Ymm, Beer!

[DukieInKansas]

Saw this sign while at T-Town the other night. It made me think of this thread.

[Very Duke Blue]

Hey, CathyCA, if you're reading this thread this quarter, here's one for you to try this summer and report back to us:

http://www.motherearthbrewing.com/beer/homegrown

That sounds different. I'll see if I can find it.

[devildeac]

Marionberry Braggot-Rogue Brewing


I guess this is the most appropriate place to post this considering we don't have Ymm, Braggot and/or Ymm, Mead threads .

I bought this on a whim over the Christmas holiday last year at World Market as they had a 20% off sale on large format beers and I think this ended up being about $8 for the gorgeous, purple-capped 750 ml bottle. Pretty good price considering the number of ingredients and high gravity nature of the brew. I shared this with our younger daughter last PM over about an hour. Poured a cloudy purple-brown hue with a generous, creamy beige head. Bouquet of dark rum, honey and dark berries wafted out of the wine glasses prior to tasting. First taste impressions were Damson plums flavoring a Belgian dubbel or quad with a splash of dark rum. The berry and honey flavors were a bit subdued but pleasant and not overly fruity or sweet, though at 11.42% ABV, it is mildly syrupy. Little hop presence from Rogue's Rebel variety lending only 17 IBUs to this concoction. Liquid dessert, though I could imagine this with a slice of Black Forest cake or a raspberry-chocolate cheesecake.

Ingredients (noting 2 types of honey as the first two on the long list):

Rogue Farms Honey & Wildflower Honey; Rogue Farms Dare™, Risk™, Dare™ R-1, Dare™ R-3, Risk™ R-1, Risk™ R-3, Risk™ R-7, Maier Munich & C120 Malts; Rogue Farms Flaked Rye; Rogue Farms Rebel Hops; Rogue Farms Marionberries & Marionberry Juice; Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast.

[devildeac]

From 9/1/14:

Grätzer-New Belgium and 3 Floyds collabeeration


Huge thanks to August West for discovering, pre-tasting and bringing a mini-growler (32 ounces) to tailgate yesterday. This was a brand new style to me but a very old style to the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A4tzer). Poured with a generous, foamy tan head with the olfactory lobes sensing dark caramel, espresso and roasted nuts. Flavors of sour, dark cherries, dark fruits and some semi-sweet chocolate headed to the gustatory regions of my cerebral cortex in addition to the caramel, coffee and nuts. Bitterness I think was from the heavily roasted malts, including smoked wheat, and not much from heavy hopping as the IBUs were only 30. With the ABV at 4.5%, this paired very well with some spicy baked beans and the molasses-brined smoked turkey that comprised our 2nd course. My only regret is that he gets to finish the 6-8 ounces tonight that were left in his growler.

From the last 2 nights:

From a bomber that ricks68 procured while he was in the Annapolis in April, my impressions from the bottled version are more in line with fuse's than my original tasting of the draft from over 9 months ago with smoky, nutty tastes and aromas in the forefront and a bit of coffee in the finish. It would make a better fall/winter beer to accompany spicy/smoky grilled fare and perhaps some stinky cheeses but I took fuse's reminder of "best before" and consumed it this weekend. Still, a hearty, roasty thanks to ricks68 for seeking out another 3 Floyds brew on my request.

[devildeac]

English IPA (draft)-Nickelpoint Brewing Company

Drink local!

One of Raleigh's newest breweries opened about a year ago and I found this listed on the chalkboard last evening before an evening lecture/discussion I attended. I was hoping for their Belgian golden ale but this earthy/woody/aromatic IPA was a nice starter with several appetizers including heirloom tomatoes, succulent fried oysters and a Redneck cheese plate. No stats listed anywhere but I'll guess IBUs about 50 with an ABV around 5-6%, probably pretty standard for the British-type IPA. Served in a standard pint glass, its appearance was copper with a creamy tan head. Aromas were as above and herbal despite their website advertising sweet citrus notes. Rather malty and biscuit-y for the style with a faint toasted caramel finish. Not at all like your typical Yankee hop bomb IPA. In fact, it reminded me more of a cross between an ESB and a pale ale. Very pleasant starter/session ale that I'm glad I tried and would recommend to folks in the area if you saw it on draft.

[devildeac]

From 10/2/14:

Edinbrue-Brueprint Brewing Company (Apex, NC)

Their version of a Scotch ale poured a clear, medium-to-dark amber with a one finger head that rapidly faded. The nose was a bit weak but had the requisite scents of caramel, toffee and a bit of smoke. The tastes and body were a bit thin, too, but matched the aromas with perhaps hints of chocolate and coffee. Hops take a back seat here with IBUs of 19 with the ABV weighing in at 8.2%, both expected numbers. Pair this with just about any BBQ fare. This is worth a single or a trader but not sure I'd visit a 4 pack or 6er of this again and I like Scotch ales in general. Two of my all-time favorites are McEwan's and Sam Adams and I'm not sure I've seen either of them for years. Perhaps the best one I've ever had is Traquair House Ale but that's also about $6-7 for a 33 cl bottle.


From last PM:

Edinbrüe (draft)-Brüeprint Brewing Company

This was pretty similar to the bottled version but tasted a bit fresher with a bit more body and caramel/toffee/chocolate notes. Paired nicely with the apps listed in the English IPA post above and an entree of seared scallops and field peas, corn and bacon succotash and became even more flavorful as it warmed a bit. I'd certainly recommend this with more enthusiasm than the bottled version if you saw it on draft anywhere in the Triangle area.

[devildeac]

Touche' IPA-Double Barley Brewing (Smithfield, NC)

Yes, really, Smithfield, NC has a brewery.

$3 pint with dinner last PM that accompanied a mixed green salad, potato salad, slaw and pulled pork. Served with a moderate, creamy head and aromas of pine, resin and a bit of citrus. Color was a orange-gold. Tastes matched the aromas and had an orange peel finish. IBUs of 76 from 5 mystery hops balanced fairly well with an ABV of 6.8% that had a hint of grainy sweetness. Nice combo with my entree and certainly good enough quality to try another brew or three from this 3-4 year old brewery (guessing the age here).

(You say it's your birthday? Well, it's my birthday, too)

[devildeac]

Chocolatized-Pisgah Brewing

2014 gold medal winner for chocolate beers at the Great American Beer Festival. Amazing beer. I'm glad my birthday yesterday coincided with fuse's and finished with Tripping William's today. I needed 2 days to finish this bomber that ricks68 was kind enough to procure several months ago.

They took the beer formerly known as Vortex II, which I'm guessing was an imperial stout, and added 25 lbs of raw cocoa nibs to each 5 bbl brewing and transformed it into Chocolatized. Poured an almost opaque onyx color with a modest beige head. Smells like a dark, iced chocolate malted and tasted like semi-sweet chocolate covered raisins, dates and figs with a very small splash of whiskey-laced espresso in the finish. Well, maybe there's a bit of black strap molasses here, too. Incredible smooth, silky and almost oily mouthfeel make me think there are some oats in the heavily roasted dark malt grain bill. Hops have a minimal presence here but, considering the style, I'll guess IBUs about 50 with a numbing ABV of over 11%. Flavors are enhanced as I let tonight's serving warm over the hour I sipped it. Decadent liquid dessert, as expected, but I could imagine a small square of a triple chocolate brownie or a sliver of a flourless chocolate torte as an accompaniment to this also. I've got a 2nd bomber but I'm not quite sure what to do with it-save for a tailgate this fall or share it with family later this summer. Hmmm...

[YmoBeThere]

Has PBR been reviewed? If so, what was the verdict? If not, well...

[devildeac]

Has PBR been reviewed? If so, what was the verdict? If not, well...

Might find that here:

http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/ ... -Ycch-Beer!

[devildeac]

Lord Rear Admiral-3 Floyds Brewing

Labeled as an ESB, it really smelled and tasted more like an ESB-IPA hybrid. Pour was a copper-amber with a moderate khaki foamy head which lingered to the bottom of my half bomber serving into a standard pint glass. Aromas of stone fruits, mostly apricot with a little peach and a bit of orange marmalade and mango. Taste were the same with a bit of butterscotch and caramel. IBUs listed at 57 and ABV at 6.4%, both outside the expected ranges for the style. I'll finish the bomber tomorrow night but send a huge thank you tonight to ricks68 for beer hunting when he was in the Annapolis in April. This would make an enjoyable style to sip with grilled/BBQ fare, pot roast, stew (beef or lamb) or a beef brisket.

[CathyCA]

Hey, CathyCA, if you're reading this thread this quarter, here's one for you to try this summer and report back to us:

http://www.motherearthbrewing.com/beer/homegrown

First a disclaimer: I think that tomato juice is disgusting. I do not like raw tomatoes unless they are finely chopped and cleverly disguised in ranch dressing. I will eat tomatoes that have been cooked. (It's a weird taste and texture thing, I know. . .)

It is highly likely that I will not like this beer simply because it's made with tomato juice. But, I'll try to locate some of this homegrown brew and share it with my beer-loving cousins at the beach this summer. Maybe one of them will let me have a sip or two, and I'll report back.

Thanks for thinking of me, DD, with a beer selection from one of our local breweries!

[devildeac]

Hey, CathyCA, if you're reading this thread this quarter, here's one for you to try this summer and report back to us:

http://www.motherearthbrewing.com/beer/homegrown

First a disclaimer: I think that tomato juice is disgusting. I do not like raw tomatoes unless they are finely chopped and cleverly disguised in ranch dressing. I will eat tomatoes that have been cooked. (It's a weird taste and texture thing, I know. . .)

It is highly likely that I will not like this beer simply because it's made with tomato juice. But, I'll try to locate some of this homegrown brew and share it with my beer-loving cousins at the beach this summer. Maybe one of them will let me have a sip or two, and I'll report back.

Thanks for thinking of me, DD, with a beer selection from one of our local breweries!

Cool. I like most things tomato: sliced/quartered/chopped, sauce, salsa, pico, soup, juice, fried, stuffed and green but don't think I could try this product. The thought of clamato, the nasty AB product, makes me want to . I'll also wait for a report from your beer-loving cousins .

[devildeac]

From 1/15/15:

#NoHoldsies Uno (draft)-Haw River Farmhouse Ales

Drink local!

According to the owner and beertender at Bottle Revolution last PM, this brewery has been open about 2 months. I think this is their "standard" Belgian-style rye tripel which they then aged in chardonnay (?) barrels for several months and released as both kegged and 500 ml bottled products. I sipped a pint of this last night with ricks68 and his lovely bride for <$6 which was quite reasonable for the quality and quantity, especially considering the 500 ml was ~$8-9. Pour was a cloudy yellow-orange with a generous foamy head and aromas of mustiness, black pepper and citrus, most notably orange. Tastes were pretty standard for the style with perhaps hints of banana and clove. The chardonnay barrel-aging lends some oakiness and obvious dry, vinous notes. I'll estimate IBUs of 20 and the ABV was stated at 8.2%, both in step with the style. Deuce is aged in red wine barrels and, the last of the "series," the name of which I can't remember, is a bourbon barrel aged tripel.

From 6/23 and 6/24:

I divided the 500 ml bottle over two nights and thought it was a bit less ester-y (less banana and clove-like) and a bit more vinous in nature with some pear and apple coming through along with a bit of orange rind. A bowl of fresh summer fruits and half a goblet of this would make a highly enjoyable dessert combination.

[devildeac]

Old (from 4/26/10), the review, not the beer :

Double Simcoe IPA-Weyerbacher Brewing-It's really an IIPA and a darned good one. Can I hear a request for Tropicana fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, please? A well-balanced brew with tons of a single variety of hops, Simcoe, of course. I'd guess the IBU to be 80-90 range as I'd expect from a double IPA. ABV is a hefty 9%. The color is a faint reddish-gold and the head is foamy/creamy and well-retained throughout the 12 ounce serving. This would be tasty with a spicy chutney glaze on some chicken or fish or even with some curry. I think CB&B will be please to find 1 or 2 of these in his collection in the near future. I can hear the napkin rustling as he wipes the drool off his chin as he reads this.

New (the beer was brewed 10/14):

I bought 2 IIPAs about a month ago as part of my office pool winnings and fuse added the 3rd so I took the weekend opportunity to complete a mini-tasting over the last couple nights with 6 ounces of each brew at each sipping . The ABV was the major reason for not finishing in 1 night.

I was a bit disappointed in this, perhaps due to the age of the beer or perhaps due to the others "in the field." Or a combination of the two. This was the darkest of the 3, pouring an amber hue with a moderate, creamy head. Simcoe is this only variety of hop used so think grapefruit juice, including some rind for aromas and flavors. There was a bit of pineapple, too. Some light caramel and butterscotch made appearances on the palate. The Saturday night serving was even cloudier with some particulates, even though I was fairly slow and careful with the pour. Pretty hoppy and bitter with IBUs of 90 but reasonably balanced at 9% ABV. Weyerbacher is an outstanding brewery so I'd consider re-visiting this and other products based on name/reputation alone, but I doubt I would if this had been my intro to their products.

[devildeac]

Old (from 7/4/13), with some background about the origin of the species:


Hoptimum (2012 edition)-Sierra Nevada 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.

Originally purchased c. March, 2012, this represents a (late) one year old tasting.

I think the hops/bitterness are a bit toned down after about 15-16 months of aging. Still "rind-y" in aroma and taste, I think it had a bit more wine-y notes last PM. Generous head with a standard pour and a bit cloudy after the cellaring. I think I have one bottle left so in 2014, I'll return. Also, this brew earned a 100 rating from ratebeer.

New (brewed 4/15):

Beer #2 in the mini-tasting poured a bit lighter than the Double Simcoe, checking in somewhere in the golden-yellow part of the spectrum. More balanced, too, with 4 hop varieties (Magnum, Chinook, Simcoe and their own, new, unnamed experimental variety) and 3 grains (Two-row pale, Munich and wheat, the last one being a bit of a surprise). There are the expected citrus aromas and flavors but with some tropical and resinous accents, too. I think the whopping 10.4% ABV adequately offsets the stunning 100 IBUs. I wouldn't hesitate putting another bottle or 4 pack of this brew in the shopping cart and I'd pair with anything spicy for an entree.

Yep, that was post #14000. Or should that be #140000? Maybe #1400000?

[devildeac]

From 5/28/15 (brewed 1/15):

Hopslam-Bell's Brewery

This is a fabulous, hard to find beer and I'm honored/humbled that fuse would relinquish two of his 4 pack (or 6er) that he bought a couple months ago. I've long forgotten about those Sam Adams stale ones.

Poured a golden-yellow with a mildly foamy head. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with a bit of zest stimulate the olfactory lobe and the gustatory sensation is at first the same, followed by other tropical fruits including papaya and mango with a moderate honey finish. This isn't a hop monster at 70 IBUs, though I'd have guessed it a bit higher. The malty balance is superb with the ABV at a dangerous 10%. This is so smooth and sippable by itself, I don't think I'd pair this with any foods. I know I've had this before but couldn't find any prior reviews. I'm certain I could easily consume two of these in an evening and curl up on the floor with a couple cushions, pillows and blankets and never even dare/consider climbing the stairs for my night's sleep. I'd be in complete beer-vana if given the opportunity to taste test this with Heady Topper, my other new favorite IIPA. Sorry, 90 Minute, you're still delicious but...


From last PM (worthy of re-posting for a comparison to the prior two):

Not much changed over another month of "aging" but I didn't expect tastes/flavors to be altered much, if any. I added this so I could see if it really was much different than a couple other highly respected IIPAs and it was the winner of my tasting, though not by much as Hoptimum is an excellent choice. I think the slightly lower IBUs, the amazing balance and the honey finish pushes this into the elite level of DIPAs. Bows humbly again to fuse for saving/sharing a couple bottles about a month ago so I could perform this tasting.

[devildeac]

Not Your Father's Root Beer-Small Town Brewery (LaCrosse, WI on the bottle but Wauconda, IL on their website)

Yet another reason why this is a great thread, in-season, off-season, any season. I'd have never given this beer a second look had it not been for fuse's review 6 weeks ago. But, as I wandered about in Total Wine today with my $1 off on up to four 4 or 6 packs of beer, I spotted this and thought, why not?

Poured a root beer color with an initial fizzy head which lasted less than 30 seconds. It smells, well, like root beer with dark caramel, vanilla and earthy/herbal tastes as fuse alluded to above. Tastes like, well, root beer. Very sweet, naturally flavored root beer. Essentially no bitterness. It can't have any hops because it's, well, root beer. ABV listed at 5.9% but tastes non-alcoholic like, well, root beer. Too sweet to drink more than one at a sitting unless you're a, well, root beer fan. There is zero doubt that my next one of these will be with a scoop or two of Breyer's or Edy's vanilla ice cream and served with a spoon and a straw. I'll report back on that one. Not sure what I'll do with the other 4 from the 6er however.



http://smalltownbrewery.com/our-beers/year-round/

This one might even be more interesting:

http://smalltownbrewery.com/our-beers/limited-10-7/

WTH? A root beer with 10.7% ABV?

This one might be even much more interesting:

http://smalltownbrewery.com/our-beers/limited-19-5/

Holy @#$%, are you kidding me? A root beer with 19.5% ABV?

[devildeac]

Stella Artois (draft)

Six ounce serving after a Summer Ale from c*rolina Brewing Company. Very pleasant floral aromas and tastes with light European hops and lightly malted flavors. Minimal bitterness, guessing 10-20 IBUs, with ABV around 5%. Stay away from this stuff in green bottles but always grab a cold one if you see a 14.9 ounce can or a draft. This was the only draft available during happy hour tonight and was free along with the Summer Ale.

[devildeac]

Gose-Westbrook Brewing Company

You're kidding, devildeac, right? An old German style beer brewed in South Carolina? Yep, and a darned good one, too.

Poured a cloudy yellow with a moderate, fizzy head that quickly disappeared, leaving a fizzy, salty, wheaty scented ale. I'll posture that the closest flavor that approximates this is a salt-covered, lemon-orange flavored Warhead or Sour Gummi Worm candy. Little bitterness at 5 IBU (no typo), and little ABV at 4% so I almost could have taste-compared the Anderson Valley gose and this in the same sitting as fuse appears to have done, but I didn't, choosing to have half a bottle of La Fin Du Monde to cap off the evening on Monday. I've got 5 cans left so I'll have some more "light beer" later this month