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Breckenridge products this year, Agave Wheat and Vanilla Porter. The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish. Yep, it made a great beer float on New Year's day. This one now ranks at the top of my porter list. The Agave Wheat is a beer that I will try again this spring. I think it may be a great grilling companion. Happy new year everyone.

ohioguy2 wrote: The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish.

That sounds tasty, I'll have to keep an eye out.

ohioguy2 wrote:Breckenridge products this year, Agave Wheat and Vanilla Porter. The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish. Yep, it made a great beer float on New Year's day. This one now ranks at the top of my porter list. The Agave Wheat is a beer that I will try again this spring. I think it may be a great grilling companion. Happy new year everyone.

Thanks. I really like the Breck 'nilla porter. So, you finally broke down and had a beer float. ;)

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

ohioguy2 wrote: The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish.

That sounds tasty, I'll have to keep an eye out.

Readily available at Total Wine. Want to split a 6er?

devildeac wrote:

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

ohioguy2 wrote: The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish.

That sounds tasty, I'll have to keep an eye out.

Readily available at Total Wine. Want to split a 6er?

Works for me...I'll be there for UCONN.

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

devildeac wrote:

CameronBornAndBred wrote: That sounds tasty, I'll have to keep an eye out.

Readily available at Total Wine. Want to split a 6er?

Works for me...I'll be there for UCONN.

I'll look at total wine, wHOLE foods and harris tweeter in the next couple days.

devildeac wrote:

ohioguy2 wrote:Breckenridge products this year, Agave Wheat and Vanilla Porter. The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish. Yep, it made a great beer float on New Year's day. This one now ranks at the top of my porter list. The Agave Wheat is a beer that I will try again this spring. I think it may be a great grilling companion. Happy new year everyone.

Thanks. I really like the Breck 'nilla porter. So, you finally broke down and had a beer float. ;)

Yep, they will not be a constant on my dessert menu, but on New Year's Day this one hit the spot. I found that it got better as the ice cream melted a little and turned the entire glass a little "frothy".

ohioguy2 wrote:

devildeac wrote:

ohioguy2 wrote:Breckenridge products this year, Agave Wheat and Vanilla Porter. The Porter was very good, a chocolate taste with a vanilla finish. Yep, it made a great beer float on New Year's day. This one now ranks at the top of my porter list. The Agave Wheat is a beer that I will try again this spring. I think it may be a great grilling companion. Happy new year everyone.

Thanks. I really like the Breck 'nilla porter. So, you finally broke down and had a beer float. ;)

Yep, they will not be a constant on my dessert menu, but on New Year's Day this one hit the spot. I found that it got better as the ice cream melted a little and turned the entire glass a little "frothy".

We learned that too last year when we had a dessert at our house after a meal at a fine Italian restaurant. makes some REAL fine 'tinis and we had a group effort on some tasty beer floats.

Dogfish Head Immort Ale-One one my favorite beers all time for about the last 10 years. Is is a barley wine? Is it a double bock? Is it a strong ale? I think it has characteristics of each. It is a clear, medium brown ale with a modest head and has the caramel/butterscotch sweetness of a double bock and it is brewed with maple syrup so that flavor is also quite prominent. Vanilla and oak also make their voices known in a slightly boozey ABV of 11%. The hop presence is quite modest and IIRC, there may be juniper berries in the wood-aging process. The characteristics and flavors change as the brew warms while you enjoy this over an hour or so. Pour yourself 6 ounces in a snifter for dessert, or treat yourself to the entire bottle by the fire as a nightcap. I have not seen this in Raleigh for months but has provided 2 of these as traders in our last 2 meetings so I enjoyed one Sunday night and the other gets tucked away with some Bigfoot and Samichlaus for next winter. Thank you kind sir for this fabulous treat.

devildeac wrote:Dogfish Head Immort Ale-One one my favorite beers all time for about the last 10 years. Is is a barley wine? Is it a double bock? Is it a strong ale? I think it has characteristics of each. It is a clear, medium brown ale with a modest head and has the caramel/butterscotch sweetness of a double bock and it is brewed with maple syrup so that flavor is also quite prominent. Vanilla and oak also make their voices known in a slightly boozey ABV of 11%. The hop presence is quite modest and IIRC, there may be juniper berries in the wood-aging process. The characteristics and flavors change as the brew warms while you enjoy this over an hour or so. Pour yourself 6 ounces in a snifter for dessert, or treat yourself to the entire bottle by the fire as a nightcap. I have not seen this in Raleigh for months but has provided 2 of these as traders in our last 2 meetings so I enjoyed one Sunday night and the other gets tucked away with some Bigfoot and Samichlaus for next winter. Thank you kind sir for this fabulous treat.

YOU are VERY welcome!!!! Love ya man! ;)

MSN has an article on winter brews, and a reviews of a select few. Mad Elf looks way intriguing.
http://cityguides.msn.com/articles/city ... d=19546648

CameronBornAndBred wrote:MSN has an article on winter brews, and a reviews of a select few. Mad Elf looks way intriguing.
http://cityguides.msn.com/articles/city ... d=19546648

Good read! Thanks for sharing! I have a few more picks to choose from, now! I almost got that mad Elf brew! Now I am really tempted to obtain and taste!

CameronBornAndBred wrote:MSN has an article on winter brews, and a reviews of a select few. Mad Elf looks way intriguing.
http://cityguides.msn.com/articles/city ... d=19546648

Some very good beers on that list with Hibernation being my personal favorite..I buy enough of it this time of year to stretch through next winter..
Mad Elf is very good. It's a little lighter than expected for a Belgian strong dark but very easy drinking for such a potent brew. Definitely worth trying if you see some around..

Dog Fish Head Olde School
Oh hell yes. What a funky beer this is, it's the closest we can legally get to the 120 here in NC, and you can get an idea of what the 120 is when you taste it. 15%ABV, syrupy thck, and very sweet. I described it in Section 21 as "grapey". Such an interesting flavor, thoughts of sparkling white grape juice (not wine) come to mind. Some nice honey notes underneath, I don't know if there is any honey actually in there, but it's so thick and sweet it's hard to ignore the comparison. Obviously a beer that you enjoy at home, sipping slowly. If I had someone to share it with, it would be even better. A bit much to enjoy by yourself..they need to put it in a bottle with a cork! Then I could enjoy another 6 ounces tomorrow and not overdo it on a weeknight. But it's worthy of celebrating a good win, CIS' 40th birthday, and the enjoyable launch of the active content going on the front page. Huge thanks to DD for the trader, very much appreciated.

Highland's Oatmeal Porter-medium brown and clean with a bit of toffee and caramel flavors. Perhaps a hint of coffee. A bit hoppier than one might think for this style and a bit on the thin side. IBU probably 30-40 and an estimated ABV of 5-6%. Thanks to for the trader. A nice prelude for one one the world's classic porters coming up next...

Sam Smith's Taddy Porter-These folks have been brewing beer forever and just about all their offerings are classics. This one is no exception. It is a bit darker, a bit thicker with more prominent flavors of toffee, dark caramel and coffee than the prior review. A bit thicker or more viscous but nothing like an imperial stout. A bit more hop bitterness, guessing about 40-50 IBU. Doubt the ABV is much more than about 5.5%. I have not had one of these in prolly 10 years and I am grateful for to have included this in our recent trading session.

Orval Trappist Ale-one of the classic Belgian ales in the dubbel style. A bit lighter than I remember from my last bottle about 10 years ago. Plenty of Belgian lace or "fizz." Nice ester aromas of aromatic Belgian hops and the malts taste of golden raisins and pears. It is bottle-conditioned so it is a bit cloudy, as expected. IBU taste low and I'd guess in the 20-30 range and the ABV is listed at 6.7%. Could have this before dinner with a fruit plate, though a white ale may be a better choice. This would be nice with grilled fish/chicken with a fruity or lightly spiced sauce/salsa. This ain't the cheap stuff and I truly appreciate shelling out a few extra $$ to have this as a trader.

Founder's Centennial IPA-I can't recall if I had this after bluebear did his reviews on some of the Founder's stuff or not. If I did, indulge me as it is a fine IPA. If I didn't, then here's something new ;) . Pretty classic stuff here with a golden-yellow pour, modest head and aromas of citrus early and ending with some piney notes. Modest malty balance with a hint of caramel. IBU at 65, IIRC and the ABV is 7.2%, I think. good with ribs, burgers or a bit more spicy grilled fare. CB&B stuffed this in his recent trader and this is also a fine selection. Thanks.

Wychwood Brewery-Scarecrow, a golden pale ale. Pretty much what you would expect for an English pale ale. This is organic and made with Plumage Archer barley malt and Target hops for a lemon grass taste with very slight sweetness. Smells and tastes fresh and clean. This is more of a spring summer brew but was very refreshing this week after a porter and a stout and a porter and a stout. Almost lawnmower light with and IBU of 30-40 and I'd guess the ABV about 5.5%. slipped this one into the trader 6er at the Brunchgate last week. Another tip of the cap to the beer man of NOVA.

Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout-ho, hum-probably one of the oldest and best-est oatmeal stouts in the world. A classic. It is a bit light/thin for the style but that's a minor complaint as it is a silky-smooth dark, dark brown pour with a medium, light brown head. The oatmeal gives it the texture and the chocolate and black malts (I'm guessing here) impart the rich cocoa tastes to it with a hint of espresso. Slightly bittersweet with and estimated IBU of 40-50 and and ABV of about 6%. This would be wonderful with grilled beef and BBQ ribs or with a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. A trader from and another fine selection. I don't think I have enjoyed one of these for nearly 10 years.