Ymm, Beer!

CameronBornAndBred · Post by **CameronBornAndBred** » February 11th, 2011, 8:08 am

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:Sexual Chocolate - Foothills Brewery, Winston Salem, NC. http://www.foothillsbrewing.com Right from the Brewery's tap in their restaurant. I liked it better at Tyler's, perhaps because it was served colder (?). Was a bit too bitter this time for my taste, and not as chocolaty. I finished it anyway as I got a tour of the brewery. I also had samples of several of their other brews on tap.
Jade IPA - served only there - very VERY citrusy. Reminded my of a morning grapefruit half.
Hoppyum IPA - very nice! I liked this. DD and CB&B got bombers
Seeing Double IPA - too bitter for my taste, but I did finish it.
I didn't get to sample their gold and silver medal winning Ballentyne (?) Porter, but DD and CB&B will with bombers of that, too.

Oh, their house chili it dynamite! Excellent! I figured I better eat something if I was going to drive back to Durham for the game and not swerve all over the road after all this sampling!

DD texted me a photo that I will have to upload and share, including his caption.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 11th, 2011, 8:12 am

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:Sexual Chocolate - Foothills Brewery, Winston Salem, NC. http://www.foothillsbrewing.com Right from the Brewery's tap in their restaurant. I liked it better at Tyler's, perhaps because it was served colder (?). Was a bit too bitter this time for my taste, and not as chocolaty. I finished it anyway as I got a tour of the brewery. I also had samples of several of their other brews on tap.
Jade IPA - served only there - very VERY citrusy. Reminded my of a morning grapefruit half.
Hoppyum IPA - very nice! I liked this. DD and CB&B got bombers
Seeing Double IPA - too bitter for my taste, but I did finish it.
I didn't get to sample their gold and silver medal winning Ballentyne (?) Porter, but DD and CB&B will with bombers of that, too.

Oh, their house chili it dynamite! Excellent! I figured I better eat something if I was going to drive back to Durham for the game and not swerve all over the road after all this sampling!

Great stuff, Oz. We might have ourselves a convert here and now.

I am not surprised you found the Seeing Double IPA too bitter. They list it as 122 IBU on their web site and that is REAL bitter and brutal to the palate.

Glad you got to tour and sample and thanks for the bombers. Let us know what you think of the 6er you got as traders.

BTW, it's Baltic Porter. Think about it as an imperial porter. I'll save my bomber to share later this BB season or, as it is high ABV, it should be good for an early Brunchgate.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 11th, 2011, 8:18 am

CameronBornAndBred wrote:
OZZIE4DUKE wrote:Sexual Chocolate - Foothills Brewery, Winston Salem, NC. http://www.foothillsbrewing.com Right from the Brewery's tap in their restaurant. I liked it better at Tyler's, perhaps because it was served colder (?). Was a bit too bitter this time for my taste, and not as chocolaty. I finished it anyway as I got a tour of the brewery. I also had samples of several of their other brews on tap.
Jade IPA - served only there - very VERY citrusy. Reminded my of a morning grapefruit half.
Hoppyum IPA - very nice! I liked this. DD and CB&B got bombers
Seeing Double IPA - too bitter for my taste, but I did finish it.
I didn't get to sample their gold and silver medal winning Ballentyne (?) Porter, but DD and CB&B will with bombers of that, too.

Oh, their house chili it dynamite! Excellent! I figured I better eat something if I was going to drive back to Durham for the game and not swerve all over the road after all this sampling!
DD texted me a photo that I will have to upload and share, including his caption.

Please do. I remember it.

CameronBornAndBred · Post by **CameronBornAndBred** » February 11th, 2011, 9:04 am

devildeac wrote:
CameronBornAndBred wrote:
OZZIE4DUKE wrote:Sexual Chocolate - Foothills Brewery, Winston Salem, NC. http://www.foothillsbrewing.com Right from the Brewery's tap in their restaurant. I liked it better at Tyler's, perhaps because it was served colder (?). Was a bit too bitter this time for my taste, and not as chocolaty. I finished it anyway as I got a tour of the brewery. I also had samples of several of their other brews on tap.
Jade IPA - served only there - very VERY citrusy. Reminded my of a morning grapefruit half.
Hoppyum IPA - very nice! I liked this. DD and CB&B got bombers
Seeing Double IPA - too bitter for my taste, but I did finish it.
I didn't get to sample their gold and silver medal winning Ballentyne (?) Porter, but DD and CB&B will with bombers of that, too.

Oh, their house chili it dynamite! Excellent! I figured I better eat something if I was going to drive back to Durham for the game and not swerve all over the road after all this sampling!
DD texted me a photo that I will have to upload and share, including his caption.
Please do. I remember it.

"Sexual Chocolate at Tyler's with sexual Ozzie in the background."

lawgrad91 · Post by **lawgrad91** » February 11th, 2011, 11:56 am

CameronBornAndBred wrote:
devildeac wrote:
CameronBornAndBred wrote:Sexual Chocolate - Foothills Brewery, Winston Salem, NC. http://www.foothillsbrewing.com Right from the Brewery's tap in their restaurant. I liked it better at Tyler's, perhaps because it was served colder (?). Was a bit too bitter this time for my taste, and not as chocolaty. I finished it anyway as I got a tour of the brewery. I also had samples of several of their other brews on tap.
Jade IPA - served only there - very VERY citrusy. Reminded my of a morning grapefruit half.
Hoppyum IPA - very nice! I liked this. DD and CB&B got bombers
Seeing Double IPA - too bitter for my taste, but I did finish it.
I didn't get to sample their gold and silver medal winning Ballentyne (?) Porter, but DD and CB&B will with bombers of that, too.

Oh, their house chili it dynamite! Excellent! I figured I better eat something if I was going to drive back to Durham for the game and not swerve all over the road after all this sampling!
DD texted me a photo that I will have to upload and share, including his caption.
Please do. I remember it.

sexualchocolate.jpg
"Sexual Chocolate at Tyler's with sexual Ozzie in the background."

Ozzie's shirt is sexy as hell!

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 12th, 2011, 8:17 am

CameronBornAndBred wrote:ESB Special Ale from Ska Brewing.
I picked up a 6 of this at the homebrew shop in New Bern. It comes in cans, and is full of flavor. Tangy and well bittered, it shines a nice amber color when poured into a glass, with a full, foamy white head. It's the second canned ale I've had lately, and I am impressed. The tanginess sticks with you, a hint of orange citrus comes through. More hops active in the taste than malts, I'd love to know which hops they used. It makes for a great session beer, I'll have the rest of the 6 for drinking and trading at brunchgate.

Can't believe I never tasted this brew until this week. I traded 6ers with my drug rep buddy in the office and he included 2 of these, so I drank 1 and will either trade the 2nd with CB&B or pass along to my son this weekend. Our favorite home brewer nailed this one so I have little to add except a guess on the IBU about 60 and the ABV to be about 6%. Would make a solid match with grilled beef, pork or chicken with a bit of spice in your rub or marinade.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 12th, 2011, 11:04 pm

IPA-Shipyard Brewing

Pretty standard fare from probably only the 2nd brew I have ever had from these folks. This is a single hop variety (Fuggles) IPA and is herbal and resinous on the palate and floral on the olfactory side. Light copper in color with a 1-2 finger head, I'd guess the IBU to be about 50 and the ABV 5.8%, so a bit low on both compared to most IPAs. Worth a single/taster/trader with a grilled chicken sandwich or a burger. This was a trader from the drug rep who now will no longer be calling on the office, but his new counterpart may be as much as or more a beer nerd than the 1st guy.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 13th, 2011, 6:04 pm

Hoppe-Southern Tier Brewing

Another first here with an imperial extra pale ale, this time a trader from CB&B after his Christmas trip to Blacksburg. This appears to be a fairly simple brew with 2 malts, pale and wheat, and 2 hops, Columbus and Amarillo. So, with the wheat malt, there is a bit of orange/citrus nose and taste with a light caramel body. The hops are more of a citrusy blend, too. It poured a light golden and slightly cloudy. The ABV is given at 8% so I divided the bomber over a couple nights. IBU are not listed but I'd wager 70-80 range so this would be a nice match with spicy dishes. This brewery has quite a number of selections with limited to no availability in this area but I'd certainly try another, especially from their seasonal or high gravity selections.

OZZIE4DUKE · Post by **OZZIE4DUKE** » February 13th, 2011, 6:48 pm

The local Food Lion sells 6-packs of Mad Hatter #9! I didn't buy one because I was having a bottle of Goose Island Honker's Ale with my burgers tonight. It is from the mixed 6er the DD gave me last week! Very nice with the burgers!

bluebeer · Post by **bluebeer** » February 13th, 2011, 8:48 pm

devildeac wrote:Hoppe-Southern Tier Brewing

Another first here with an imperial extra pale ale, this time a trader from CB&B after his Christmas trip to Blacksburg. This appears to be a fairly simple brew with 2 malts, pale and wheat, and 2 hops, Columbus and Amarillo. So, with the wheat malt, there is a bit of orange/citrus nose and taste with a light caramel body. The hops are more of a citrusy blend, too. It poured a light golden and slightly cloudy. The ABV is given at 8% so I divided the bomber over a couple nights. IBU are not listed but I'd wager 70-80 range so this would be a nice match with spicy dishes. This brewery has quite a number of selections with limited to no availability in this area but I'd certainly try another, especially from their seasonal or high gravity selections.

ST has a lot of availability up here but I never seem to buy their beer for a really stupid reason..I just don't like their labels...It's especially stupid on my part because the few ST beers that I've had have been excellent. I haven't tried Hoppe but Choklat is a phenomenal chocolate imperial stout and their new double IPA-2XIPA--is worth seeking out..

Post by **wilson** » February 13th, 2011, 9:39 pm

devildeac wrote:IPA-Shipyard Brewing

Pretty standard fare from probably only the 2nd brew I have ever had from these folks. This is a single hop variety (Fuggles) IPA and is herbal and resinous on the palate and floral on the olfactory side. Light copper in color with a 1-2 finger head, I'd guess the IBU to be about 50 and the ABV 5.8%, so a bit low on both compared to most IPAs. Worth a single/taster/trader with a grilled chicken sandwich or a burger. This was a trader from the drug rep who now will no longer be calling on the office, but his new counterpart may be as much as or more a beer nerd than the 1st guy.

I've never been impressed with any of the Shipyard offerings I've tried. I don't buy it anymore, because I found it all to be so forgettable.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 16th, 2011, 6:53 pm

Baltic Porter-Duck Rabbit Brewing

This brew shows how the borders between and stout and porter can be blurred, and not just from the high ABV

. It pours a dark brown, almost black color and is quite opaque. The small, medium tan head does not linger longer and gives way to a mocha aroma with tastes of anise and black strap molasses. Bitterness is moderate and I'd guess 60-70 and the ABV is a generous 9%, so it is really an imperial porter. You could make this your dessert of have it with any dark chocolate pie or cake to complete your evening.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 17th, 2011, 12:22 pm

Imperial IPA-Anderson Valley

They decided to brew this for their 20th anniversary in addition to the fact they have never brewed this style before. This ended up being a bit atypical for a standard IIPA as the tastes and aromas are more floral and herbal with less citrus than you would expect. Plenty of malt backbone and caramel sweetness in the ABV of 8.7% to balance the IBU which I'd guess to be 70-80 or more. I think it would overpower lighter dishes but would be solid with curry (Seth, Del or Stephan

)or any other mildly to heavily spiced dishes. Sold in 4 packs, so, expect to find one in a trader coming to your next session

. At about $12 or $13 for the package, I'd still prefer the DFH 90 Minute IPA, which, with it high ABV and IBU, is really an IIPA, and one of the better ones in the US.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 17th, 2011, 11:08 pm

2010 Bigfoot-Sierra Nevada Brewing

This barleywine style ale remains somewhat difficult to drink, even after a year in the cellar. It was "rough" when it was released and remains that way despite a year in the bottle. It may have been a bit warm for the pour but still had a 5 finger head (are you kidding me?) and a couple ounces of ale. So,it took about 5 minutes to pour the 12 ounce bottle. This tastes far more bitter then the usual 90-100 IBU it has been for years. There is a fairly nice medium-to-dark caramel malt balance but it is still tough to drink, cold or at cellar temperature. It still is a nice pair with BBQ foods or pungent cheeses but it is a bit softer and less brutal after 2-3 years or more of aging. ABV is 9.6%. If you buy a 6er of the 2011 release, drink one now and then age the rest and enjoy your last bottle about 5 years from now in a vertical tasting with some friends over the holidays, maybe with some 5 year old Samichlaus or Old Stock Ale

.

CameronBornAndBred · Post by **CameronBornAndBred** » February 17th, 2011, 11:11 pm

devildeac wrote: So,it took about 5 minutes to pour the 12 ounce bottle.

I'm guessing you got screwed on the bottle(s), that's weird.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 17th, 2011, 11:21 pm

CameronBornAndBred wrote:
devildeac wrote: So,it took about 5 minutes to pour the 12 ounce bottle.

I'm guessing you got screwed on the bottle(s), that's weird.

Not really. It did not taste spoiled. I have had some of those that tasted like liquid cardboard but this did not taste bad. I'm just gonna stop buying Bigfoot. I had a new Mendocino barleywine tonight and it was quite drinkable. I'll review it tomorrow. I am tired and it was 11% ABV so I'll ponder it for 24 hours. You'll find one of those in your next trader 6 pack. There are other old ales or barleywines that I much prefer to Bigfoot. I miss not being able to buy Old Knucklehead or Old Boardhead. Old Foghorn is another imminently drinkable barleywine, even during the 1st year that it is released.

Did you ever drink that 2006 Bigfoot I put in one of your traders?

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 18th, 2011, 10:23 pm

Imperial Barleywine-Mendocino Brewing

Not quite sure why they put the "imperial" on barleywine as this style is a high gravity brew and really doesn't need that additional label. I digress. This is a very drinkable monster brew from its initial brewing/tasting. All your expected flavors from a monstrous malt palate of dark caramel flavors to an intense floral hop profile with a very fine balance. I'd guess the IBU to be 80-90 and the ABV is on the bottle at 11% so be careful if you pick up a 4 pack of this one. It pours a dark red/copper color with a 1-2 finger head and makes a marvelous sipping beer on a winter's evening from a pint glass or a snifter. I have three left so it looks like 1 gets aged, 1 gets traded and 1 gets gifted

.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 20th, 2011, 10:46 pm

Cappucino (Imperial) Stout-Lagunitas Brewing

One ounce taster tonight at Tyler's Taproom pre-game. Almost pitch black pour, small head with the expected aromas of dark chocolate and espresso. Moderate IBU, guessing 60-70 and and the ABV is 9.2%. Glad I had a taste and I would order it again, with cream and sugar. This would be fine with stews, chili, ribs, brisket or, simply in a snifter for dessert.

Oh, and BTW, ray natilli sucks.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 20th, 2011, 10:53 pm

Old Horizontal-Victory Brewing (2009)

One of their seasonals, this is a barleywine they have brewed for a decade, I'd guess. Ruby-brown in color and massive amounts of caramel and dark malts with the requisite ton of hops for a potent floral nose and syrupy sweetness. It was a bit cloudy after 2 years of aging which I believe took some of the bitterness away and made is a bit more whiskey-like. The IBU are probably 80-90 as most barleywines are and this one will rock your night at 11% ABV. This is just fine for an entire evening's beverage being sipped from a snifter over an hour or more. One of the more drinkable barleywines, both when released and cellared for 2-3 years or more.

Oh, and BTW, karl hess sucks.

devildeac · Post by **devildeac** » February 20th, 2011, 11:08 pm

see milestone thread

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