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Black Hemp-O'Fallon Brewery

This black ale has an herbal, piney nose and taste with a bit of mild chocolate and smokiness from the black malt, oats and rye used for brewing in addition to the hemp seeds. Pours a thin, dark brown with a small tan head. I'd guess the IBU to be 30-40 as there is little bitterness and I'd estimate the ABV to be about 6%. I'd serve this with smoked, hard cheeses or meats, including game or sausages. This was a rental fee from Lavabe last weekend from the Liquor Barn when he visited and did a bit of library work at Duke. Some folks will see this as a trader in future 6ers but would not hesitate keeping one for my self for a bit later this spring.

CathyCA wrote:

devildeac wrote:Tonight's haul: Cereal Killer, Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout, Founder's KMS Barrel Aged Stout, Goose Island Pere Jacques and Bourbon County Stout, Anchor Old Foghorn, Great Lakes Burning River PA, a couple DFH World Wide Stouts and a couple Raison D'Extra. I am not sure I have ever come up with such an assortment. And you oughta see what I didn't buy.

I love that name! Cereal Killer!



Clever people, those brewmasters!

Paging CathyCA:

I am not surprised you liked the name of Serial Griller when I remembered this beer and your response.

devildeac wrote:

CathyCA wrote:

devildeac wrote:Tonight's haul: Cereal Killer, Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout, Founder's KMS Barrel Aged Stout, Goose Island Pere Jacques and Bourbon County Stout, Anchor Old Foghorn, Great Lakes Burning River PA, a couple DFH World Wide Stouts and a couple Raison D'Extra. I am not sure I have ever come up with such an assortment. And you oughta see what I didn't buy.

I love that name! Cereal Killer!



Clever people, those brewmasters!

Paging CathyCA:

I am not surprised you liked the name of Serial Griller when I remembered this beer and your response.

I'm surprised that you remembered that I liked this name.

If TBCC made cornbread over the grill, would they be Cereal Grillers? If they drank a couple of six packs while competing in the grilling competition, would they be Cereal Killers?

CathyCA wrote:

devildeac wrote:

CathyCA wrote:
I love that name! Cereal Killer!



Clever people, those brewmasters!

Paging CathyCA:

I am not surprised you liked the name of Serial Griller when I remembered this beer and your response.

I'm surprised that you remembered that I liked this name.

If TBCC made cornbread over the grill, would they be Cereal Grillers? If they drank a couple of six packs while competing in the grilling competition, would they be Cereal Killers?

Pretty easy to remember your two or three posts on this thread .

And, if they ground their own corn/grain for their bread, cooked it over charcoal while drinking that particular ale, they'd be Cereal Millers, Grillers and Killers .

CathyCA wrote: If they drank a couple of six packs while competing in the grilling competition, would they be Cereal Killers?

If?

devildeac wrote:Pretty easy to remember your two or three posts on this thread .

And, if they ground their own corn/grain for their bread, cooked it over charcoal while drinking that particular ale, they'd be Cereal Millers, Grillers and Killers .

Cereal Millers, Grillers and Killers.

I like that!

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

CathyCA wrote: If they drank a couple of six packs while competing in the grilling competition, would they be Cereal Killers?

If?

Okay. When!

So are you going to introduce yourselves to the Serial Grillers as the Cereal Killers?

CathyCA wrote:

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

CathyCA wrote: If they drank a couple of six packs while competing in the grilling competition, would they be Cereal Killers?

If?

Okay. When!

Adoration-Ommegang Brewing

Labeled as a Special Winter Ale on the bottle, I would have to heartily agree. This is basically a dubble, or Belgian brown ale that has been laced with 5 spices and they vary depending on whether you read the label or the web site . The bottle lists coriander, cardamon, mace, grains of paradise and sweet orange peel. Their brewer's description substitutes cumin for the orange peel. Personally, I think this tastes a bit like orange peel. It is a cloudy, medium brown pour with a lacy/foamy head that has faint floral notes from what I perceive to be only a mildly hopped brew, guessing 30 IBU. The malts dominate with dried dark fruity flavors including raisins, dates and figs with a bit of brown sugar. The spicing is somewhat subtle with the orange zest more prominent to my palate. I divided the 750 ml corked and caged bottle over a couple nights as it was 10% ABV and sipped it chilled but not cold. Very enjoyable concoction that could be served for dessert or with dessert such as a tray of dark candied fruits or even a nutty fruit cake. I think I only paid about $8 or $9 for the bottle instead of the typical $10-12 that retailers typically ask for the Ommegang specialty brews.

Alpine Spring-Boston Beer Company

I received this as a trade from CB&B a month or so ago and it was 80 in Raleigh today so I thought I would break out this one from from Sam Adams spring 12 pack. It is a slightly cloudy, pale yellow lager brewed with Nobel Tettnang hops from the Alps which impart light floral notes and slight bitterness to the brew, guessing 20 IBU or so. Pale and honey malts balance well giving the brew a slightly caramel like taste, too. I'd guess the ABV to be about 5% so quite a nice brew to usher in the first day of spring, along with the IPA I am sipping now to finish the evening/night. If you'd like to try different styles of beers, I'd recommend just about any of the SA 12 packs, assuming you drink the obligatory Boston lager first to get it out of the way, or use it to cook your chicken or chili ;) .

Whitewater IPA-Boston Beer Company

This was another single CB&B traded me a couple months ago from the SA spring 12 pack sampler. Quite the intriguing ale. It is a fusion of a Belgian white ale and a typical IPA with the twist of apricots being added. So, the Belgian white part is the wheat malt which makes it a bit fizzy and imparts a bit of orange zest to the flavor. The IPA contribution is the grapefruitiness of the hops and the moderate bitterness. It is a slightly cloudy yellow-orange pour with a modest head. The caramel and pale malts blend with the subtle tastes of apricots to balance the bitterness and add a bit of sweetness. I'd guess the IBU to be about 60-70 range and the IBU about 6%. I'd also categorize this as a nice brew to make the transition from macro to micro as fuse suggested and applaud the SA folks for their adventure here. Certainly worth a couple from the 12 pack or even a 6er to keep a couple for yourself and trade/share the others.

Moon Man-New Glarus Brewing

No Coast Pale Ale. Hey, it says so on the bottle . This was a trader with a drug rep who calls on the office after he returned from Wisconsin over the Christmas holidays. Poured an orange-yellow with a foamy head and had mild tastes of grapefruit created nicely from five hops and balanced well with caramel and pale malts. Modest IBU guessing 40-50 and an estimated ABV of under 6%. Good spring or cookout brew.

Hoptimum-Sierra Nevda Brewing

Hop bomb/explosion alert. I think this brew has been around for several years but has not graced my palate until this week. My daughter found a 4 pack of this at Sam's in Derm a couple weeks ago for about $10 and she dropped off the goodies last week while visiting as I searched for Rocky Mountain brews. The variety and quantity of hops used cover about all bases of flavors/tastes from intense grapefuitiness to oily, resinous piney notes. The IBU are a stunning 100 making it one of the more bitter brews SN has produced. Perhaps even most bitter as I believe Bigfoot weighs in at "only" 96 or 98 IBU. It pours an orange-yellow with a large creamy head. Hops are the winners here but there are more than sufficient quantities of caramel and pale malts to nearly balance the assault on your bitterness sensors and have this check in at 10.4% ABV. This is a sipping beer so if you can find any, rinse out your snifter, let your bottle sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before decanting and then savor this rare find. I have 3 bottles left and one is for my son when he moves back to NC next month, one is to cellar for a year or more and fuse gets the final treasure.



From the brewer:

A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put —Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped, AND torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.

Resinous "new-school" and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar, and tropical fruit—all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.

Great label, too:

Seizoen-Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales

My son had an interview out in Portland, Oregon last month and safely returned with a great selection of Oregon ales and this was a celebration brew last PM. It was a capped and beeswax sealed 750 ml bottle of a saison/farmhouse ale from what I expect is a very small brewery outside Hood River, Oregon. This quaint little borough is also home to the slightly larger Full Sail Brewery. Fascinating and very distinctive beverage. It pours a cloudy yellow-orange with a nose of black pepper and orange from a variety of Belgian or Belgian-style yeasts and I suspect a blend of lightly roasted caramel, pale and wheat malts. There are hints of apricot and peach and some funkiness. The head is a large, foamy one which lasts for quite a while. I'll guess the IBU to be low, guessing about 20-30 and the ABV on the bottle is 7.5% so we split the bottle. I'd pair this with soft or hard cheeses, a fruit tray or grilled chicken or lighter fish with a fruity salsa/compote. Sadly, I suspect I will never see this brew again. I think he brought back about $45 worth of beer and he made quite a haul. I'll guess this was $6-7 and well worth the price.

Picture of the bottle:



Picture from the website:

By chance, and it was just by chance, I heard a song Sunday night on the CMA's that I thought was very catchy and an appropriate theme song for this thread! It was the only part of the show I watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Uh-HmcSpPM

devildeac wrote: Picture from the website:

Refrigerator material. As for the beer, I bet it's good...it's probably refrigerator material too.

UFO White-Harpoon Brewing

Harpoon has a small series of these brews and this is the UnFiltered Offering White variety. Pours a slightly cloudy yellow with the usual suspects of coriander and orange peel in the flavors. Fizz is mild and I'd pair this with some light appetizers, fruits and perhaps some light seafood entrees. I got this as a trader from my drug rep buddy and would certainly have one of these on a warm spring afternoon on a porch swing or rocking chair. I'd guess the IBU about 20 and the ABV about 5% so two of these would not hurt you too much after mowing your lawn either.

Mighty Oak Ale-Boston Beer Company

Another slightly different offering from Sam Adams, brewer and patriot. This was a trader from a 12 pack from CB&B from about 3 months ago and it was time to delve into the spring beers last week. It's an amber ale and sure sounds and tastes like it has been aged on oak for a while. No bourbon aromas or tastes, just notes of caramel malt, light brown sugar, oak (d'oh) and vanilla. Pours a clear light brown with a small, short-lived head and very mild hop presence. I'd guess the IBU about 30 and the ABV around 5.5% so a fine beer for a tasting session or a cook-out with grilled chicken, pork or beef. I rather like what SA has done with their 12 packs and some different brews they have concocted. Now, if they would only get rid of their Boston Lager from every $#@% sampler they produce and include an extra "project" or two, they'd be even better

All Day IPA Session Ale-Founders Brewing

Another one of my favorite craft brewers. This was a trader from my drug rep buddy and one I had never seen/heard/read about. The IBU are a shade low at 42 and the ABV at 4.7%, especially for an IPA but this is not without flavor. In fact, it has nice grapefruity and piney hop aromas and tastes with a gentle malty balance. Pours a reddish-orange with a small, foamy head. Mild enough to have at a cook-out but enough body and flavor to stand up to hot and spicy Oriental/Indian foods. I would not hesitate a moment to tasting another one of these. It also makes me anticipate the dry-hopped Founders Pale Ale that I received as a trader last week in the same 6er.

devildeac wrote:All Day IPA Session Ale-Founders Brewing

Another one of my favorite craft brewers. This was a trader from my drug rep buddy and one I had never seen/heard/read about. The IBU are a shade low at 42 and the ABV at 4.7%, especially for an IPA but this is not without flavor. In fact, it has nice grapefruity and piney hop aromas and tastes with a gentle malty balance. Pours a reddish-orange with a small, foamy head. Mild enough to have at a cook-out but enough body and flavor to stand up to hot and spicy Oriental/Indian foods. I would not hesitate a moment to tasting another one of these. It also makes me anticipate the dry-hopped Founders Pale Ale that I received as a trader last week in the same 6er.

Hmmm..That sounds really good. An intenional low ABV IPA. I'll have to look that up for some of my summer days when I spend hours over my grills.