Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Alligator Ale-Hops Brewing

Malts: Pale Ale, 60L Caramel, 20L Caramel and Chocolate
Hops: Willamette and Cascade

This was the final one of the sampler and was a porter but somewhat on the thin side. It was a medium brown color, creamy and smooth with a hint of toffee and fresh flowers. Not a bad finish with a bowl of French Onion soup and a Caesar salad. IBU about 30 for an estimate and ABV about 5%.

The articles about the chain of brewpubs by this name was from 1997 and they boasted 21 in their family. Their current web page lists only 4 and with these run-of-the-mill brews, I can understand why.

Do I regret the beers and reviews? Heck no! I got 5 more posts outta the deal, a dinner with my dear wife, an education not to visit another Hops location and I only spent $3.79 on the 5 beer sampler! This is kinda like I felt after visiting the Alcatraz brewpub in Indy last year and having their sampler. Not a bad selection of beers but none worthy of ordering another pint to finish off the evening.

[bluebeer]

Sam Adams Long Shot Mile High Barleywine..A very enjoyable barleywine, my favorite of the new long shot set..Pours a deep amber/brown. This is definitely more of an english barleywine as rich sweet malts dominate. Lots of caramel and a bit of dark fruit. There is some piney hop presence though its very subtle and only tones down the sweetness slightly. A bit more noticeable hop bitterness in the finish. Overall, this pushes the limits in terms of sweetness but I still found it very tasty. ABV of 9.8%

[cl15876]

CB&B's Sweet Sixteen:

This brew is awesome. You got yerself a barleywine there, bro'. Or, if you want to debate, one fine English strong ale. Poured a clean, copper-brown. No haze/sediment. Nice 1-2 fingered head which lingered through most of the glass, unlike some high gravity brews which have little head. The aroma is brown sugar/caramel syrupy sweet, which I like. I gonna guess the IBU at about 60-70, pretty standard or a bit low for a barleywine but this brew is all about the massive amount of malty sweetness. I'd guess the ABV to be about 11%. A bit of smoke, dried apricots and figs and whiskey strike me throughout the glass. This is highly drinkable, even though it's only about 30 days old. Some barleywines are almost unpalatable at first but this, along with Old Horizontal, Old Boardhead, Monster and Old Foghorn are quite smooth, even from early after their release. Match this up with a plate of dark, dried fruits for dessert or in a snifter by itself as an after dinner drink as you might a fine sherry or port. Probably ranks as one of the 2 best home brews I have ever had, along with an imperial stout brewed by the former owner/brewmaster of the long defunct Tomcat Brewery in Raleigh from about a decade ago.

This is truly excellent and it will be difficult to save one for a late fall Bunchgate, let alone one for next year's final four ( ).

I can ONLY imagine how good IT is! Sorry I am good with computers, or I'd be commenting also! Does it really compare to his amazing Oatmeal Stout! THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!

I am NOT imagining any longer! OMG!!!! It is hard to compare to the expert reviews here, but here goes. This brew is INCREDIBLE! Poured very nicely, beautiful nice orange/brown color and was not thick at all. The little bubbles just danced throughout my glass begging me to take a sip! The fragrance of this beer was nice also! Nice Head, I love the color and it settled down gradually! Now for the taste.... OMG!!!! It was light and smooth, left my tongue tingling for another sipp, I am trying to place all the tastes and smell, but my inexperience with each of the components of Hops, malts, fruits, etc. is revealing itself, but I loved swirling it around my palette and it got lighter as I did! Not quite a champagne but I guess that is the barley wine! I need you guys to help me know what I am tasting and experiencing where my word affinity lacks. Down the hatch, very very smooth! I put the glass down and it keeps calling me to taste it again! I do and after about 1/2 of the glass gone with my little sips trying to pin point all the tastes I'm experiencing (each is different, better and better), my eyes are now getting puffy and I'm starting to feel dizzy, and I feel the warmth coming from my chest towards the top of my head.... what is the Alcohol content of this brew? WOW, it is POOOOO-tent!!!! This is definitely not a HOPPY beer, I think I have got that, because I think I can taste that immediately now that I know what it is and this beer didn't have that same taste! It does make me want to taste the 2nd to keep experiencing the flavors and tastes that still linger in my mouth, but I think I will save the other one for another special occasion! I loved the Oatmeal Stout batch A LOT! I think that was one of the best, but this one is up there also! I would have loved to have been tasting this with you when our boys won the championship, but I am NOW! Nice, NICE JOB! This recipe is definitely a WINNER!!!!! Just like YOU! CB&B thanks for this opportunity! DD thanks for letting these babies go! I would love to learn how to do this! This is going to be hard to TOP with replacements! Time to research .....

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Le' Freak. Bomber shared with DD over Chutzpah pastrami! A perfect complement to the pastrami! I could smell the citrus when poured. The taste was light and crisp. DD said it might be too bitter for my taste but it wasn't, not even close to being bitter. He did say something about it being an IPA. Whatever. It was very good!

[devildeac]

Le Freak-Green Flash Brewing-What a complex brew. I split the bomber over 2 nights and had pretty much the same thoughts each night. This is a hybrid, blending American IIPA and Belgian Triple styles. What I tasted was the mild pink grapefruit hoppiness of the IIPA as expected with the estery taste of bananas and zest of orange from the triple. This is a bottle-conditioned ale and pours a cloudy yellow-orange with some of the fizz of the triple and the foaminess of the IIPA. It is fairly well-balanced with the malts giving it a some light brown rum characteristics and an ABV of 9.2% and the IBU is somewhat higher than I would have guessed. They are 101 which makes it higher than Bigfoot. I'm not sure which entree I would match with this as I tasted it with a crisp Granny Smith apple one night and enjoyed it by itself the next night. I've got another bomber and this one will be shared this fall at a Brunchgate ;) .

Well, the 2nd bomber did not make it to Brunchgate as Oz came by to pick up his Chutzpah pastrami sammich and it was the only brew I had cold so we split it. Good combination with the hot, peppery pastrami. I am astounded that Oz drank any more than the initial 6 ounces or so that I poured for him as I had forgotten the IBU were 101 which is about 100X your budlite rating . Not much different that 2 1/2 months ago. If I find this again, I'll buy another bomber and hide it for a fall Brunchgate . Fascinating brew.

[bluebeer]

Ridiculously good haul for me yesterday (though no so good for my wallet)...First up..
Ommegang Tripel Perfection--The 2nd in their series of specialty beers this year. It has surprised me that Ommegang does not have a tripel as part of their regular line-up and I hope this is transitioned over. Corked and caged 750ml bottle. Pours a dark straw with a nice frothy head. Tastes exactly as a tripel should with a ton of yeast and a nice boozy estery flavor. A bit sweeter up front than other dry tripels and a nice spiciness in the finish. Despite the 9%, fairly light and very easy to drink. I have 1/2 a bottle left to finish tonight and I may do a little taste test with some Unibroue La Fin Du Monde (one of my favorite tripels) that I have in my fridge..

[CameronBornAndBred]

Ridiculously good haul for me yesterday (though no so good for my wallet)...

Worst part of any trip to a good beer shop is the checkout.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Mendocino Brewing Talon, I picked this up at Total Wine with a few other bombers I had never tried before. It's a classic barley wine, no better or worse than others I've had lately. I think it was under or right at $7, so for the price it's really worth it. It has a great bite that hangs around for a bit, I'm enjoying the second half of the bottle that I opened 2 nights ago. Keep an eye out, buy it if you see it. 10.5% ABV, high bitterness.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Brew Bern...

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2019

[CathyCA]

Brew Bern...

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2019

I had wondered whether you were going to attend Brew Bern. It's getting heavy advertisement on the radio stations here.

[devildeac]

I see bluebeer is visiting. No reviews this AM from this weekend as I was on call. Dragon's Milk to be reviewed from last week. More sampling tonight.

[bluebeer]

Light weekend for sampling for me though last night I cracked open a Pursuit of Hoppiness by Grand Teton Brewing. Nice 1L bottle (hopefully will keep for a few days) with a swing top lid. An Amber ale..Pours a nice deep orange red with a modest head. Wow..I really enjoyed this one. Lots of pine and citrus hops but very well balanced with sweet carmel malts. It's a lot malty overall compared to other ambers that I've had (and compared to what I expected given the name)...I also picked up a sweet fruity (almost orangey) note. Would be a great fall beer. Thick, rich, and very smooth drinking. 8.5% ABV. Hoping to find another one of these to put aside...

[bluebeer]

I see bluebeer is visiting. No reviews this AM from this weekend as I was on call. Dragon's Milk to be reviewed from last week. More sampling tonight.

What's on the menu? Looking forward to reading the dragon's milk review..had some at a beer fest last year and enjoyed it..

[devildeac]

I see bluebeer is visiting. No reviews this AM from this weekend as I was on call. Dragon's Milk to be reviewed from last week. More sampling tonight.

What's on the menu? Looking forward to reading the dragon's milk review..had some at a beer fest last year and enjoyed it..

Haven't decided yet. Should get home late afternoon and then take a tour or the beer garage, err, cellar.

[cl15876]

My brother in-law brought me back an Aruba Balashi which I tasted yesterday. He just loves it! I enjoyed it also, because it was somewhat HOT yesterday with a nice breeze like sitting on the beach. I can see how this would be a good beer sitting on the beach, kicked back, soaking in the sun and getting some R&R! The beer was pretty to look at, slight copper color, not a lot of Hops taste (which I like), not a lot of aroma, it was a light beer and not a lot of head. I think it is better than a bud or miller, but I think Oz would like this one! Apparently a six pack was like $10 bucks in the duty free area! I was grateful though that he thought of me to bring one back and we enjoyed it while grilling in the sun! It hit the spot and was only 5% ALC.

[cl15876]

I tried to find a surprise today at another Total Wine and the entire state of VA is sold out of them except for Chesapeake where there are 12 bottles remaining! Sorry I'm not going to be in that area anytime soon or I would be taking a trip!

[devildeac]

Dragon's Milk-New Holland Brewing:

I opened this bomber one day last week expecting a barleywine and what I concluded after 2 nights of sipping really reminds me most of what an imperial scotch ale would taste like. Mahogany with a hint of ruby in the color and very little head after a vigorous pour. Nearly opaque with an aroma of dark caramel and chocolate and the flavor of the same. Dark rum and dark fruits also were prominent on the palate with the faintest hint of smoke or peat, all of which remind me of a fine scotch ale. They don't list the IBU but I would guess about 50 and it is boozey at 10% ABV. This would be fine if sipped with smokey or grilled entrees but was just as enjoyable as my night time beverage a couple days last week. I would have never bought this if CB&B and bluebeer had not mentioned it so thanks to both you beer knurds/nerds for the suggestion.

[devildeac]

Old Guardian Barleywine Style Ale-Stone Brewing

A massively malted and hellaciously hopped brew. This medium-to-dark amber ale pours with a modest head and smacks your palate with a variety of hops for an IBU of 95. Not for the faint-tongued. Huge quantities of dark caramel malts and various others ramp up the ABV to 11.3% so this one is rather boozey, but is well-balanced. Just a wee bit of smokiness and tobacco here, too. This ale would hold its own against whatever heat and spices you wanted to serve it with as a dinner beverage in addition to being perfectly content to being sipped as it warmed up in your snifter with some smokey/aged cheese and multi-grain crackers as a bedtime snack and night cap. This was a bomber divided over the last 2 nights. I might buy another of these and put it in the closet for a future Brunchgate, oh let's say in 2011 or 2012 ;) .

[devildeac]

for Lavabe:

http://cbs4denver.com/local/best.beer.l ... 52138.html

Heck, this is for anybody and everybody who reads this thread. And for those who don't read it, perhaps a brief stop here and reading the article would provide a nice "to do" list for serious beer drinkers or someone who might like to sample a fine malted beverage or three .

[devildeac]

for Lavabe:

http://cbs4denver.com/local/best.beer.l ... 52138.html

Heck, this is for anybody and everybody who reads this thread. And for those who don't read it, perhaps a brief stop here and reading the article would provide a nice "to do" list for serious beer drinkers or someone who might like to sample a fine malted beverage or three .

Or, just in case the linky not worky:

GQ's TOP FIFTY:

Allagash White
The Portland, Maine-based Allagash makes a lot of excellent, wheat-heavy Belgian beers, and this is their flagship: light and bubbly with a beguiling spice mix no one has been able to guess.

Anchor Christmas Ale
Anchor has changed their Christmas Ale recipe every season since 1975 (along with their label design), but they hew pretty close to a classic, festive cold-weather brew: rich and fruity with subtle spice. Last year's had notes of vanilla and cinnamon.

Anchor Steam
The one and only true example of this unique style, Anchor's Steam Beer is a lager in name only. Fermented at higher temperatures than your typical lager, it keeps the style's crisp dryness but adds fruity esters and extra hops.

BrewDog Smokehead
The two Scots behind BrewDog look outside their homeland's long but languid beer traditions for the inspiration here, storing a pitch-black stout in smokey Scotch barrels to give it an outrageously salty, earthy tang.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Dark stouts usually have hints of cocoa to them already, so the trick with chocolate beers is subtlety. Brooklyn nails it: Not too sweet, not too bitter, but chocolatey enough to make it special.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Drink this one for its story, as much as for its taste: Dogfish Head's Sam Caglione traveled to the wilds of Paraguay to find one of the hardest, heaviest woods on earth and used it in a tank built to age just this beer. The dark, extra-strong brown ale gets an added kick of vanilla from the wood's unique oils.

Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse
Fritz Briem's is Berlin's take on wheat beer: yeasty and super-carbonated but with a uniquely tart, bright finish, making it the perfect summer beer (with no need for a pansy-ass lemon slice).

Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
Richer, hoppier, and maltier than standard American lagers-or even German ones-but crisp enough to be your new go-to session beer. (Note to non-beer nerds, a session beer is usually one that's light in alcohol, allowing you to drink several different ones during the course of an evening. Or day.) Dortmunders are tough to find even in the homeland, but thankfully craft breweries like Great Lakes are making them common fare around here.

Hitachino Lacto Stout
Skip Hitachino's more common lemonade-y wheat beer and seek out this harder-to-find stout, made with milk sugar for extra creaminess and a slightly sour, Hershey-bar-like kick.

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
One of the best examples of a notoriously tricky style, this one tastes more like the foam of a cappuccino than the espresso, which is to say light, smooth, and just sweet enough to balance the stout's natural bitterness.

Leelanau Whaleback White
Leelanau is the side project of Ron Jeffries, who also brews at Jolly Pumpkin. Their wheat beer is cidery, sour, fruity, and extra dry, thanks to aging with wild yeasts in French oak barrels.

Lion Stout
If you only have one Sri Lankan stout before you kick, make it this one. Creamy and bittersweet, with a rich tan head and notes of fruit. Plus, it comes in cans-perfect for spicing up your next barbecue.

Ommegang Hennepin
Earthy yeast plus lemon and clove in a supremely drinkable amber body. This is the best American saison there is.

Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale
Packed with tons of citrus from a heavy dose of American hops, this is the quintessential stateside IPA.

Oskar Blues Old Chub
Thick, sweet, and insanely malty; ruby-red, light on the hops, and heavy on the toffee notes. Old Chub outdoes all other Scottish Ales, even though it's made 4,000 miles from Glasgow.

Picobrouwerij Alvinne Melchior
Melchior is a solid English-style barleywine-strong, sweet, and malty, with notes of rich, dark fruit-but the extra kick from an infusion of mustard seeds pushes it into mad-science territory. It's so crazy, it has to work.

Pretty Things Jack D'Or
They call this one a "Saison Americain" thanks to a heavy dose of citrusy, west-coast hops. Belgian yeasts give it a sour kick and a blend of oats and barley smooth it out.

Rodenbach Grand Cru
The classic Flemish red: funky, vinegary, and dark. A blend of one part young and two parts barrel-aged beers makes it deliciously sour with notes of boozy fruit.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Rogue's Dead Guy is a strong, German-style maibock-full of hearty malts with a bit of spice from Saaz hops.

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
The classic oatmeal stout: soft and creamy, with just a touch of roasted bitterness, like the soft poke of feathers in a down pillow.

Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale
Sierra's Harvest Ale marked a new trend for west-coast brewers when it debuted in 1996, and it's still the best of the (slightly-bigger-these-days) bunch: wet hopping, in which hops go straight from the vine to the brew kettle without being dried. They use cascade and centennial, grade-A west-coast citrus bombs, with extra earthy, grassy flavors unique to hops picked and brewed right at their prime.

Sixpoint Sweet Action
Sweet and very hoppy, with a little grass and citrus thrown in. It's mellowed a bit from the original recipe-their Double Sweet Action is closer to the roots, but harder to find.

Smuttynose Barleywine
This is one of the best barleywines around, but a bit challenging to get into. It's heavy on the caramel, and thick as syrup, like a sherry. Drink it like one, too: This is a perfect dessert beer.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout
Heavy, thick, and midnight black. Imperial is an understatement-this is a meal in a bottle. If you can find it, try it barrel-aged for an extra level of bourbony, syrupy goodness.

Stone Old Guardian
Old Guardian is a perfect entry-level barleywine. Not heavy and thick, like the more intense varieties, and with extra hops to balance the boozy, fruity malts.

Trumer Pils
Forget Pilsner Urquell-that watered-down swill has nothing on Trumer. Started in Salzburg 400 years ago but now made in the Berkeley hills, it's a radically flavorful pils, bitter and bubbly and extra dry with slight floral notes from heavy hopping.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Cloudy, spicy, crisp, and tart, this might be the perfect wheat beer, and a summertime staple.

AleSmith Speedway Stout
This artisanal San Diego brewery boasts a line-up that is high in quality, and often in ABV. Speedway Stout just barely edges out their other offerings with its coffee infused richness that opens up more flavors as the beer warms.

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
This brewery's expansion may be built on the deserved growth of Racer 5 IPA, but you'll be greatly rewarded for tracking this down. Everything is on overdrive with huge hops, caramel malts ,and spicy rye, but the balance it maintains makes for an impressive brew.

The Bruery Saison Rue
The awards and accolades just keep coming for these young brewers. The line-up is always adventurous, but perfectly restrained rather than overt. Saison Rue is a farmhouse-style beer with hints of rye and wild yeast strains that make for a deliciously complex drink.

Cantillon Iris
The Iris is the flower of Brussels, and this annual brew is barrel-aged for two years. While it is spontaneously fermented like other Cantillon lambics, it differs in that it contains only pale malts and a portion of fresh hops (versus wheat and dried hops). It is tart but complex. Substitute this for sparkling wine and your guests will be glad you did.

De Struise Pannepot
A vintage-released Belgian Quadruple Ale that is sent forth into the world at least two years after it was brewed. The combination of flavors is compelling and rich while the carbonation keeps the heft of the beer from crushing the palate-which makes for a surprisingly easy drinking 10% ABV. An oak-aged 2008 batch is soon to be released.

Dieu du Ciel Route des Epices
This Montreal brewery is single-handedly raising the craft-brewing profile of Canada. This selection may not be their best known but it is probably their most intriguing, with its use of peppercorn. The flavoring is unmistakable, and pairs incredibly well with smoked meats.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
What can we say? If the West Coast Style IPA (arguably) became the USA's contribution to the beer world and is itself an exaggerated version of the English IPA, what is the next level? How about a version boasting 18% alcohol and 120 International Bitterness Units? (Note to non-beer nerds: That's crazy bitter.) Be careful with that 12-oz. bottle.

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
Visitors to this Dexter, Michigan, brewery could be forgiven for mistaking it for a winery. Ron Jeffries barrel-ages every release. Most batches are then blended to provide consistency, but all have wonderful tart elements that the used barrels help to impart. La Roja is a delicious sour brown ale in a line-up of excellent brews.

Marin Brewing Company IPA
In our minds, this is the quintessential interpretation of the West Coast Style IPA. The aroma, color, malt balance, and bittering are perfect and eminently drinkable. There isn't an element that overshadows another, and it's an excellent baseline by which to enjoy other IPAs.

Orval
Only one beer is made at this Trappist brewery, but that is more than enough. Orval is a worldwide classic Belgian Ale. Proprietary yeasts imparted during secondary fermentation give Orval its subtle and distinctive sourness.

Port Brewing Shark Attack Red
What started as (and still is) a small pizza chain is now a full-fledged and high-quality craft brewery. Port Brewing is also responsible for the Lost Abbey line; Shark Attack Red is their Imperial Red Ale. It's wonderfully rich and balanced by intense hopping.

Russian River Pliny the Elder
Perhaps the most well known and sought out double IPA on the planet. The reputation is well earned, as the brewers have found the magic spot between huge flavors and drinkability. This is a hop head's dream.

Saison Dupont
The style has been making a welcome comeback, and this one is probably the best known progenitor. Saisons are traditionally delicate but flavorful, complex but not overt. They are excellent beers for food pairing, and Saison Dupont is the perfect match for a huge range of flavors.

Schneider Aventinus
Consistently recognized as one of the top beers in the world, Aventinus is a wheat doppelbock with flavors of bread, caramel, and fruit, and a slightly bitter finish. And the carbonation level makes it a very drinkable 8%. A classic.

Westvleteren Abt 12
This Trappist beer is available only at the source and there are strict limits as to how much one can purchase. The monks only make enough to run the monastery. Its difficulty to obtain aside (but not discounted), "Westy" 12 is widely considered one of the best in the world, and is often aged for several years.

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
Yep, it's the color of old engine oil. (Is there not a manlier name for a beer?) And, while we haven't actually tasted old engine oil, we're going to say that it tastes nothing like it. A perfect balance of roasted coffee flavor and chocolate, with a slightly bitter finish. For a heavy beer it's surprisingly drinkable.

Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
This medium- to full-bodied brew first hits you with a huge toasty espresso taste and then with a bitter, hoppy finish. The Colorado-based Great Divide recommends drinking it for breakfast, but with a cloying high 9.5% ABV you'll need to take a nap for lunch.

Double Mountain Black Irish Stout
Why do we import Guinness when we have this right here? Brewed in Oregon, this has that creaminess you love in Guinness, but with real flavor-pleasantly roasty, with a hint of dark-chocolate bitterness.

Samuel Adams Utopias
It's hard to call this a beer because it has no carbonation, has the consistency of brandy, is best sipped from a nosing glass, and, oh yeah, it costs $150 for a 24-oz. bottle. But it's worth a taste if you come across it at a bar: complexly sweet, like a port.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
We can't pronounce it either, but don't let that keep you from drinking it. Simply ask for it at your finer beer store or bar as "that German Smoke Beer," and they'll most likely bring you this: a beer made with malt toasted over an open fire that gives it a pleasantly smoky flavor-like liquid BBQ.

Russian River Valley Brewing Co. Beatification
Perhaps the wildest American Wild Ale out there. Mouth-puckeringly sour, funky like a barnyard, with a little bit of oak (it's aged in barrels). Beatification is a super-intense beer that you will either hate or become addicted to.

Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale
This is like drinking a Sour Patch Kid. Light, with a pleasant, palate-cleansing sourness, it's the perfect partner to a pile of Belgian frites and mussels. Or anything you want to eat a whole bucket of.

Drink and discuss. ;)