Beer reviews: Proper Brewing Till Death and Bewilder Weizenbock 

• Mike Riedel

Proper - Till Death: A decade ago, Black IPAs—or Cascadian Dark Ales, as some prefer—were everywhere. Every brewery had at least one at some point, but as fast as they blew in, they fell out of favor with beer-drinkers just as quickly. Now, they pop up every now and then to remind people why they were such a hit. Think of these as a well-hopped, lighter bodied, American-style Porters.

What we have with Proper's Till Death is a dark brown, coffee-colored ale with some reddish hues to it—heady, with some dark khaki suds layered over the top. It smells piney at first, with some soft citrus and herbal undertones. A drift of mild roast character moves forth from there, evoking a bit of coffee and nutty chocolates—not super-aromatic, but with some good hop notes there and a clean balance.

The taste confirms the nose, as a flourish of piney hops develops up front along with a few citrus and herb notes laced in between. It builds up to that roasty malt/coffee presence, and a hint of cocoa is mixed in along with some light brown-sugar sweetness. It's not all that dark or ashy, if you will, which is nice, and it avoids becoming too acrid, a frequent weakness of hoppy black ales. There is a mild amount of actual hop bitterness to this one, which contributes to the overall balance—smooth and clean, with the alcohol totally masked throughout. Body is moderate, and a nice, even level of carbonation keeps things lighter on the palate. You even get a touch of bitters with the accompanying roasty linger, dry at the finish and mostly clean overall.

Verdict: The Proper Brewing team confirms my beliefs that they could deliver on this Cascadian Dark Ale, both hoppy and roasty without one component mucking up the other. It's not any type of game-changer, but damn well-crafted with great balance.

Bewilder Weizenbock: Bock beers were the traditional beer brewed by Bavarian monks to consume during Lent and were basically the monk's only sustenance over that time of fasting. They're malty lagers with bigger than normal alcohol. They can vary in flavors by region, but you can always count on them being sweet and somewhat boozy. Weizenbocks are the only wheat-forward bockbier, with a special flavor profile driven by their specific weizen yeast strains. They're a full-flavored beer that can range from light to intense.

Bewilder's Weizenbock is a collaboration between home brewer Mike Johnson of Salt Lake City and Bewilder Brewing, based on Johnson's award-winning recipe. It poured a rich cherrywood color, with a ruby red glow about it. The light tan/vanilla head that was produced was creamy, rich and thick, about two inches of dense foam. The aromas that came from the glass were fairly rich essences of dark fruit (plums), some bananas, sweet malts, spices and yeast—all were present and quite distinctive.

The flavors that rolled over my tongue were sweet and at times tangy—bananas, plums, dark berries, a slight hop bite, a tad of wheat grain flavors in the middle along with big sweet malts and spices near the swallow. A pine presence came and went and alcohol was present throughout the swig, finishing with a yeasty, malty flavor. The aftertaste was dominated with fruity, yeasty hops, not lasting on the palate but present nonetheless. The body was more of a medium to medium-heavy on the mouth.

Verdict: What can I say—this beer is a flavor explosion. The yeast drives it to a fruity place that's not for the meek. It's a great education on the power of yeast for flavor.

Both of these beers are different enough that you could try them back-to-back; those contrasting flavors may just enhance the overall enjoyment. Give 'em a try, and let me know what you think. As always, cheers!