Ymm, Beer!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Dogfish Head Bitches Brew--An imperial stout brewed with honey and gesho root. Pours black from capped 750ml bottle..A thick creamy head that took a while to dissipate. Lots of chocolate and coffee with some more roasted notes. Any bitterness is offset by a fairly strong and sweet honey taste. A bit of sourness in the finish. Overall, this is a very smooth and easy drinking imperial stout. A very complex blend of flavors that come together nicely. I really like the addition of the honey. Very little booziness for 9% ABV..

I'm pretty sure I've never had that, not sure I've seen it. Sounds great.

[devildeac]

Dogtoberfest-Flying Dog

Clever. A trader with dpslaw from Brunchgate. Part of the seasonal series with this being a Märzen. I usually think about this as a spring ale but it it just fine calling it an Octoberfest, too. Think amber ale here with a light-to-medium caramel taste and a light brown color with a 1-2 finger head. Not much hop nose/taste with an IBU of 30 and the ABV is 5.6%. Very versatile brew as you could enjoy it with ribs, chili, burgers, brats or even hot dogs, with or without mustard . I find this brewery to be hit or miss and this one is one of their hits. Solid session beverage, which leads into my next brew...

[devildeac]

Red Tail Ale-Mendocino Brewing

I opened this and expected a red ale but found a bottle-conditioned amber instead. A very pleasant surprise. This pours a medium brown color and is a bit cloudy due to the live/active yeast used to continue "conditioning" this ale in the bottle. CB&B would refer to this as a "chill haze." Hop presence is modest and I'd guess an IBU of about 35-40. The ABV is 6.1% and this would also pair well with chili, ribs, burgers, brats and a wiener or two off the grill. The yeast imparts just a small amount of funk or sourness to this and makes it very interesting. This was part of a reasonably priced sampler 12 pack bought for Brunchgate so I traded 4 with dpslaw and have 4 to trade with CB&B and will sample my own 4 and report back soon. I have not had any Mendocino brews for a while and am glad I made this selection.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Red Tail Ale-Mendocino Brewing

I opened this and expected a red ale but found a bottle-conditioned amber instead. A very pleasant surprise. This pours a medium brown color and is a bit cloudy due to the live/active yeast used to continue "conditioning" this ale in the bottle. CB&B would refer to this as a "chill haze." Hop presence is modest and I'd guess an IBU of about 35-40. The ABV is 6.1% and this would also pair well with chili, ribs, burgers, brats and a wiener or two off the grill. The yeast imparts just a small amount of funk or sourness to this and makes it very interesting. This was part of a reasonably priced sampler 12 pack bought for Brunchgate so I traded 4 with dpslaw and have 4 to trade with CB&B and will sample my own 4 and report back soon. I have not had any Mendocino brews for a while and am glad I made this selection.

Well then I'm happy I chose the Flying Dog sampler instead of the Mendocino for the game, it was a tossup and I stared at both for at least a full minute. I'm a big fan of both breweries.

[devildeac]

Black Hawk Stout-Mendocino Brewing

This is one of their original brews from 27 years ago and I can tell why. Pretty traditional dry stout with lots of darkly roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate taste present. This is nearly black and slightly viscous and has a bit more body and less sweetness than the Moo Thunder I sampled a couple nights ago which is more of a milk stout. I'd guess the IBU to be 40-50. I'll let the brewer take over with the rest of the description:

The specialty malt known as Black Patent is combined with Pale and Caramel malt in the mash to provide a contrast in flavors - On the one hand, rich and malty and on the other, dry and crisp. A third dimension is added in the kettle when whole Cascade and Cluster hops are boiled with the wort to provide a subtle hoppy finish. During fermentation, our special proprietary yeast along with the malt imparts a signature dryness characteristic of our ales. Black Hawk Stout is creamy and smooth with a long dry finish. Black Hawk Stout, with 5.2% alcohol by volume, is full of rich, roasted malt flavor.

I'll also mention that it is bottle conditioned which would allow aging, if one was so inclined. This would be a nice match with brisket, stew, ribs or chili or with chocolate desserts.

And there will be one in a trader coming soon to a Brunchgate near you.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Dead Ant ale...I have no idea what it tastes like (I will before the night is over) because I'm bottling it now. Why Dead Ant? When I was pulling my grain bill for this batch, I discovered that a colony of ants had found my grains, and there were a few hundred crawling around in the grain bag. I sure as hell wasn't going to waste 5 pounds of grains because of ants, so in to the brew they went.
Basically a heavily hopped brown ale, brewed with a special yeast (safbrew t-58).

A specialty ale yeast selected for its estery, somewhat peppery and spicy flavor. This yeast forms a solid sediment at the end of secondary fermentation, and is therefore widely used for bottle and cask conditioning.

I wanted to use a California Ale yeast, and that's what I started with, but it never took. So I pitched with this one, should be a fun brew for Alabama. Final reading was %7.5ABV.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Just found one danger of home brewing and using used bottles. I had bought a Saranac sampler 6 pack last night, and pulled out a Black Lager to enjoy. (which actually isn't in their sampler, but it's damn good, see the Duck Rabbit Shwarzbier review for comparison. Get it if you can, it's hard to find.) Anyways what I pulled out wasn't an actual Black Lager, but a Sweet Sixteen. I was wondering why it was slowly foaming, and noticed that it was sure more boozy than I expected. Anyways...wolf in sheep's clothing hiding in my fridge.

[devildeac]

Dead Ant ale...I have no idea what it tastes like (I will before the night is over) because I'm bottling it now. Why Dead Ant? When I was pulling my grain bill for this batch, I discovered that a colony of ants had found my grains, and there were a few hundred crawling around in the grain bag. I sure as hell wasn't going to waste 5 pounds of grains because of ants, so in to the brew they went.
Basically a heavily hopped brown ale, brewed with a special yeast (safbrew t-58).

A specialty ale yeast selected for its estery, somewhat peppery and spicy flavor. This yeast forms a solid sediment at the end of secondary fermentation, and is therefore widely used for bottle and cask conditioning.

I wanted to use a California Ale yeast, and that's what I started with, but it never took. So I pitched with this one, should be a fun brew for Alabama. Final reading was %7.5ABV.

Ya oughtta send that recipe/brew to the Sam Adams Home Brewers contest.

[devildeac]

Just found one danger of home brewing and using used bottles. I had bought a Saranac sampler 6 pack last night, and pulled out a Black Lager to enjoy. (which actually isn't in their sampler, but it's damn good, see the Duck Rabbit Shwarzbier review for comparison. Get it if you can, it's hard to find.) Anyways what I pulled out wasn't an actual Black Lager, but a Sweet Sixteen. I was wondering why it was slowly foaming, and noticed that it was sure more boozy than I expected. Anyways...wolf in sheep's clothing hiding in my fridge.

Sounds like too much sampling whilst brewing...

[CameronBornAndBred]

Just found one danger of home brewing and using used bottles. I had bought a Saranac sampler 6 pack last night, and pulled out a Black Lager to enjoy. (which actually isn't in their sampler, but it's damn good, see the Duck Rabbit Shwarzbier review for comparison. Get it if you can, it's hard to find.) Anyways what I pulled out wasn't an actual Black Lager, but a Sweet Sixteen. I was wondering why it was slowly foaming, and noticed that it was sure more boozy than I expected. Anyways...wolf in sheep's clothing hiding in my fridge.

Sounds like too much sampling whilst brewing...

Works well though, I usually try to drink a homebrew while bottling...in hopes of passing on the goodness.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Dead Ant ale...I have no idea what it tastes like (I will before the night is over) because I'm bottling it now. Why Dead Ant? When I was pulling my grain bill for this batch, I discovered that a colony of ants had found my grains, and there were a few hundred crawling around in the grain bag. I sure as hell wasn't going to waste 5 pounds of grains because of ants, so in to the brew they went.
Basically a heavily hopped brown ale, brewed with a special yeast (safbrew t-58).

A specialty ale yeast selected for its estery, somewhat peppery and spicy flavor. This yeast forms a solid sediment at the end of secondary fermentation, and is therefore widely used for bottle and cask conditioning.

I wanted to use a California Ale yeast, and that's what I started with, but it never took. So I pitched with this one, should be a fun brew for Alabama. Final reading was %7.5ABV.

Addendum..it's not a brown ale as I was thinking (and fearing, since it wasn't what I wanted). They are hard to know until you start siphoning, in the bucket they always look darker. It will indeed be a pale ale, and I'm tasting from the first batch now. (The yeasty dregs.) Lovely aroma, the esters pound it, so that banana essence permeates. Not nearly as peppery as I was thinking it might be, which I'm really happy about. That quality is why I've held on to this yeast for so long; it's a tough trait to match well with a choice of malts. Hard to judge the hops until we get some maturity in about a week, but from what I'm tasting I don't sense nearly as much as I was expecting. Early prognosis is that this will be a really, really good beer. I will have a 12 on hand for the Alabama game, and they'll be ready to drink. (Plus I'll have a couple extras for DD to take home as traders.)

[devildeac]

Eye of the Hawk Select Ale-Mendocino

This one is tough to characterize. It has pale and caramel malts in generous quantities as the ABV is 8% but the taste is balanced (hops not named) with a hint of pineapple and orange zest. I'd guess the IBU to be about 50. Like all their brews, it is bottle conditioned making the lighter coppery color a bit cloudy or hazy with a very slight sour taste. I'd like this with grilled chicken or fish with salsa or chutney, fruity or a bit spicy. CB&B will find one in a trader next weekend and I'll be really curious to read his thoughts. Anyone else had one of these recently?

[EarlJam]

Eye of the Hawk Select Ale-Mendocino

This one is tough to characterize. It has pale and caramel malts in generous quantities as the ABV is 8% but the taste is balanced (hops not named) with a hint of pineapple and orange zest. I'd guess the IBU to be about 50. Like all their brews, it is bottle conditioned making the lighter coppery color a bit cloudy or hazy with a very slight sour taste. I'd like this with grilled chicken or fish with salsa or chutney, fruity or a bit spicy. CB&B will find one in a trader next weekend and I'll be really curious to read his thoughts. Anyone else had one of these recently?

How many here make their own brew? Could y'all make a CrazieTalk Lite? Or CrazieTalk Dark? Etc.? I'm serious.

-EarlJam

[devildeac]

Eye of the Hawk Select Ale-Mendocino

This one is tough to characterize. It has pale and caramel malts in generous quantities as the ABV is 8% but the taste is balanced (hops not named) with a hint of pineapple and orange zest. I'd guess the IBU to be about 50. Like all their brews, it is bottle conditioned making the lighter coppery color a bit cloudy or hazy with a very slight sour taste. I'd like this with grilled chicken or fish with salsa or chutney, fruity or a bit spicy. CB&B will find one in a trader next weekend and I'll be really curious to read his thoughts. Anyone else had one of these recently?

How many here make their own brew? Could y'all make a CrazieTalk Lite? Or CrazieTalk Dark? Etc.? I'm serious.

-EarlJam

I'm gonna guess CB&B is the only home brewer here and I don't think you'll EVER catch him making a CTN lite. He has made many different styles already from a pale ale to an imperial porter and from a wheat ale to a barleywine/old ale. Put in your request and I'd bet he gives it a try. Once again, no imitation beers.

[devildeac]

Skinny Dip-New Belgium

Think Fat Tire light. Pours a pale gold with a small head and a nose of a bed of flowers and a slight nuttiness and breadiness. The ABV is 4.2% and I'd estimate the IBU to be about 20. A fine session starter or sipper while sitting on the porch with some light cheese and crackers or even a fruit plate. I'd be happy with this as a beverage with some plain grilled chicken or lighter bodied/flavored fish, too.

I'm also going to have an IPA a bit later this evening.

[devildeac]

White Hawk Select IPA-Mendocino

Here ya go, right from the brewer:

On May 31, 2002 , White Hawk Select IPA was "Released" in our Hopland Brew Pub as Brew Master Don Barkley poured the first pint! White Hawk is a traditional IPA .The IPA recipe is based on the original 1880 brew that was sent to India for the British troops.The advent of India Pale Ale was born of a need to supply beer in the 1800's to British troops in India. This hearty, heavily hopped ale was brewed to endure the rigors of the long voyage from Great Britain.

White Hawk Original IPA was launched in California in early 2002 to meet the demand for a unique India Pale Ale. Consumer response for White Hawk IPA exceeded expectations and it is fast gaining a loyal following both in 6 pack and on draft.

Our Brewmasters created this IPA based on the original recipe and the result is perfection.
White Hawk Original IPA has a rich distinctive hop character and bold malt flavor. This Select IPA has a unique aroma, a clean finish and is brewed to satisfy connoisseurs the world over We’ve blended American West Coast Cascade Hops with a very generous dose of English Fuggle Hops. This combination makes for a very aromatic character, as well as a truly authentic English flavor which you must taste to believe. White Hawk Original IPA has an ABV of 7.0% and a bitterness of 60 IBU. "Hopheads" will love this brew!

Cannabis. Golden pour, 2 finger head, bottle conditioned and recommended with grilled fish or fowl or curry.

This concludes my portion of the Medocino sampler. Now, to trade a few with CB&B next Saturday .

[CameronBornAndBred]

Dead Ant ale...I have no idea what it tastes like (I will before the night is over) because I'm bottling it now. Why Dead Ant? When I was pulling my grain bill for this batch, I discovered that a colony of ants had found my grains, and there were a few hundred crawling around in the grain bag. I sure as hell wasn't going to waste 5 pounds of grains because of ants, so in to the brew they went.
Basically a heavily hopped brown ale, brewed with a special yeast (safbrew t-58).

A specialty ale yeast selected for its estery, somewhat peppery and spicy flavor. This yeast forms a solid sediment at the end of secondary fermentation, and is therefore widely used for bottle and cask conditioning.

I wanted to use a California Ale yeast, and that's what I started with, but it never took. So I pitched with this one, should be a fun brew for Alabama. Final reading was %7.5ABV.

Addendum..it's not a brown ale as I was thinking (and fearing, since it wasn't what I wanted). They are hard to know until you start siphoning, in the bucket they always look darker. It will indeed be a pale ale, and I'm tasting from the first batch now. (The yeasty dregs.) Lovely aroma, the esters pound it, so that banana essence permeates. Not nearly as peppery as I was thinking it might be, which I'm really happy about. That quality is why I've held on to this yeast for so long; it's a tough trait to match well with a choice of malts. Hard to judge the hops until we get some maturity in about a week, but from what I'm tasting I don't sense nearly as much as I was expecting. Early prognosis is that this will be a really, really good beer. I will have a 12 on hand for the Alabama game, and they'll be ready to drink. (Plus I'll have a couple extras for DD to take home as traders.)

OK...4th day in the bottle tasting..and I'm ready to go open another. Easily my best effort, including the Sweet Sixteen. Not fully mature yet..but damn it could be.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

OK...4th day in the bottle tasting..and I'm ready to go open another. Easily my best effort, including the Sweet Sixteen. Not fully mature yet..but damn it could be.

You be careful with that under aged drinking... Wouldn't want you to run afoul with the law...

[devildeac]

Yo, CB&B. I have your 6er ready. Four different Mendocino brews (reviewed here, of course), a Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale and a Stoudt's Fat Dog Imperial Stout (dpslaw had an extra of each that I traded for).

[CameronBornAndBred]

Yo, CB&B. I have your 6er ready. Four different Mendocino brews (reviewed here, of course), a Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale and a Stoudt's Fat Dog Imperial Stout (dpslaw had an extra of each that I traded for).

Sounds tasty. Your's of course will have a couple Dead Ants. . Won't know what else will be in there until I visit TW on Friday night.