Stout Burgers with a Gubna

This past Wednesday I suggested to my wife, @Hvnlydlite, that we go eat at Stout Burgers & Beers before going to see Empire of The Sun at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood. We ate here before already and it was also before a concert. We thought our previous experience was good enough to pay them a new visit; we enjoyed their burgers and I liked the beer selection. I looked at the beer choices and realized that some of the options that I liked, I could buy at my frequented beer stores, so I asked the server about any beers they might have on tap they have recently received and weren’t on the menu. I was in luck as they had just received an Imperial IPA called Gubna from Oskar Blues and another I don’t recall. I sampled both beers she mentioned and I opted for the Gubna. My experience this time around was better as our server came to us right away to ask if we were ready to order or had any questions. During our previous visit, we were sitting for a few minutes before I had to point out to someone that we hadn’t been helped yet; this time around there were no mishaps, the service was great and attentive.

The wife ordered the Shu Burger: pepper jack, light bell spread, grilled avocado chipotle sauce. I ordered the Stout Burger: blue cheese, emi Gruyere, rosemary bacon, caramelized onion, horseradish cream. We had an order of onion rings which were fried to perfection and an order of fries sprinkled with dry oregano and thyme; next time I make fries at home I will add the dry herbs, they would be perfect for a beer session. @Hvnlydlite didn’t say much other than she liked it, I on the other hand only tasted the blue cheese and caramelized onions out of all of the ingredients; I enjoyed the fries and rings more than the burgers. The burger was juicy, so the flavor of the meat was good, but I was left wanting more in flavor from the rest of ingredients. The last time I was there I had a burger called the Six Weeker, which came with, camembert, fig jam, mild jack, arugula, and caramelized onions; I really liked that burger, and if I visit them again I’ll probably order that instead.

The Gubna beer was served a little on the cold side, so I had to wait a bit so it could warm up; this was a good opportunity to snap some food porn pictures. It had an aroma of bread and bitter hop. The flavor stages were of hop, sweetness, and bitterness that was well balanced and left you with a slightly fruity aftertaste. Most of the Oskar Blues beer are meant to be drank out of the can, so I’m not sure if what I previously described would be experienced when this beer is in one.

With so many beer choices and this being an expensive can, I won’t go out of my way to order or buy this beer again; Oskar Blues four/six pack of cans are not cheap, always above $8.99; take for instance a four pack of Ten Fidy at $15.99, with that said, I love their Old Chub Irish Ale, for that I don’t mind spending $8.99 a six pack. The Gubna turns out to be a solid beer, but not a great one like Stones 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA I had recently. Three beer caps for the Gubna and he better be happy he’s not being recalled.