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Oskar Blues--anyone try this brewery? They can their beers but seem well reviewed... I've seen their Ten Fidy Stout at a few places and have been intrigued. Today I was at a different store and ended up picking up a 4 pack of cans of their Gordon double IPA...

I also managed to find a bomber of Double Bastard which I have sought for some time and will be sampling tonight.

Lastly, I picked up a 6 pack of Old Horizontal which I thought I wouldn't find until next winter..

A very good haul which should get me through the next month or so...

bluebear wrote:Oskar Blues--anyone try this brewery? They can their beers but seem well reviewed... I've seen their Ten Fidy Stout at a few places and have been intrigued. Today I was at a different store and ended up picking up a 4 pack of cans of their Gordon double IPA...

I also managed to find a bomber of Double Bastard which I have sought for some time and will be sampling tonight.

Lastly, I picked up a 6 pack of Old Horizontal which I thought I wouldn't find until next winter..

A very good haul which should get me through the next month or so...

Oskar Blues is fantastic. Dale's Pale Ale is my go-to beer (and was a very high seed in the Denver bracket). Some complain about being able to taste the metal, but I think it's in their heads. The cans are lined.

I believe you can buy Ten Fidy Imperial Stout, Old Chub Scotch Ale, The Gordon IIPA, Dale's, and Mama's Lil Yella Pils. They have others only available at the brewery.

The Gordon is intense (and dangerous) so enjoy one, and drink it slowly.

Other than the Colorado Kool-Aid that I drank at the bar waiting for my takeout last night, I haven't had any beer this week. Tonight, although it's a bit warm outside, I'm going to finish off the last of my non-cellared bottles of Avery's New World Porter (their early spring seasonal). The beer pours a reddish-black with small, but persistent head (Ozzie can insert felacio joke here). The nose always catches me off-guard. It's very bright and citrusy with notes of chocolate and burnt coffee. The flavor is a nice sweet coffee, chocolate, toffee balance with a legitimate hop bitterness. The beer is very well balanced for a porter which, I suspect, comes from the dry-hopping. Perhaps the refreshing hops are why this beer is released as the warm weather starts to approach and not a few months earlier.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to review Avery Sixteen, assuming the neighborhood shop gets it in.

rockymtn devil wrote:http://www.beeraday.net/

This guy might be a genius, or he might just be a high-functioning alcoholic. Or both. Nonetheless, he has set out to drink a different beer every day of 2009 and post thoughts on them. It's a bit behind schedule right now, but an interesting read.

I don't see anything wrong with that goal :roll: :lol: .

rockymtn devil wrote:http://www.beeraday.net/

This guy might be a genius, or he might just be a high-functioning alcoholic. Or both. Nonetheless, he has set out to drink a different beer every day of 2009 and post thoughts on them. It's a bit behind schedule right now, but an interesting read.

I must say I am a little jealous of this quest..he has an impressive list of beers so far..

bluebear wrote:

rockymtn devil wrote:http://www.beeraday.net/

This guy might be a genius, or he might just be a high-functioning alcoholic. Or both. Nonetheless, he has set out to drink a different beer every day of 2009 and post thoughts on them. It's a bit behind schedule right now, but an interesting read.

I must say I am a little jealous of this quest..he has an impressive list of beers so far..

But is all that negated by the fact that he drank a Heiney? :roll: :lol:

devildeac wrote:

bluebear wrote:

rockymtn devil wrote:http://www.beeraday.net/

This guy might be a genius, or he might just be a high-functioning alcoholic. Or both. Nonetheless, he has set out to drink a different beer every day of 2009 and post thoughts on them. It's a bit behind schedule right now, but an interesting read.

I must say I am a little jealous of this quest..he has an impressive list of beers so far..

But is all that negated by the fact that he drank a Heiney? :roll: :lol:

He also tried Coors Light (which I have a soft spot for...see my review of New World Porter) and Busch? In a pinch, I'd take the Silver Bullet over Busch and Heiney any day. At the very least, finishing the beer before the mountains turn white is a game within the drinking.

Stone Double Bastard..What a beer. Pours dark amber..Lots and lots of malt and hops. The hops dominate as there is a bitterness from start to finish but the undercurrent of sweet malts balances it well...very crisp and drinkable..especially for 10%. It's weight reminded me a lot of some barleywines though it's far more bitter. Outstanding overall..I'm very glad I grabbed a second bomber of this..Hopefully, I can stash it away for a few months..

Port High Tide IPA: This is labeled as a fresh hopped beer, although they actually use a combination of wet hopping and dry hopping. The result is a very concentrated bitterness which makes me wonder why they ever bother with the fresh hops. Compared to other fresh hops ales, it doesn't have that nice grassy, light citrus flavor. That isn't to say it isn't enjoyable. It's a very good example of an American IPA. Moderately pungent, with a crisp piney nose and very bitter, attack-your-tastebuds hops in the flavor. It's also nicely balanced with a fair amount of bread and malt coming through in the finish.

Although I would not compare this to other fresh hop ales, I will say that it stacks up nicely to other IPAs. It's a nice balanced break from something like the Maharaja (which I have a bomber of in the fridge for another day).

bluebear wrote:Stone Double Bastard..What a beer. Pours dark amber..Lots and lots of malt and hops. The hops dominate as there is a bitterness from start to finish but the undercurrent of sweet malts balances it well...very crisp and drinkable..especially for 10%. It's weight reminded me a lot of some barleywines though it's far more bitter. Outstanding overall..I'm very glad I grabbed a second bomber of this..Hopefully, I can stash it away for a few months..

My word, that didn't take long...

I've still got mine cellared 'cuz I got too many other 6ers to finish :oops:

Maybe this week...

I had an Old Horizontal Barleywine Thursday and a Duck-Rabbit Barleywine last PM, both previously reviewed. Tonight, I had a Dos Equis amber draft to wash down some crab and shrimp enchiladas to celebrate Uno de Mayo at an upscale Mexican restaurant in DC as we visited our son. Just enough color and flavor (biscuit and light caramel) to make it interesting but not enough to make it good. :oops: .

I did find a Red and White for a dinner with friends tomorrow night in addition to a Collaboration, Not Litigation bomber for personal enjoyment for Sunday evening, to redeem myself for the Dos Equis I had tonight.

devildeac wrote:I had an Old Horizontal Barleywine Thursday and a Duck-Rabbit Barleywine last PM, both previously reviewed. Tonight, I had a Dos Equis amber draft to wash down some crab and shrimp enchiladas to celebrate Uno de Mayo at an upscale Mexican restaurant in DC as we visited our son. Just enough color and flavor (biscuit and light caramel) to make it interesting but not enough to make it good. :oops: .

Don't know where you ate, but the best Mexican to be found (at least when I lived there) was always in Adams Morgan, lotsa places to choose from. Can't go wrong with Dos Equis while eating Mexican, but I'll often order a Negro Modello. It's a good standard dark lager. Mmmmm, I wan't salsa now.
.

As I will not be sampling many beers this summer, I figured I'd get to work on trying some fresh new brews.

For my birthday, I just tried a revamped re-issued brew from Great Lakes Brewing Company. These folks are original, and always put out inventive and tasty brews.

Great Lakes GRASSROOTS ALE: Oh my! If you liked Edmund Fitzgerald, Elliot Ness, and Burning River, you will love this brew. It is described on the package as a SAISON STYLE, with herbs and chamomile.

That's right: herbs and CHAMOMILE... as in the soft-tasting, relaxing herbal tea.

Okay, it's a little under 5.0 ABV, and the IBU's are VERY low, probably in the low 30's. It poured a gorgeous hazy gold, with a light, foamy head, with sufficient carbonation. A slight yeasty and lemony/lemongrassy aroma and initial taste, followed by bursts of ginger, wheat, followed in aftertaste by a combination of mild bitterness and smoothness. But the smoothness is not resulting from malt ... it's the chamomile. The chamomile is unmmistakeable, and is a fresh approach to toning down bitterness at the end.

This is a textbook saison, with a refreshing twist with the use of ginger, lemongrass, and chamomile.

The phrase "lawnmower brews" has been used before on TOWEL. Historically, saisons usually fit this description. Wish I could take some for backpacking this summer. This is a gorgeous saison.

Ymm, Beer: 1/2

Cheers,
Lavabe

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

devildeac wrote:I had an Old Horizontal Barleywine Thursday and a Duck-Rabbit Barleywine last PM, both previously reviewed. Tonight, I had a Dos Equis amber draft to wash down some crab and shrimp enchiladas to celebrate Uno de Mayo at an upscale Mexican restaurant in DC as we visited our son. Just enough color and flavor (biscuit and light caramel) to make it interesting but not enough to make it good. :oops: .

Don't know where you ate, but the best Mexican to be found (at least when I lived there) was always in Adams Morgan, lotsa places to choose from. Can't go wrong with Dos Equis while eating Mexican, but I'll often order a Negro Modello. It's a good standard dark lager. Mmmmm, I wan't salsa now.
.

Lauriol Plaza on 18th NW-just so happened to be in the Adams Morgan area, I think.

devildeac wrote:

bluebear wrote:Stone Double Bastard..What a beer. Pours dark amber..Lots and lots of malt and hops. The hops dominate as there is a bitterness from start to finish but the undercurrent of sweet malts balances it well...very crisp and drinkable..especially for 10%. It's weight reminded me a lot of some barleywines though it's far more bitter. Outstanding overall..I'm very glad I grabbed a second bomber of this..Hopefully, I can stash it away for a few months..

My word, that didn't take long...

I've still got mine cellared 'cuz I got too many other 6ers to finish :oops:

Maybe this week...

After waiting so long to find it, I couldn't resist..hope to have more patience with the second bomber..

I tried the Oskar Blues Gordon last night but after a week of dealing with a sleepless child, I fell asleep on the couch and woke hours later with a still nearly pull pint glass on he coffee table..good thing I have 3 more cans..

This will be the 1st of several PWWI as I haven't had this much ale in a long time:

Chimay Grande Reserve/Blue: A classic Belgian tripple which pours a medium brown and has wonderful flavors or raisins, figs and currents. Modest head which lingers nicely and has minimal hops to balance the notes of mild chocolate and dark caramel. And this was just the STARTER beer for the evening. That should tell you what kind of night we had. :oops: .

Extensive brew reviews tomorrow.

Assuming I wake up sometime in the next 12 hours :oops: or so...

Here is the beer menu for the evening:

1. Chimay Grande Reserve
2. Kalamazoo Stout
3. 1554 Enlightened Ale
4. Dogfish Head Red and Blue
5. Ft. Collins Double Chocolate Stout-with
6. Ditto-without ;) -you figure that one out...
7. Duvel

I may have even missed one... :oops:

devildeac wrote:Here is the beer menu for the evening:

1. Chimay Grande Reserve
2. Kalamazoo Stout
3. 1554 Enlightened Ale
4. Dogfish Head Red and Blue
5. Ft. Collins Double Chocolate Stout-with
6. Ditto-without ;) -you figure that one out...
7. Duvel

I may have even missed one... :oops:

Wow, what a menu. How was the Kalamazoo?