Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

This was our halftime brew:

Barleywine-Duck Rabbit Brewing

Pretty classic rendition here. Dark amber color, modest head and floral bitterness and tons of dark caramel, toffee and dried fruit aromas and flavors. Borders on syrupy. Do not pour this on your pancakes. I'll guess the IBU about 70 (not listed anywhere, in fact, this brew doesn't even make their web site) and the ABV is 11% but minimally boozey. Serve this slightly chilled in a goblet or snifter and sip after dinner for an hour or so.

I found this review from January of this year so I get to review it again as the September, 2012 tasting of the 2011 version making it close to a year old.

Pretty much all of the above thoughts still apply but I think it may have been a bit smoother as dpslaw and I shared a 12 ouncer that was probably a bit too cold but we had about 15 minutes at the half to let it warm just a bit. Always worth the purchase of a 6er to have a couple this year and then cellar the rest for a year or three.

[devildeac]

Kashmir-Highlands Brewing Company

Funny you should mention/review a North Carolina brew. I had one of these before dinner Wednesday night to accompany some cheese and crackers and found this to be a very well balanced IPA. Five grains, including wheat (no, not THAT """wheat""") and five hops make a near perfect combination to this golden, moderately bitter but smoothly malted brew. Poured with a small head out of a 12 ounce bottle, the nose was a bit of toast, citrus and cannabis with light caramel on the palate. IBU of 60 and ABV of 6% so pretty standard for an IPA. Highlands brews nothing high gravity (IIRC) except their winter ale (which may be only ~8%) but all their other brews are quite enjoyable. Somebody else was paying, so it made it even better, along with the 2 dinner wines, the salmon and filet, along with the chocolate mousse cake for dessert, too.

[devildeac]

Beer article:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/09/29/ ... -brew.html


Your PSA of the day .

[devildeac]

Porter-Anchor Brewing

Simple name. Classic beer. Poured a dark mahogany with a light tan head and aromas of espresso, light molasses and cocoa with tastes to match. Very roasty with mild bitterness. I'd guess IBU about 30 and the ABV was 5.9% This one of their early "modern" beers as they have been brewing since the 1890s and this was first brewed in 1972, so Happy 40th Anniversary to a standard. If you are going to have a porter or two, this and the Sam Smith's Taddy Porter should be in your pint glasses. Thanks to dpslaw who traded this a couple Brunchgates ago.

[devildeac]

Ancient Spotted Chicken-Moreland Brewery/Greene King Brewery

Well, it's really Old Speckled Hen but it was still a good ale to start the festivities this afternoon at Brunchgate. I shared a 14.9 ounce (IIRC) can of this English pub draft ale kindly provided by the now-active-and-posting-again moderator known as Bob Green. Poured a creamy light brown with a moderate tan head with nice caramel sweetness and a slight floral hoppy nose. I'll estimate the IBU about 30 and I think I saw 5.2% ABV on the can so it made a nice intro with the slaw, fruit salad and ABTs


.

[devildeac]

Oktoberfest Celebration Ale-Leavenworth Biers-Fish Brewing Company

Second brew of the day was this bomber provided by August West and shared among 4 or 5 people. Poured a clean amber with a small head and mild hints of toasted biscuits and garden flowers on the nose but mostly mild caramel flavors with minimal bitterness. IBU of 25 and ABV of 5.5% made this a nice match with Val's brisket and potato salad.

[devildeac]

Oktoberfest-Left Hand Brewing

Dukediv2013/12/11 brought this brew and was kind enough to allow me a couple sips. Brewers start this process in the spring as these are actually lagers and generally require a month or two to "lager" or age under cool temperatures. Poured a clean amber with a small head with minimal floral hoppiness with IBU of 24. Malts are biscuity and toasty with flavors of light caramel and brown sugar. The ABV of 6.6% is a bit high for the style and it made a nice pairing with my plate of fruit salad, slaw and Val's brisket. Solid product from a fine brewery.

[devildeac]

Adriaen Brouwer Dark Golden Ale-Brouwerij Roman

This was our last beer of the day yesterday but not the winner. We should have had the stout after this one. This caged and corked 750 ml bottle was kindly provided by August West. The oxymoronic name is more of a Belgian dubbel or brown ale than a golden ale as it poured a fizzy medium brown with a wonderful nose of dark dried fruits and tastes to match with a splash of dark rum, too. Hops were a bit floral and minor parts of the aroma and tastes. I'd guess an IBU around 30. ABV was 8.5% so several of us shared it and as it warmed a bit, the luscious flavors were further enhanced. It made a nice pairing with peanut butter peanut sandwich cookies and pound cake.

[devildeac]

Mokah-Southern Tier Brewing

Jahva + Choklat=Mokah

I did not realize this is a blended imperial stout but it makes sense now. They take their bittersweet chocolate flavored beer and brew/blend it with their Jamaican coffee infused brew and come up with liquid dessert. Pass the cream, no sugar please. A stunning brew that pours almost inky black and has an oily, viscous mouthfeel, likely from the oats which are one of the four grains, IIRC. I'll guess IBU around 60 but the ABV of 11.2% balanced this well. In fact, it makes it taste like a shot of whiskey has been added to your after dinner cup of Joe. As it warmed on a steamy afternoon in Devils' Alley and became even tastier, this bomber, brought by dpslaw, was sipped lovingly by about 5 of us as we nibbled on brownies and sour cream and cinnamon-pecan laced coffee cake after we were already too full. This was our next to last beer but, because of its color, density and ABV, should have been our final one. Everyone agreed this was the top brew for the day.

[devildeac]

Double Wide IPA-Boulevard Brewing

This is another of their Smokestack Series brews and had a nose of pungent pine and dried apricots with similar tastes along with toffee and caramel. Not quite the hop bomb a lot of imperial India Pale Ales are, it is still pungent with IBU of 71 and typical ABV of 8.5% and the balance achieved results in a potent but even-handed blend. Would be fine served in a snifter or with a meal of Indian cuisine or mild to moderately spicy/hot Chinese food. Certainly worth the 2.69 paid for the 12 ounce bottle from the 4 pack I bought last week.

[devildeac]

Art of Darkness-Ommegang Brewing

What a rich and seductive brew! This is a long overdue review from last month when we were in DC and dined at The Bier Baron. This pub has a nightly special and for $10 you get a very tasty burger with lettuce, tomato and other condiments of your choice, a generous serving of pub fries and any draft on the menu. The burgers/fries are $10 (or was it $12?) anyway and this particular ale was $12 for a 10 ounce goblet. Sure, a bit spendy but I'll guess the 750 ml bottle is likely $10 or more any your favorite beverage store and, at 8.9% ABV is a pretty standard price. Enough about the dinner and on to the elixir.

This arrived in the goblet a bit too cold but as it warmed over the 30 minutes of sipping for what was basically dessert, it turned into quite the luscious concoction. It is basically a dark strong Belgian ale and could likely be classified as a stout with its dark mahogany color and aromas of dark sweet chocolate and hints of molasses and espresso. There are no additives so the darkly roasted barley, wheat and oat grains are responsible for most all the flavors here with hints of hop bitterness. Dark, dried fruit flavors are also present along with a splash of dark aged rum. Ideal for a liquid dessert or with some truffles or a dark chocolate cheesecake. If you see it on draft or in a specialty store, it would be worth the splurge.

[devildeac]

Pere Jacques 2011-Goose Island Brewing

Ahh, the pleasures of beer aging. This capped 750 ml bottle was dated June, 2011, so it spent about 16 months in the "cellar" and many of the above thoughts apply but I think this was still just a bit smoother and richer than enjoying a "fresh" bottling. Best served slightly warmed and from a tulip glass or snifter. Also best to divide this higher gravity brew over a couple nights like I did, or share it with friends.

[devildeac]

Indie Pale Ale-Cisco Brewers

This is why I like trading brews. I have never seen this beer before and, if I saw it tomorrow, assuming I had never tasted it before, there's little likelihood I'[d buy a can/bottle, let alone a whole 6er. Now, having tasted one, I'm quite pleased with someone else's selection and would order this hoppy American style India pale ale with a plate of curry or General Tso's chicken, knowing the pairing would be a good one. Poured from a 12 ounce can into a pint glass, the head was foamy and I found dried apricots, grapefruit and pine in the nose but found more caramel, toffee and resin in the taste. Moderately hoppy with a nice balance, guessing 60 IBU and 6.5% ABV respectively.

[devildeac]

Jockamo IPA-Abita Brewing

Generally not one of my favorite brewers but again, another advantage to being a beer trader. I got this 12 ounce bottle as part of a recent 6er for trading. This had more aromas and tastes of cannabis and pine than citrus but it was well balanced with a bit of caramel malty flavor. IBU of 52 and ABV of 6.5% it would also pair nicely with hot and spicy foods. Pleasant red-orange color with a moderately foamy head.

[devildeac]

Werewolf-Caledonian Brewing

This is a Newcastle Special/Limited Edition brew. Pretty much a red ale with hints of pomegranate and sour cherry tastes. A bit more bite than you might expect from the style with a slightly resinous taste and a mild malty blend. I'd guess IBU about 30 and the ABV is 4.5% so I was able to enjoy a second brew tonight . Clean, reddish-brown color with a small head, this would be fine at a cook out. Nice trader to receive that I otherwise might not have bought.

[captmojo]

[devildeac]

Gale Force IPA-Scuttlebutt Brewing

Holy hops, AW, this was indeed a bomb! 96 IBU. I think I guessed 60-70 as most IPAs have but this was over the top. Looks like three hoppings for aroma, bittering and tastes. It was only 5.25% ABV according to the bottle but 5.6% on their web site so the usual malty/toffee/caramel balance was lacking so it really assaulted your palate, especially as our first beer of the afternoon/evening. Overall, I liked my share from the bomber that August West brought and shared with several of us and it paired well with the pulled pork, broccoli salad and allenmurray's outrageous chili and would fare equally well with spicy/hot dishes. Cool label, too.

[devildeac]

Wolfgang-Great Divide Brewing

I brought this bomber and shared with an ever-enlarging group of tasters ;) . I think my brew ended up in about 5th place for the day as the ones to follow were simply better .

A doppelbock lager style beer that poured a medium to dark brown with a mildly foamy head. Fulfills all the criteria for the style with toffee, dark caramel and dried cherry tastes with a hint of smoke. The hop presence is small with light floral notes. I'd guess 20-30 IBU and the ABV was 8%. Nice brew to pair with the slightly spicy and smokey 'cue and rich and hearty chili. I purposely opened this before the next one knowing that the 500 ml bottle to follow is likely the world standard for the style.

[devildeac]

Devil's Tramping Ground Tripel-Aviator Brewing Company

I'm going to cheat a bit and re-post this with the slight change being that this tasting was a canned version that I found little different (IIRC) from the bomber I had earlier this summer. Credit to fuse for sharing a 12 ounce can with me. Thanks and great to meet you last PM!

How can you not like this one ?

I found a bomber of this for $5.49 at Whole Foods last weekend and divided it over a couple nights last week and found it pleasantly surprising. I believe I had a pint of it at Mellow Mushroom a couple years ago before a show at the DPAC. Poured a slightly cloudy yellow-golden with a small fizzy head which did not linger. Aromas are floral and fruity and tastes are crisp apples, pears and candi sugar which is added in the brewing process. IBU relatively low at 31 and ABV typical at just over 9%. I could match this with a plate of fresh fruit before dinner, a seafood main course or a cobbler for dessert. I still think I like Victory's Golden Monkey better but I'd certainly include this in a tasting during a brewery tour in Fuquay later this summer or fall.

[devildeac]

Hipster Ale-Evil Twin Brewing

Taking a brief break from Brunchgate beers, Here's one from last week.


This one's got me puzzled. The brewery listed on the 12 ounce can is in SC, imported to the US via Brooklyn, but their web site lists 10 elite breweries around the world (I did not know there were any elite ones in SC.) and it looks like they brew a vast variety of specialty ales. This is a pale ale and was a trader from last week and suprised me a bit. Opening act is one of peaches and pine with a bit of caramel in a supporting role. Poured a pale golden color with a modest head and had mild hop bitterness guessing about 30-40 range. ABV is 5.5% so would make a nice choice with grilled BBQ items or seafood and would also make a nice brew to share in a session to compare with other pale ales. Might search out some other Evil Twin offerings after tasting this.