and our family.

Brewery:

Fort Collins Brewery

Fort Collins, Colorado

www.fortcollinsbrewery.com/

Name/Style:

Double Chocolate Stout/American Double/Imperial Stout

ABV(alcohol by volume):

8.1%

This was my first Fort Collins Brewing beer I've ever tried and as I told the woman at the store, I was excited to try it. I love a good Stout as much as the next guy, but I am crazy for a good American Double Stout. The usual characteristics of an American Double Stout are similar to a Russian Imperial Stout, but taken to the typical American craft beer extreme. Big roasted malt profile, many brewed with chocolate or coffee, high alcohol content, large hop bite, full bodied with rich textures and a sweetness that remains as an aftertaste. Some are also aged in whiskey or bourbon barrels to make them even smoother.

FCB's Double Chocolate Stout states on the label, "Roasted malt, rich chocolate overtones, coffee undertones and impeccable balance."

Not quite.

I believe what they meant to say was huge coffee overtones with a hint of chocolate that actually mostly serves to make the bitterness from the hops, roasted malt and coffee even stronger. This bitterness goes looooong into the finish, which ends up dry. The body is too thin for the style, partly due to overcarbonation. The only part of this beer that really is characteristic of the American Double Stout style is the appearance. Opaque, dark brown with 1 finger of light tan colored head. Remember what I said earlier about masks and appearance? This is, to me, an example of a brewery trying to make their product look bigger and better than it truly is. FCB calls this one time release their "Most decadent creation." 

"Decadent" is a bit of a stretch. "Deceitful" is more like it.

Now, please understand that after all this ranting this beer is not a bad beer. It is a decent bitter Stout with emphasis on the coffee, but to call this a Double Chocolate Stout is just ridiculous. Anyone who likes and knows anything about a big, thick, awesome American Double would agree. Stout, yes. Coffee Stout, sure. American Double Stout with chocolate overtones and impeccable balance, no way.

I will be trying FCB's other beers in the future, but I will certainly hesitate to purchase next I see a Fort Collins brew. 

Musical Pairings:

What more is their to say.

Artist:

Queen

Song:

Liar

Album:

Queen

Artist:
Bikini Kill
Song:
Liar
Album:
CD Version Of The First Two Records