Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Tripel Karmeliet-Brouwerij Bosteels

Haven't had a real Belgian brew for quite a while so I figured I had better order one while at Monk's Cafe, described by All about Beer magazine as the best Belgian bar in the US, and by Michael Jackson (the bearded brew expert, not the pale, pasty dead guy) as one of the best 5 taverns in the world, or something like that. This was served in its own chalice and was a very slightly cloudy yellow with a modest amount of the typical Belgian lace head which lingered through most of the 10 ounce serving (about $8). This golden ale rivals Duvel as one of the best tripels on the planet. A bit of orange and coriander on the nose and on the taste buds with a bit of black pepper spiciness. Hops are fairly minimal and faintly floral. The ABV is 8.4% and has there are also hints of light caramel, green apples and pears for its other tastes/flavors. I have seen this in beer shops but never tried it. I'd guess it is about $10 for a 750 ml bottle and would be worth that to share with a plate of fresh fruits for an appetizer beer or with a lighter fish entree with some mango or pineapple salsa.

[bluebeer]

Pliney the Elder (draft)-Russian River Brewing

Brewer's notes:





Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, "Lupus salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs." Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle's legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

8.0%ABV, 1.071 O.G

Gold Medal, 2006 World Beer Cup (Double IPA Category)
Gold Medal, 2005 GABF (Double IPA Category)
Bronze Medal, 2004 GABF (Double IPA Category)


My thoughts:


This is quite the IIPA. The notes at the restaurant claim that this is the original IIPA but I can't verify that. This was a $4 pilsner glass (7-8 ounces) that appeared with a 2 fingered head and a very pleasant/pungent aroma and taste of fresh grapefruit. The color was slightly orange-yellow with a solid malty balance to the stunning and very deceptive 100 IBU. The ABV was a bit low for the style at 8% with no alcohol burn. Matched nicely with my Salade Nicoise. Wouldn't hesitate for a moment to have another (and another...) of these.

Excellent review of a great brew..Now I'm craving another sample...

[devildeac]

Vinyl-Magic Hat Brewing

New brew weekend. Went to the Misconduct Tavern on Locust Street in Philadelphia where I am spending the weekend for a continuing education meeting. (Insert WC Fields joke here if you'd like). A cousin's husband owns the joint and it is 5-6 blocks from the hotel so I figured I would pay a visit. It's a Philadelphia sports bar and a festive one. Tonight, the Flyers (or should that be the Phlyers?) were beating up the Sabres in game 2 of their 1st round series. This was $3 for the pint. I would have had 2 but I saw another brew on draft I had never sampled from the tap before and made that my 2nd choice. Oh, back to the Magic Hat pint. This is an amber lager so the color fits perfectly but the IBU of 16 don't match that which I tasted. I would have thought about 30-40. Pleasantly hopped and malted with 4 varieties of grain that produce your expected toasted biscuit tastes. ABV was 5.1% so it allowed another tasting to occur as I finished my smoked turkey wrap. Worth a couple bottles from a 12 pack sampler or a pint but not a 6er that I'd buy and keep.

[devildeac]

New avatar test.

Forgot link:

http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-line ... on-old-ale

[bluebeer]

New avatar test.

Forgot link:

http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-line ... on-old-ale

Great avatar and one of my all time favorite beers..

[devildeac]

Grand Cru-Rodenbach

My final beer of my Philadelphia conference weekend. I am not sure I have ever had this before and certainly not on draft. Served a bit too cold in about a 10 ounce snifter but allowed to warm a bit as I sipped it watching the Flyers-Sabers game Saturday evening. This was a dark reddish-brown sour Flanders ale which had less than a single finger head. Widely considered to be the quintessential example of this type of Belgian ale. Predominant taste/flavor is of dark, sour cherries with raisins, figs, dates and a bit of dark brown sugar. Bitterness is mild, probably 30-40 as it most closely resembles a dark brown ale. ABV is modest at 6%. This was over-priced at $9.50 for the snifter but certainly worth a taste if you can find a bottle in your local specialty shop or a draft at a Belgian/specialty ale house.

[devildeac]

13th Anniversary Ale (2009)-Stone Brewing

Clearly marked/painted on this bomber is the following: Do not cellar. Enjoy in 2009. So much for me reading/paying attention to labels . Well, I am not known for buying these brews and drinking them promptly, especially with bottle-conditioned/high gravity brews.

Back to the product now. I am somewhat glad I forgot about this bottle for a while. At 90 IBU and 9.5% ABV, I'm not sure it would have been very drinkable/enjoyable 2 years ago. It was somewhat tough sipping this monster after 2 years in the cellar. It poured a rather cloudy, dark reddish-brown with a moderate head which lingered until the glass was drained. Piney/herbal hops arrived first, almost over-powering the thick, malty backbone. Make no mistake, this is a barleywine of typical West Coast/American style. High quality brew, as usual, from this purveyor of fine, often unique creations. This would be a nice match with strongly flavored/spicy entrees or would make a nice bedtime warmer sipped from a snifter. I rarely hesitate picking up a seasonal or anniversary concoction from Stone Brewing and will certainly savor the Old Guardian and Vertical Epic bombers I have sequestered for other occasions throughout 2011, or even 2012 if I forget about them for the remainder of this year .

[devildeac]

The Dogfather-Laughing Dog Brewing

http://www.laughingdogbrewing.com/ldb/brews/dogfather

Bought for the name and because CB&B had traded an Alpha Dog with me after Christmas. Guess I'm gonna have to try Dogzilla, too. CB&B will find a Devil Dog in his next batch of trader bombers and not the cream filled chocolate kind, either .

On to the brew review. Licorice, blackstrap molasses, cappucino and mocha all in a nearly black imperial stout with a modest head. 7 malts, 4 hops as the linky will tell you with an ABV of 11% (only 10.85% on the bottle ) and the IBU are 71 which is a bit low for the style but still well hopped. Serve this at about 55-60 degrees and sip for a while. You could enjoy this with a savory brisket, a spicy bowl of chili or as dessert, with or without a scoop of vanila ice cream. Certainly worth a try at $8 for the bomber which I sampled over 2 nights.

[devildeac]

Black Barleywine (aka 3rd in the 30th Anniversary series, IIRC)-Sierra Nevada

I managed to cellar this one for about 6 months, I think. It is no longer up on the SN web site. For a barleywine, this is highly quaffable and dangerous. On the shelves as a corked and caged 750 ml bottle that I divided over 2 nights. It is a dark, ruby-brown that poured slightly cloudy with a modest foamy head. Resin/pine are the hop flavors and aromas and the malts are darker than a typical barleywine, guessing very generous amounts of chocolate and caramel malts. I'd guess the IBU to be 80 or 90 knowing the general hoptitude of the SN folks and the ABV was 10.2% and, about 1/2 way through the glass, the rummy/alcohol burn becomes more prominent. This was fine by itself from a snifter but a slice of rum cake would have been enjoyable with this, too. I think I'll start looking for their North and South Hemisphere fresh hop ales on my next visit to Total Wine.

I finally found a bottle of their Grand Cru but I think I will let that one age until the fall or winter of this year.

[devildeac]

Devil Dog-Laughing Dog Brewing

Brewer's notes:

Devil Dog Imperial IPA
"Diabolus Canis Imperiosus IPA"

The Devil Dog will chew you up and leave you whimpering for more.

At 98 IBU’s and 5.6 pounds of hops to the barrel it is an all out assault on the senses.
Devil Dog Started as a labor of love but quickly took on a life of its own, leaving us drooling like Pavlov’s dogs at the mere mention of its name.
Triple dry hopped and at 10% ABV, more than one of these bad boys will cause you to howl at passing strangers and chew up your toys, or anything else you can get your sharp little teeth on.

Hops: Columbus, Northern Brewer, Ahtanum, Cascade and Simcoe
Malt: Pale, Carmel and Munich


Devildeac's notes:

I am liking this brewer more with each species (breed?) that I try. This is an IIPA with a double wallop. The 5 hops lend a mixture of aromas and flavors with the grapefruit zestiness the dominant but not overpowering one. ABV is a bit higher on the bottle at 10.85% than that stated in the notes above so I divided the bomber over 2 nights. The pour is a cloudy golden orange with a moderately foamy head which was obviously less on the 2nd night despite a pretty good quality wine cork. Round up your usual spicy or hot entrees for this one if you wish to sip with dinner and it will stand up nicely to the heat. This is probably middle of the pack (sorry pun intended) among my IIPA tastings meaning it was certainly worth the $6 or $8 for the bomber to taste/sample/trade/share but not something I'd put in the cart again though I think/hope CB&B will find this enjoyable when we trade again.

[Lavabe]

Next year's American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings are in:

PORTLAND, OREGON!!



Abstracts are due in September... will have one ready in June.

[devildeac]

Next year's American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings are in:

PORTLAND, OREGON!!



Abstracts are due in September... will have one ready in June.

Probably one of the top 5 cities in the nation for # of breweries/brewpubs. When is the meeting? Nice city/surrounding area to visit also, so, if you are able, spend a day or two there before and after the meeting.

[devildeac]

Larger version of the avatar:

[devildeac]

Next year's American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings are in:

PORTLAND, OREGON!!



Abstracts are due in September... will have one ready in June.

See if you can procure one of these while you are out there:

[devildeac]

Oak Aged Yeti-Great Divide Brewing


Getting kinda out of the dark beer season but couldn't resist this one which has been cellaring since January, 2010. This is a smooth, almost black imperial stout that has been aged in oak barrels. They have 4 versions of the Yeti: regular, oak aged. espresso oak aged and chocolate oak aged.
I believe the chocolate is my favorite but I'd buy another couple bombers of this next winter and enjoy one promptly and let the other sit for a year. Heavily roasted black and chocolate malts in large quantities give this brew the bittersweet cocoa flavors and the oak aging imparts woody and vanilla tones to the palate. No bourbon here. Hints of coffee, black licorice and dark molasses are present, too. IBU are at 75 and the ABV is 9.5% so this is a share beer (about $8 for the bomber) or cork and serve over 2 nights brew like I did. Dessert beckons, with or without a slice of double or triple chocolate cake/torte.

[devildeac]

Holy Sheet-Clipper City Brewing


This is also called über abbey ale. So, this makes it kind of an imperial Belgian brown ale. Medium brown in color and nice and foamy, the tastes are raisins, figs and dates with dark rum and brown sugar. It hits the scale at 9% ABV which is a bit high for a typical Belgian brow/abbey ale and I'd guess the IBU about 30 so low on the hops and bitterness scales. Highly quaffable. Nice brew to enjoy with stews, steaks, briskets and even from a snifter for dessert. About $6 for the bomber, IIRC, so good for a couple nights or trading with coastal artists . Another great name from their Mutiny Fleet series. ExtrAARGHdinary as they print on their bottles.

[devildeac]

Hang Ten-Clipper City

Deliciously different. This is a weizen doppelbock beer meaning some of the grain is wheat which imparts some cloudiness to the dark brown, foamy pour. Aromas and tastes of overripe bananas and cloves are lovely, along with hints of pineapple and orange. Booziness is prominent at 10% ABV and it tastes a bit like dark rum. Bock beers are lagers so the IBUs are low, guessing around 30. This would make a nice appetizer brew in small quantities with a fruit tray or as a accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish with a mango/pineapple salsa. Also gonna make a nice trader with CB&B next time we meet for a meal at the coast . Well worth the $6 for the bomber which I divided over two nights.









"ExtrAARGHdinary" as the put on their bottles .

[devildeac]

Tomfoolery-Terrapin Brewing

Another fascinating ale delivered by the folks from Athens, Georgia. A black saison ale? WTH? The wheat malt imparts a bit of citrus and the rye lends the mustiness you'd expect but the other heavily roasted malts dominate and you end up with a mouthful of cocoa and espresso flavors. Stews, beef roasts and steak scream for this brew to be served at the same time. Bitterness is modest, probably 30-40 with not much hop presence and the ABV is 7.3% on the bottle so I have started celebrating graduation with the whole bomber of this tonight over the last 2 hours while sorting out and filing a couple years worth of business papers. I think this was $8 for the 22 ouncer which is a fair price these days. I believe CB&B will find this interesting when he finds it in his trader box soon.

Some brewer notes, too:

Volume 14 - Tomfoolery

Tomfoolery “Black Saison” is the latest addition to our Side Project series of beers. Number 14 on the list, this ale boasts an uncharacteristic black color for a traditional Saison, but is just untraditional enough for our experimental mentality.
Made with a silly amount of rye, wheat and black malts, this dark spicy beverage will quench the thirst of any court jester in the land. We hope you enjoy our light hearted attempt at making this traditional style with foolish brewing behavior.
Spike’s Brewing Words of Wisdom: Beer is serious business…what you do after consumption often times is not.
O.G. 15.2 F.G. 1.5 ABV% 7.4
Hops: Golding, Willamette, Vanguard
Malts: Pale ,Vienna, Wheat Rye, DH Carafa III, Acidulated

[devildeac]

Dunkel Weiss-New Belgium

Not a really sexy name for a beer but this was quite the buy at about $6 for the bomber with a 9% ABV . It begins with a fairly typical dark brown pour but the wheat makes it just a bit cloudy. The aroma is one of the better ones I have sniffed in a while because of the ripe bananas and cloves and perhaps a bit of dark cherries and brown sugar. The alcohol kicks in about 30 minutes later (or less). IBU are rather light, guessing about 30. Not sure I'd match this with any food except some dark fruits. This is part of their Lips of Faith series and I have avoided Biere de Mars and La Folie, IIRC, as they are about $13 or $14 for the bombers.

From the brewer:


Deep amber brown with a dense off-white head, Dunkelweiss rediscovers hefeweissbiers through a Belgian brewer’s lens. Envisioned by our own Matty “Smooth” Gilliland, this beer opens with sweet clove, chocolate and banana notes that give way to a warm finish with a peppery tingle across the palate.

“I thought it would be fun to make a German wheat beer; we’ve explored the Belgian wheats pretty thoroughly,” said brewer, Matt Gilliland. “Since this is Lips of Faith, and part of what makes that program fun is to make beers that are really unique and different, making a big, strong, dark Weiss beer sounded pretty folly-licious. It’ll still showcase all of the flavors that a Hefeweiss beer would have, but add in the burly body and extra punch. Think of it as a Gran Cru dunkelweiss.”

Just the facts Ma'am...
ABV - 9.0%
Hops - Target
Malts - Pale, Wheat, Black Barley
OG - 24.7
Fruits/Spice - Black Pepper, Cloves

[CameronBornAndBred]

Yay! Somebody fucked up! Yay!

My local mom 'n pop grocery store has been really kicking ass on their beer supply lately, they've even added a new shelf to hold all the craft brews they are carrying. Today I just wanted something cheap but tasty though, so I picked up a Saranac sampler as I often do. Something caught my eye though when I opened the door...in one of the samplers was an imperial IPA. Wooohooo! Yay! Score! And then I noticed that the other brews were different too.
The package was the same "Adirondack Trail Mix" that I always get...so somebody screwed up in distributing, whether intentionally or on purpose. The only 2 beers in the pack that are supposed to be in the pack were the regular IPA and the Black & Tan. The other 4 selections are
1. Imperial IPA
2. Summer Ale (haven't had it)
3. Kolsch (haven't had it)
4. Summer Brew (been a while, it's a wheat)(Edit...I am wrong..haven't had it...and it's a lager with lemonade. Seriously. Looking forward to discovering how this works out.)

So to whomever fucked up, thanks very much!! There were only 2 sampler packs in the fridge, and sadly the other one was just as it was supposed to be.