Ymm, Beer!

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Santa Cruz Brown IPA #6-Epic Brewing

From their Exponential Series (I think) comes this hybrid ale. When we opened it, I thought it was a hoppy brown ale but should have read the label more closely. Which also would have helped me remember which edition this was as #6 sticks in my mind but it's from 2013, so I guess August West could have found a 3.5 year old bottle but it was also very warm and humid and my hydration status is just returning to near normal now .

Poured about a 6 ounce slightly chilled serving from a bomber into a pint glass. Nose was herbal and earthy with a bit of grapefruit and caramel. Tastes were pretty similar to the scents with a slight piney finish. Now that I did a bit more reading, it all makes sense calling this a hybrid between a brown ale and an IPA. I'll guess IBUs around 50 and the stat sheet below says ABV was 6.1% but I'll swear our bottle said 6.5% which makes me question my recall on which batch # it was . Made a nice pairing with our sombreros, smoked chicken quesadillas and enchiladas (beef, chicken and veggie). Thanks to AW for bringing the bottle which he thinks was about $7-8.

Release Number: 6
ABV%: 6.10%
Brew Date: 3/21/13
Pack Date: 4/16/13
Brewery: Salt Lake City
Notes: Another release with the extremely popular addition of flaked oats.
Malt: Maris Otter, 2-Row Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, 2-Row Carapils, CaraMunich II, Flaked Oats.
Boil: Horizon and Mosaic
Hopback: Apollo
Dry Hop: Mosaic and Apollo

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British Pale Ale-Caledonian/Newcastle Brewing

Ozzie brought a mixed 12 pack and shared a bottle of this and the next one in our tasting session today.

This really looked/tasted/smelled more like an amber ale with a clear brown pour and biscuity/bready/malty/caramel-y scents/flavors and some mild Euro hop bitterness. I'll guess about 40 IBUs and ABV was listed at 5.8%. Good pairing with our sombreros and South of the Border theme today. Wouldn't want the 12 pack however.

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Carley (or was it Caley?) Amber Ale-Caledonian/Newcastle Brewing

Poured a medium brown with more toasted biscuity/caramel-y notes than the pale ale and less earthy, herbal bitterness. I'll guess IBUs of 30 and the ABV was 6.5%. Another good pairing with our entrees but I'm not heading out to get a 12 pack.

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Sixteen Counties-Allagash Brewing

Several of us (but not many) shared this caged and corked 750 ml bottle, wisely and generously contributed by August West at tailgate yesterday. Thanks!

Pour was a foamy, fizzy yellow-golden with the lacy head lingering. Nose was lemony/citrusy/grassy with similar tastes to accompany a bit of grapefruit, apple, pear and a pinch of black pepper. Listed as a Belgian-style ale, this is almost a hybrid style, resembling both a pale ale and a saison with the mild to moderate bitterness and its fruitiness. No IBUs listed but I'd estimate around 40 and the ABV is 7.3%. Very pleasant pairing wearing our sombreros and sampling various enchiladas, smoked chicken quesadillas and all the appropriate toppings. Add another brewery (if we haven't done that already) to the list of "I'm not sure I've ever had one of their beers that wasn't well done."

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Mama's Little Yella Pils-Oskar Blues Brewing

Not much better description than this:

Oskar Blues’ newest beer is an uncompromising, small-batch version of the beer that made Pilsen, Czech Republic famous. Unlike mass market “pilsners” diluted with corn & rice, Mama’s is built with 100% pale malt, German specialty malts, and Bavarian hops. While it’s rich with Czeched-out flavor, its gentle hopping (35 IBUs) and low ABV (just 5.3%) make it a luxurious but low-dose (by Oskar Blues standards) refresher.

Light and refreshing with light caramel and floral aromas and flavors. A very pleasant session brew to be sipped with appetizers or non-spicy chicken or fish dishes. Enjoyable summer brew.

Worth re-posting from 7/16/10:

Mama's Little Yella Pils-Oskar Blues Brewing

Not much better description than this:

Theirs: "Oskar Blues’ newest beer is an uncompromising, small-batch version of the beer that made Pilsen, Czech Republic famous. Unlike mass market “pilsners” diluted with corn & rice, Mama’s is built with 100% pale malt, German specialty malts, and Bavarian hops. While it’s rich with Czeched-out flavor, its gentle hopping (35 IBUs) and low ABV (just 5.3%) make it a luxurious but low-dose (by Oskar Blues standards) refresher."

Mine: Light and refreshing with light caramel and floral aromas and flavors. A very pleasant session brew to be sipped with appetizers or non-spicy chicken or fish dishes. Enjoyable summer brew.

This time, it's from Brevard, NC.

August West bought a 12 pack OB sampler called "Canundrum," which included 3 each of Dale's PA, Yella Pils, Pinner and IPA, and traded me 1 of each at tailgate. Thanks! Always nice to re-visit old friends (and old beers not sipped in a while).

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Dale's Pale Ale-Oskar Blues Brewing (Longmont version)

Sorry, Ashevillians, that's what's at the bottom of the 12 ounce can that August West traded me on Saturday from his canundrum.

Interestingly, their website calls it a strong pale ale. At 65 IBUs and 6.5% ABV, why not just label it an IPA? Pours/smells/tastes like one with a light copper color, a thick, foamy head, a nose of spruce/resin and a palate of citrus pith and some evergreen. It'd be fun to taste test this with a Shelter PA from DFH, which I haven't had for years. Or would it be more fun to sip alongside OB's relatively new IPA (also a trader from Saturday) along with Foothills Jade IPA, another trader from the NCCU tailgate from dpslaw. Hmmm...

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Waterkeeper-Sweetwater Brewing

Wait, isn't dd in Ken-tucky?

Yep, but I carried no NC ales with us, except the ones traded for cash with Tripping William in that semi-seedy bowling alley parking lot this AM . So, I had to raid the BIL's basement fridge cuz we didn't feel like heading out to the Liquor Barn for a draft or a bomber. He wouldn't let us have his 7 year old Theobroma so this looked safe so our younger son-in-law and I split this bomber. It was a limited release several years ago (?) and surprisingly, hadn't turned. Poured a mildly cloudy, fizzy/foamy, sunshine color with a moderately large, lingering head. Smelled and tasted like Dole orange-banana juice with a bit of clove, pretty typical for the style, which is a hefeweizen. Pretty benign palate, guessing 20 IBUs and estimating about 5% ABV-really no info on the bottle or on the website. Would pair nicely with fresh fruit but I drank it solo and had some Moose Tracks ice cream for dessert.

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Orange Door (Draft)-Sketchbook Brewing

Drink local! (Evanston)

Pint served in a plastic cup before a dinner of ribs and slaw about 2 blocks from Ryan Field last evening. Pour was an orange-yellow (I think) with a modest, foamy head. Lots of mango, pineapple and orange aromas and tastes from this IPA . I'll guess IBUs of 60-70 but balanced well with an ABV of 7.4%. Good pairing with Mrs. dd, our younger son-in-law and Mr. and Mrs sagegrouse.

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Starburst (draft)-Saugatuck Brewing

Drink regional! (Michigan)

Our son-in-law insisted on going out of state with his pint choice but was nice enough to share a couple sips with me. Listed as an American Pale Wheat Ale and it really tasted like a hybrid with some grapefruity, melon-y and orange-wheaty aromas and flavors. Nice paring with the rack of ribs and slaw we shared. I'll estimate 30-40 IBUs with an ABV of 5.1%.

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Gate Crasher (draft)-Temperance Brewing

Drink local!

A pint of an English-style IPA, meaning a bit easier on the palate with herbal, woody and malty scents and dried hay, caramel and herbal flavors. I'll guess about 50 IBUs and the menu stated 6% ABV. Nice beverage to complete the half rack of ribs and slaw with a couple tablespoons of my wife's mildly spicy, brisket chili and mixed green salad with candied walnuts, red onions, goat cheese and vinagrette.

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Domaine Dupage-Two Brothers Artisanal Ales (Warrenville, IL)

Drink indigenous!

Silly me. With the label on the bottle listing this as a French Country Ale, I thought I'd be pouring a saison style adult fermented beverage. Instead, I got a medium amber-colored hybrid type brew with features of both an amber and some saison-type qualities. Head was tan and modest. Aromas were earthy and toasted bread and flavors were wheat bread, light brown sugar, apples and pears. I sipped 12 ounces of this from a Lakefront Brewery pint glass before tilapia/fish tacos and watermelon for dinner last PM as we visited a niece, her husband and 3 children in Lombard, IL. I really wanted another brew (A Bridgestone ? APA caught my eye) but alas, I was the driver and was feeling a bit under the weather already so I passed.

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Billy Goat Lager (draft)-Who the hell knows who brewed this?

Bought a $3 pint of this to accompany my (double) cheezeborger/cheezeborger at the original Billy Goat Tavern on/under Michigan Avenue yesterday. The staff wouldn't answer my question of who brews it for them, nor could I find the answer on ratebeer or beeradvocate or a couple other breweries to which they directed me. The closest I could come was Berghoff or Minhas and neither of their sites would admit to it . Good reason, too. This wasn't a very good beer but it was better than the 2nd pint I shared with our younger son-in-law. The lager was kinda flat and pale yellow color with a slightly floral and slightly biscuit-y nose. Tastes were light floral and caramel. Not much body and not much bitterness. I'll guess IBUs around 20 and the ABV 4-5%. Not a bad beverage with a pint of water and the double cheezeborger and some BBQ cheeps (no fries). Not one I'd re-visit but OK with the atmosphere

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Billy Goat Dark (draft)-Staff wouldn't tell me the brewer

Less palatable than the lager. I split a pint with our younger son-in-law and he didn't like it either. Faint tastes of caramel with no perceived bitterness. Sy my post above or prior page for suspected origins of this (almost fake) beer. Not quite Yecch, Beer but close.

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Biere De Miel (draft)-Bells Brewing

Drink local!

This was one of 3 brews they had listed on their plaque board that they kept for themselves at their Eccentric Cafe and didn't distribute to anyone else, if I can believe our server. The cloudy, yellow 12 ounce pour of this saison was $4.50 and had aromas of unripe pears and apples and the tastes matched the scents along with some grassy flavors and a pinch or two of black pepper. I'll guess IBUs of 20 and the ABV was 7.1%. A well done representation of this farmhouse style ale.

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Funkadelic #4 (draft)-Corridor Brewing

More local!

A Brettanomyces Biere De Garde aged for 4 months in their Mothership? Oh, my!

This small, warehouse brewery is about 6 blocks from Wrigley Field and was quite the find before the game on Monday night. The pour was $7 for a 16 ounce long-stemmed goblet. Very little head covering a gorgeous red plum/amber color with the expected/typical wet horse blanket, musty, barnyard funkiness on the nose and amazing sour dark cherry, raisins, dates and brown sugar palate-pleasing flavors, all of which were even more prominent as I nursed this delight for about an hour before we walked to see the Cubs play. IBUs were 18 and the ABV was higher than expected for the style at 8.5%. Paired nicely with my 2 small, fried oyster po' boy sliders and a small portion of my wife's mixed green salad, brimming with goat cheese, red beets, orange beets, candied walnuts and craisins.

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Out of sequence posting:

Arctic Panzer Wolf (draft)-3 Floyds Brewing

Yes, these folks are dangerously close to I-80/94 in Munster on the way from Chicago to Michigan.

This was a 2 ounce sample "taster" so I could decide between this and the next one.

Pour was yellow-orange with a small, creamy head. Really pungent nose of grapefruits and oranges and tastes to match, along with a fresh, oily mouthfeel and some light caramel and honey. IBUs on the menu at 100 and ABV 9% but frighteningly sippable.

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Dreadnaught (draft)-3 Floyds Brewing

I liked this half pint better than the Arctic Panzer Wolf, but not by much. This similarly-colored elixir had more tropical-tasting/smelling hops than the APW at least to my palate as I perceived plenty of pineapple, mango, papaya flavors to accompany the balancing act of light caramel and honey-ish, malty sweetness. Another massive IIPA at 100 IBUs and ABV of 9.5%, but still, dangerously drinkable. This short review does not do this beer Justise as it is really an outstanding brew. I'd have bought some bombers or 4 packs of this if available in their to-go area, but alas, it wasn't packaged (and might never be found in cans or bottles).

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Gose (draft)-Founders Brewing

Don't even go to try to find this one anywhere except at the brewery as they had 6 choices for the folks who visit their joint personally in downtown Grand Rapids.

Five ounce pour of a slightly cloudy, straw-yellow brew with no head and the expected aromas of saline and spices and tastes of a unsweetened lemon-lime soda and a tingly, salty and spicy palate. No IBUs listed but ABV was on the menu at 4.8%, pretty standard for the style. It was a warm but pleasant evening on their patio, a former trucking/delivery/warehouse center so it was an enjoyable pre-dinner beverage but nothing special for the style.

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Sleeper Cell (draft)-Founders Brewing

Don't try to find this one either except at the brewery, though it'd be a great one to bottle and distribute. Their words: "This West coast style Double IPA was brewed with 2-row pale malt and corn and Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe & Mosaic hops!" Orange-yellow in color with tropical fruits from beginning to end with scents and tastes of grapefruit, pineapples, mango with fresh, wet, juicy and oily hops dominating but a moderate alcohol burn and some honey and caramel flavors and booze at 10.8% ABV to balance the IBUs of 85, according to our server. Nice pairing with my brat, grilled peppers, onions and spicy, brown mustard.

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BA ReDANKulous (draft)-Founders Brewing

Another brewery-only special and I'm very glad I saved this to sip after my brat and German potato salad were consumed. They threw some of this (ReDANKulous):


"This bold, 9.5% imperial red IPA pours a pleasing burnt amber color. Caramalt and roasted barley introduce a subtle sweetness, but the hops are the true headliner in this big IPA. The spicy, piney and tropical complexities of Chinook, Mosaic and Simcoe hops hit you right away with their dank aroma – and they stick around. It’s not just ridiculous. It’s reDANKulous."

And turned it into this:

"*B.A. Redankulous is the last test batch of Redankulous before it became a Backstage beer in 2015, and won that nifty gold medal, and then aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels for 485 days. It gained a delightful bump up in ABV and pours a tad darker shade of reddish brown. Enjoy this Big ol’ B.A. Beauty!"

Damn, this was delightful. Nose of dark fruits and booze before a ruby-brown pour with no head. Tastes of dark, dried fruits, tart cherries, candied grapefruit slices and toasted, dark, wheat bread and a lot of bourbon. IBUs quoted by our server at 85 and the ABV on this is a stunning 12.5%. Forget food with this and send them an email to brew it again and put it into some 4 packs.