Ymm, Beer!

[DevilWearsPrada2.0]

Drink Beer, Alcohol and Wine for Cinco De Mayo !!!!!!!!!!!

[devildeac]

Monster (2007-no typo)-Brooklyn Brewing


I'm really running really low on these vintages and this is my last 2007, and only because our son marked "return to sender" on 3 Bigfoots and 3 Monsters last weekend that I had given him 18 months ago for his "30 beers for 30 years' beerthday celebration. Sipped slightly chilled over an hour tonight this poured a slightly cloudy dark amber with a small amount of sediment from a 12 ounce bottle. Pretty complex aromas and tastes as expected with notes of sherry, caramel and tobacco upon decanting and some dark brown sugar, rum and dark cherry notes after sipping. The head was small and there were no indications of spoilage. Very smooth, cloying mouthfeel with mild bitterness perception in spite of its suspected high IBUs based on the style, guessing 70-80. ABV weighing in at 10.1% which is just a bit lower than earlier editions. This is not listed as one of their seasonals so I fear that they have stopped production of this as fuse stated a couple years ago. Sad. I now have a 2008 for tomorrow night and a 2009 for Saturday night and may have another vintage or 2 buried somewhere in my garage collection .

[devildeac]

Monster (2007-no typo)-Brooklyn Brewing


I'm really running really low on these vintages and this is my last 2007, and only because our son marked "return to sender" on 3 Bigfoots and 3 Monsters last weekend that I had given him 18 months ago for his "30 beers for 30 years' beerthday celebration. Sipped slightly chilled over an hour tonight this poured a slightly cloudy dark amber with a small amount of sediment from a 12 ounce bottle. Pretty complex aromas and tastes as expected with notes of sherry, caramel and tobacco upon decanting and some dark brown sugar, rum and dark cherry notes after sipping. The head was small and there were no indications of spoilage. Very smooth, cloying mouthfeel with mild bitterness perception in spite of its suspected high IBUs based on the style, guessing 70-80. ABV weighing in at 10.1% which is just a bit lower than earlier editions. This is not listed as one of their seasonals so I fear that they have stopped production of this as fuse stated a couple years ago. Sad. I now have a 2008 for tomorrow night and a 2009 for Saturday night and may have another vintage or 2 buried somewhere in my garage collection .

Monster (2008)-Brooklyn Brewing

It's tomorrow night. This might be the last 2008 Monster in the "cellar." I'm not sure I could tell much difference from the 2007. Plus, I'm running out of adjectives to describe old barleywines.

I'll still drink the 2009 edition tonight.

[devildeac]

Dunkel-Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Another dinner beer courtesy of brother-in-law of new NCSU grad, our former neighbor's son. True to the German style dark lager with a dark amber pour. modest tan head and nutty, roasted grain scents and a little mild chocolate, a little dark caramel and some nuttiness tickling my tastebuds. IBUs at 28 and ABV at 4.9% and a nice pairing with ziti, chicken parm and eggplant parm though the red wine available would have been a better "traditional" pairing.

[devildeac]

Golden Munchen Lager-Red Oak Brewing

Drink local or regional!

I'm not sure I've ever tasted this, and, if I have it's been years. Twelve ounce bottle with some appetizers at a former neighbor's son State U graduation party tonight. Clear straw-yellow pour with a 2 finger head and an olfactory floral bouquet and tastes of light caramel, floral European hops and a dry finish. I'll guess bitterness units of 20 and alcohol by volume about 5%. Made a nice pairing with vegetable crudites, a fruit salad and some cheese and crackers.

It's really called Hummin' Bird Helles Golden Munich Lager but I kept getting errors with about a dozen different tries and this iteration finally worked.

[devildeac]

From 2/22/12:

Monster(2009 version)-Brooklyn Brewing

Just looked at my 2004 and 2005 reviews and this one will fall short of those accolades but not by much. This barleywine style ale is highly drinkable when it is released and continues to become smoother and softer as it ages. Pours a fairly clear reddish-brown with a small head and has aromas of dark (but not chocolate) caramels, light brown sugar and dark dried fruits, mostly cherries. Still resembles a sherry but not quite as much as the older versions. The cloying sweetness balances the typical floral hop bitterness at an estimated IBU of 80 or more and an ABV of 11%. So, let this warm a bit, decant into a snifter and sip for an hour or so for your bedtime brew.

From 11/8/15:

This one may have suffered a bit from the additional aging, or I may be tiring of old barleywines. Or both. Still a nice sipping beverage with many of the above flavors/tastes that became more noticeable as it warmed a bit. I'm not sure the IBUs are that high and the ABV is listed at 10.1% on this 12 ounce bottle so I'm not sure where the above (unreliable) poster obtained their info . There are soooo many more brews on the market now than 6 years ago so I'll drink up my aged inventory over the next 3-4 months as I try to find space for the newer "breeds."

From tonight:

This bottle was quite sippable so I wonder if the bottle above had "turned." This reminded me of a poor man's Lebron, err, Samichlaus with its cloying sweetness and sherry-like qualities though a bit darker than Samichlaus and less alcohol burn. Little to no head with a gentle pour down the middle which still produced a bit of sediment, even though I left 3-5 ml in the bottle.

That might be all of the Monsters but I'm not going to check again until this fall/winter.

[devildeac]

Devil Dancer (bottled on 5/5/15)-Founders Brewing

Sipped slightly chilled 4 ounce aliquots of this Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights last week.

After 4 bottles of this in about 6 years, I've reached the conclusion that this is either an outstanding, very complex ale or something you'll absolutely hate because of its alcohol burn and the over-the-top hopitude. (I also guess it could be a combination of the two also .)

Similar visual, olfactory and gustatory impressions with the year old bottle this time around. Perhaps this edition was a bit more piney and orange pithy than prior offerings. Think orange liqueur. Also a bit of almond extract/liqueur. It's labeled a triple IPA (IIIPA ) so the intense bitterness was expected, especially with the same IBUs listed on the label on the neck. However, the massive grain bill and ABV of 12% softened the hop bomb explosion and made me think more of an English style barleywine. Not for everyone and don't bother with any food pairings. Sip by itself. Slowly.

Can't remember whether I got this a trader from August West or dpslaw so I'll credit them both as I've been the humble beneficiary of a number of fine beverages from each of them over the last several years of tailgating. Thank you both again.

[devildeac]

From 2/19/15:

Carolina Mountain Monster-Asheville Brewing Company

Many thanks to ricks68 for safely transporting this to Raleigh several weeks ago. This is probably the thickest motor oil, err, Russian imperial stout that I've ever tasted. Poured a thick, oily black hue with a somewhat surprising generous latte-colored creamy head that lingered forever. Nose of dark chocolate, black strap molasses with a small splash of espresso. Tastes of the same with some dark fruits and some Godiva chocolate liqueur. The SRM is only 75 but I've tasted the Rogue XS Imperial Stout and several of the Southern Tier chocolate beers with Lovibond ratings of 240-250 and this easily rivals those. IBUs are listed at 55 and the ABV is a stunning 12.5%, also the highest ABV in a RIS that I can recall and good reason to divide this bomber over two nights or share with a friend or three.

From 5/11/16 and 5/12/16:

Carolina Mountain Monster (bottled on 1/21/15)-Asheville Brewing Company

Mini-vertical with the 2016 version (to follow). Perhaps a bit smoother and richer after over a year in glass. I'm not sure whether ricks68 saved a bottle from last year or found a 2015 version this year when he bought the 2016 edition. Either way, a hearty tip of the snifter to him (more likely the lovely and vivacious Mrs. ricks68 ). Thinner head after cellaring and maybe a bit more chocolate and a tad less coffee aromas and tastes.

[devildeac]

From 2/19/15:

Carolina Mountain Monster-Asheville Brewing Company

Many thanks to ricks68 for safely transporting this to Raleigh several weeks ago. This is probably the thickest motor oil, err, Russian imperial stout that I've ever tasted. Poured a thick, oily black hue with a somewhat surprising generous latte-colored creamy head that lingered forever. Nose of dark chocolate, black strap molasses with a small splash of espresso. Tastes of the same with some dark fruits and some Godiva chocolate liqueur. The SRM is only 75 but I've tasted the Rogue XS Imperial Stout and several of the Southern Tier chocolate beers with Lovibond ratings of 240-250 and this easily rivals those. IBUs are listed at 55 and the ABV is a stunning 12.5%, also the highest ABV in a RIS that I can recall and good reason to divide this bomber over two nights or share with a friend or three.

From 5/11/16 and 5/12/16:

Carolina Mountain Monster (bottled on 1/21/15)-Asheville Brewing Company

Mini-vertical with the 2016 version (to follow). Perhaps a bit smoother and richer after over a year in glass. I'm not sure whether ricks68 saved a bottle from last year or found a 2015 version this year when he bought the 2016 edition. Either way, a hearty tip of the snifter to him (more likely the lovely and vivacious Mrs. ricks68 ). Thinner head after cellaring and maybe a bit more chocolate and a tad less coffee aromas and tastes.

Carolina Mountain Monster (bottled February, 2016)-ABC

A bit thinner pour, appearance, mouthfeel and ABV than its older sibling. Small head, lots of bakers chocolate, molasses and espresso aromas with a fair amount of dark, dried fruit flavors upon sipping. The SRM and IBUs are the same and the ABV has been dropped to 11% but I'm not sure I could discern that or really appreciate much difference versus the 2015 elixir. Still pretty potent stuff as about 7 ounces of each of these the last 2 nights has made the stair climb a bit of an adventure . I've got about 8 ounces of each left tonight. Maybe I should sip them both upstairs this evening .

[devildeac]

Briny Melon Gose-Anderson Valley Brewing Company

A Total Wine 6er for about $9 after my $1.50 coupon last evening.

Very interesting style that continues to grow on me. Poured a straw-yellow with a generous, fizzy head that disappeared fairly quickly. Nose of sea spray and spring flowers and subtle tastes of watermelon Sour Patch kids, moderate intensity sea salt (Kosher, of course ), a bit of watermelon rind and a little spice. I'll guess IBUs around 10 and the ABV is 4.2% so I could enjoy this 12 ounce can before my evening stroll and still have a few calories left over for the next bevera

[devildeac]

Black Ops (2013 version)-Brooklyn Brewery

August West knocks it out of the park by saving this 2 years and bringing it to the tailgate yesterday. Poured from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle, the aromas were dark chocolate and whiskey. Tastes were the same with a drop or two of heavily roasted coffee, a drizzle of black strap molasses with a bit of chocolate-covered caramel sweetness. I'll guess IBUs of 50-60 to balance the ABV of 11.5%. If you can find this (read my post above quoting the brewer-it doesn't exist), don't confuse your palate with anything else except a clean tulip/snifter and a 375 ml portion of this for dessert or a night cap. AW paid about $18 for it 2 years ago and fuse and I each have a bottle of the 2015 edition delivered by ricks68 last week. Cost to us: $24 each . I'll probably enjoy mine over 3 nights later this fall/winter dark beer season, or let it age until next year.

Black Ops (2015)-Brooklyn Brewery

Well, this didn't last long, either from its delivery by ricks68 at the last 2015 tailgate to its sipping tonight to celebrate our son's Wake Forest School of Medicine hooding ceremony with graduation to follow in the AM. Yep, that's 2 devildeacs now. Well, really 3 as his wife graduates from WFU School of Law tomorrow and she'a a Duke Div degree holder, too.

Poured from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle and appeared a viscous, inky black with dark chocolate, molasses and a little bit of bourbon on the nose. Lots more semi-sweet chocolate, some espresso, more black strap molasses, some dark caramel and a mild to moderately boozey finish. I'll guess IBUs of 60 and the ABV on this version is 11.6%. Paired reasonable well with a chocolate birthday/graduation cake with chocolate icing, but I'd have been delighted with only the beer . The label still claims this imperial stout doesn't exist, but my taste buds and mildly impaired cognitive function beg to differ.

[devildeac]

World Wide Stout-(2007 vintage)-Dogfish Head Brewing

It's graduation time!

Another amazing concoction. Black as night, smooth as satin and almost as thick as 5W/20 and very few bubbles that could be called a head. This really reminded me of a port. There are dark chocolate, medium-roasted expresso, dark fruits, licorice, black molasses, dark rum and plenty of vinous flavors in the taste to me. There was some sediment in the last 5 ml and we avoided most of it with a fairly careful pour and (sadly) leaving the last half sip in our glasses. Technically, this is probably an imperial stout but it really is in a category of its own. I'd guess the IBU to be 70-80 or higher to balance the redick-ulous amounts of barley for a brew that clocked in at 18-20% ABV when originally brewed many years ago! I split this with our son over about 30 minutes this afternoon. I'll guess it was $8-9 for the 12 ounce bottle when I bought this in 2008 or 2009 but, well worth it to share a bottle as a celebration brew. There's one left and that'll cellar for one more year for what I hope is our final graduation.

[devildeac]

Beer To Drink Music To-Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

Leave it to these folks to put an unusual twist on yet another ale. It's a Belgian-style tripel, their first IIRC, but they've added orange peel, cardamom, peppercorns and vanilla to the "standard" recipe and released it in February, 2016. A 4 pack set me back about $9 after by buck-and-a-half off coupon at Total Wine on Saturday. This style generally has some orange notes to its nose and tastes so I'm not sure what the orange peel addition really does. The cardamom and peppercorns make it a bit spicy which Belgian yeasts typically do anyway so again, I'm not sure what they've really "added" to this brew. Ginger and cloves are not listed as additives but those aromas and tastes tantalized my taste buds and the vanilla is very subtle. Appearance was a light orange-amber with a small head. Very smooth at 30 IBUs and its 9% ABV makes it a bit sweet and fairly true to the style. I can imagine it with a sweet and sour Chinese dish (shrimp or chicken) or a grilled salmon Caesar salad later this spring and repeated again this summer.

[devildeac]

From 6/11/15:

Old Stock Ale 2015-North Coast Brewing

I think this was about $12 for the 4 pack last month with my $1.50 off each 4 or 6 pack from Total Wine last month. It's an old ale or might also be described as an English-style barleywine. Poured a dark amber with a luscious nose of dark, dried fruits, toffee and a wee bit of dark rum. Taste were moderately rummy with the expected raisins, dates, figs and toffee which matched nicely with some herbal, woody hops. Grain bill included traditional English Maris Otter malt along with some Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, also from England (not Finland). IBUs roll in at 34 and ABV is a hefty 11.9%, so I split this 12 ounce bottle with our son after we had our Berliner Weisse. Excellent night cap. I've got 3 left so there'll be a trader and two for cellaring over the next couple years. Now, if there was only some way I could bourbon barrel age one of those bottles...

From last PM:

I couldn't wait the full year .

I don't think there was much difference, even after aging another 11 months. Perhaps it was a bit smoother with some more caramel/syrupy presence but this is a very drinkable ale even without cellaring.

[devildeac]

A bunch of Bastards:

Double Bastard Ale-Stone Brewing

My original review/tasting from 6/19/09:

Stone Double Bastard. Another new one for me. This was my birthday beer on Wednesday and Thursday. At 10.5% ABV, a bomber was just too much for one evening. I guess this is best described as a traditional strong ale. These folks already make a barleywine so I don't think they duplicated it here. Keeping in the Stone tradition, this has a ton of hops in the nose and on the palate with lots of piney and sprucey tastes and no citrus. Dark caramel and toffee malts in a medium to dark brown pour. I'd guess the IBU's here are 90+. This would make a nice ale with a really spicy rub on pork, ribs or chicken off the grill or a night cap but not as a dessert beer. The second night wasn't much different than the first serving. It might be interesting to cellar one of these for a year and taste again.

A couple sentences from a November, 2012 tasting:

Not much different to add except this year's ABV is a stunning 11.2% and the IBU may well be 100+ but the balance is well done. Some spicy sausage biscuits or Texas Pete laden tacos would be nice food pairings. One of the very few beers you'll see with 100 point ratings on ratebeer.

2014 musings from the October, 2014 release:

It's really more of a Bastard and a half at 11% ABV with the regular Bastard rated at 7.2% ABV. No IBUs are given for either one and the hops are listed as "classified" on their web site. This was the last of the boxed Bastards and I divided the bomber over two nights. Balanced and potent are the two words that first come to mind when sipping this. Characteristics again are sprucey and caramely and boozey of course as this version is of similar ABV to previous ones. Overall, the box of Bastards was a very good purchase at $22 which included the BBA version and the high gravity Double. So, if you see it next winter, buy it for someone special, yes, even yourself.

Tonight's:

Double Bastard (2015)-Arrogant Bastard Brewing

The last Bastard from my $16 (or was it $18) 4 pack of assorted Bastard bombers. Dark amber pour with a moderate head last night and a small one tonight. Lots of pine, resin, toffee and alcohol burn from the scents to the last drops of the tastings. Hops and IBUs are "classified." I'll guess the IBUs in the 90-100 range again. ABV is 11.2% and there's little hiding it.

"Ye shall know the bastard, and the bastard shall set you free."

This sounds intriguing:

"BASTARD'S MIDNIGHT BRUNCH
DEPTH-CHARGED DOUBLE BASTARD ALE AGED IN BOURBON BARRELS & MAPLE SYRUP BARRELS"

Maybe they'll put this in a 4 pack for 2016.

[devildeac]

Strawberries and Cream Summer Ale-Bombshell Beer Company

My first tasting from this relatively new brewery in Holly Springs, NC that considers fuse a neighbor . There are 3 other samples to follow. This 3 ounce sample was poured from a growler and 'splained to me as a light, refreshing blonde ale. Clear/clean straw-colored with a small head, the nose was fruity and floral and the tastes were strawberries and light syrup. I'm not a big fan of strawberry-flavored beers. Pete's Wicked Strawberry many years ago and, more recently, Abita StrawGator were not very palatable. Burial had a strawberry-mint ale that was pretty good as was Asheville Brewing Company's Love Ninja #1 (?), but overall, I'd prefer raspberries, I think. Pisgah's Red Devil is another raspberry beer that I really enjoyed. The tasting lived up to his advertisement as being light and refreshing and I'd be happy to sip a 12 ounce serving with some melons and berries before dinner any evening. Stats and ingredients:

Grain: Pale, Wheat & Lactose
Hops: Pallisades
ABV: 5% IBU's: 12

[devildeac]

Bavarian Crush-Bombshell Beer Company

Stuff smells and tastes like tangerine juice! Here's why: https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/german-mandarina-bavaria . Another 3 ounce growler pour from a brewery rep at Crafty Beer Shop in North Raleigh after dinner Thursday night. Kinda/sorta a cross between pale and wheat ales being a slightly cloudy yellow pour with a small head. Additional taste perceptions were a bit of resin and some more citrus. No stats available but I'll venture IBUs around 30 and ABV near 5%. I'd have another of these with a fruited seafood or chicken entree.

[devildeac]

StarLight Ale-Bombshell Beer Company

Drink more local!

This was a cream ale. And, no fuse, I could not "taste the cream" in it . Another lighter, quaffable spring/summer offering. Color was again a yellowish-straw with a small head. Floral and herbal aromas and tastes with very slight, light Karo syrup sweetness. Not bad, but nothing really special here. It'd pair well with some grilled chicken and/or burgers on Memorial Day weekend, as long as your grillings weren't too spicy as I'm not sure this ale would stand-up very well to spicy fare. Stats:

Grain: 2-Row, Carahell, Flaked Corn
Hops: Palisades
ABV: 4.9% IBU's: 13

[devildeac]

Spell Caster Black Ale-Bombshell Beer Company

I promise I'm done with Bombshell reviews as this was my 4th and final 3 ounce taster. Prost!

Now this one would be be very happy in a pint glass in your hand while standing on your porch/lawn with a grilled BBQ chicken breast or a cheddar cheeseburger on a toasted Kaiser roll in the other hand. Poured a medium to dark brown with a modest head. Aromas were smoke and heavily roasted grains but the body and mouthfeel were surprisingly, but not disappointingly, lighter than anticipated. Tastes were a bit nutty, moderately smoky and a bit chocolate-y. My favorite of the evening. Ingredients:

Grain: Pilsner, Munich, Carafa Special
Hops: Tettnanger
ABV: 5% IBU's: 25

[devildeac]

Sumatra Mountain-Founders Brewing Company

Fullsteam's Coffee Is For Closers may have met its match . Bought a couple weeks ago with a $1.50 off coupon from Total Wine for about $9 for the 4 pack. It's an imperial brown ale with a mahogany hue, little head and a chocolate-covered coffee bean aroma, followed by thick, nutty, cocoa-y, espresso-like tastes and a dry finish. Listed on the bottle (unusual for Founders): caramel, chocolate, aromatic and Munich malts, flaked barley, German and Perle hops and Sumatra coffee. IBUs are 40, perhaps a tad high for the style and the ABV of 9% is way over the limit for a standard brown ale, hence the imperial designation. I hope I can sleep tonight after 12 ounces of this decadent, boozey nightcap. Maybe I should have saved it for breakfast tomorrow .