Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

WTH?!?! From 11/27/09:

2 Below-I got four outta his 12 brews. I'm happy with that settlement, rmd. Kinda tough to characterize this winter ale. It's a golden color with a modest head and probably reminds me most of their Hoptober. The pale/crystal/caramel malts blend nicely with the floral and grassy hops with a slight hint of pepper. My guess is an IBU of 30-40 and the ABV is 6.6%, IIRC, so it makes a fine brew to have with mildly spicy dishes, medium body cheeses and crackers and even some steaks or pork tenderloin. Plus, you still have room for a dessert brew. This will make a fine addition to a 6er at the final Brunchgate in the AM, too.

Some amateur reviewer .

From today:

2 Below-New Belgium Brewing

Two bottles divided among 7 sippers with 1 remaining along with 1 each of the other 3.

Pour was a light golden-yellow with a bit of a fluffy head. Herbal and earthy nose with some light piney and citrus tastes along with some caramel flavors. Here are the stats/ingredients:

ABV
6.6%
IBU
32
YEAST
Ale Yeast
CALORIES
200
HOPS
Nugget, Sterling, Liberty
MALTS
Pale, Munich, Caramel, C-80, Carapils, Victory

I'm not sure this is available outside of the Folly 12 pack and the box says a 2003 Limited Edition Revival Beer so I'll guess they made it for 6-7 years and have had various other winter offerings such as Snow Day and the current Accumulation, along with some others I've likely not tried or have forgotten.

[devildeac]

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale-New Belgium Brewing with Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

Our finishing beer for the dinner but a couple hours before actual desserts.

Pour was a light yellow with a small fluffy head. Vanilla nose and buttery, creamy/milky/vanilla-y (?) tastes. IOW, a sugary butter cookie with a lot of vanilla. Or would that be a buttery sugar cookie with a lot of vanilla. Or, in other-other words, liquid cookie dough. There's no chocolate tastes here despite their claims of such in the recipe. IBUs very gentle at 12 and ABV of 6%. Another beer to try a few sips of or as a single but certainly glad not to have bought a litter of these. This was a fun assortment of brews to pair and share with our Christmas dinner.

[devildeac]

It's Wisconsin fruit beer time!

Cranbic-New Glarus Brewing Company

Oh. My. Goodness.

Brewed in the tradition of a Belgian lambic, this ale was fermented outdoors in oak barrels for 5 months using Wisconsin cranberries and indigenous (they like that word) wild yeast. Part of their Thumbprint Series and packaged in 12 ounce bottles, I poured a single last PM into 3 miniature Ommegang pilsner glasses (serving cold in a champagne flute is suggested be we don't own any ). Looked like Rubaeus, a bit cloudy and pink with a thin, pinkish head. Slightly sour acidic nose and tastes but oh-so-much like a traditional Belgian lambic, but unlike in the sense that I don't think I've ever heard/read about a cranberry-flavored one. Maybe a Sour Patch Kids/Ocean Spray cranberry soda collaboration is the best description. Mildly tart and sweet at the same time. I'll guess IBUs about 10 and ABV of 5%, both minimally perceptible. This was at home solo but would be a great pairing with a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast or a slice of plain or lightly fruited cheesecake.

Stay tuned. There's more. We played a lot with NG products last PM.

[devildeac]

From 5/9/15:

From 8/10/14:

Raspberry Tart (circa 2012)-New Glarus Brewing

I got lucky with this one. My BIL brought this back from a trip to Wisconsin a couple years ago, I think. It's not supposed to age but it did. I shared the 750 ml capped bottle last night with my daughter and my wife (no typo-she HATES beer) and it was wonderful. German Hallertau hops lend a very slight floral presence. Wisconsin wheat imparts very minimal citrus notes. Oregon raspberries aged in French oak make this delicious. Nose is fresh raspberries and tastes are bubbly, effervescent berry flavored champagne. My wife thought cider and my daughter thought carbonated Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice. Poured a clear pink-red with minimal head. No bitterness, guessing IBU of about 10, with an ABV of 5%, I think. This equals or surpasses any Belgian frambozen/framboise lambic I've ever tasted. Liquid dessert. I'll have to taste/share the 2014 bottle a patient brought back from Wisconsin before the summer is completed. These folks know what they are doing keeping ~95% of their brews within their state boundaries.

Raspberry Tart (2014 edition)-New Glarus Brewing

See that 2014 bottle mentioned above? Tonight it was a shared dessert along with small pieces of an oreo cheesecake brownie, a turtle brownie, a plain brownie and a macadamia cookie. The beer won. Same pour, aromas and flavors. I don't know the next time I'll ever see one of these so we savored it, wished our daughter-in-law a happy birthday and wiped a tear from our cheek as the last drop was shaken from our tulip glasses onto our palates.

From last PM:

Raspberry Tart 2016-New Glarus Brewing

Thanks to Duke football and our Midwestern Beer Odyssey, I had the chance to purchase again. Fuse, ricks68 and mattman got the other 3 bottles of this along with 1 each of the Wisconsin Belgian Red (up next) with fuse and I each getting 2 Serendipity bottles.

Raspberry champagne.

I'm not sure I need to add much more to the prior reviews. Gorgeous ale in appearance, texture and flavors.

[devildeac]

From 12/31/15:

Sadly, pathetically, embarrassingly, I held on to my bottle until last PM for an ale to celebrate the safe return of our youngest daughter and her husband from their NYC trip to view the Pinstripe Bowl.

Wisconsin Belgian Red (2014)-New Glarus Brewing

Better later than never. Surprisingly, this low ABV ale (4-5%) in a green, wax-dipped/capped 750 ml bottle from mid 2014 was still rather tasty. Poured a dark ruby-brown into wine glasses with a rapidly disappearing thin head. Smells like my Ocean Spray Cran-Cherry juice that I've been drinking for breakfast the last couple days, but bubbly. A bit tingly, like champagne, with tart and sweet cherries tantalizing the taste buds along with a hint of citrus, likely from (one and done) Wisconsin wheat, with a bit of breadiness from the Belgian barley, gently roasted. Aged on oak for a year but I couldn't discern any woodiness or vanilla. There was a bit of sediment in the last 2-3 ml which I mostly avoided, thankfully. This was a huge smile-maker from our honored guests and didn't last very long in our glasses. I'm not sure when I'll ever sample this again so our brief liaison tonight was particularly pleasurable, almost as savory as a 68-63 victory in the NC game.

Football and Beer Odysseys are fun, especially 3 months before Christmas.

From last PM:

Wisconsin Belgian Red 2016-New Glarus Brewing Company

Fresherer is betterer. From a "cellared" bottle purchased at the brewery in September, likely bottled in August, 2016.

I may have liked this even more than the just reviewed Raspberry Tart, one of my all-time favorite ales. I thought there were a couple differences from prior versions. This one was all ruby with no brownness to the appearance and the tart/sour/sweet tastes were intense cherry flavors without any cranberry presence. We each had about 4 ounces of the Raspberry Tart and this one in wine glasses as the devildeacs own no fluted champagne stemware .

Now, the fun begins...

[devildeac]

Fun with Beer: Beer Cocktails

First up: Cran-bic/Raspberry Tart

We all took about 1.5 ounces of each and poured into our respective wine glasses and tasted. We didn't have quite enough to try varying parts of each ale.

Very pleasant mix as I anticipated. Much like an Ocean Spray 100% juice blend might be of their Cran-Raspberry brand, only this had hops, carbonation and ABV. The slight tartness/sourness of the Cran-bic balanced the somewhat sweeter Raspberry Tart. Who needs Founders Breakfast Stout or the new Dogfish Head creation, Beer for Breakfast?

[devildeac]

Second beer cocktail: Cran-bic/Wisconsin Belgian Red

Once again, we each took about 1.5 ounces of the Cran-bic and added 1.5 ounces of the Wisconsin Belgian Red and came up with a Cran-Cherry concoction. I don't think I've ever had the Ocean Spray Cran-Cherry 100% juice blend but I may go looking the next time Harris Teeter or Food Lion has a sale. We all thought the sweetness of the cherry ale was a bit more dominant in this combination. The mildly tart/sour Cran-bic still provided a pretty good balance. Orange juice with breakfast? Pffft. Over-rated. ;)

[devildeac]

Third and final cocktail: Raspberry Tart/Wisconsin Belgian Red

Same blending plans with about 2 ounces of each as we were trying to finish our 750 ml bottles of each and had drained our Cran-bic by this time (though I held one out as a DND-ddD so we could have a Cran-bic/Apple Ale cocktail as some time in the near future with my one remaining 12 ounce bottle of each ). I think this one ended up a bit too sweet for all three of us fruit beer "experts" . Still mighty tasty, perhaps more like a rasp-cherry soda than a lambic or "juice" blend. I could imagine this with a slice of plain cheesecake or, the opposite extreme, a triple chocolate cheesecake.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

From the Triad Business Journal:

Two North Carolina cities, Asheville and Wilmington, are among the top 10 U.S. cities for beer drinkers, making the state a "beer paradise," according to a new report by financial website SmartAsset.

The rankings are based on several factors, including the total number of microbreweries and brewpubs, the number of microbreweries and brewpubs per 100,000 residents, number of bars per 100,000 residents, average Yelp score of breweries and average price of a domestic draft beer.

North Carolina has two cities in the top 10 cities for beer drinkers, according to a new report.
Enlarge
North Carolina has two cities in the top 10 cities for beer drinkers, according to a new… more


Here are the top 10 cities for beer drinkers:

1. Asheville

2. Portland, Maine

3. Pittsburgh

4. Cincinnati

5. Portland, Oregon

6. Columbus, Ohio

7. Denver and Wilmington, N.C. (tie)

9. Billings, Montana

10. Missoula, Montana

Rebecca Troyer is editor-in-chief of Triad Business Journal.

[devildeac]

From the Triad Business Journal:

Two North Carolina cities, Asheville and Wilmington, are among the top 10 U.S. cities for beer drinkers, making the state a "beer paradise," according to a new report by financial website SmartAsset.

The rankings are based on several factors, including the total number of microbreweries and brewpubs, the number of microbreweries and brewpubs per 100,000 residents, number of bars per 100,000 residents, average Yelp score of breweries and average price of a domestic draft beer.

North Carolina has two cities in the top 10 cities for beer drinkers, according to a new report.
Enlarge
North Carolina has two cities in the top 10 cities for beer drinkers, according to a new… more


Here are the top 10 cities for beer drinkers:

1. Asheville

2. Portland, Maine

3. Pittsburgh

4. Cincinnati

5. Portland, Oregon

6. Columbus, Ohio

7. Denver and Wilmington, N.C. (tie)

9. Billings, Montana

10. Missoula, Montana

Rebecca Troyer is editor-in-chief of Triad Business Journal.

Nice find!

There are some real head-scratchers on that list:

Pittsburgh-WTH?
Portland, OR only #5??
Wilmington-WTH?
Billings and Missoula-WTH? and WTH?

No Grand Rapids?

You oughtta post this OY, collect a few sporks and stimulate some discussion. ;)

[devildeac]

Raleigh Wood-Raleigh Brewing

Late to the party again . But, better late than never.

Poured from bomber #689 last PM into an Alewerks snifter (7 ounce serving), it was a fairly clean/clear pecan color with about 10 bubbles on the top. Tonight's 7 ounce serving was a bit muddier but still fairly clear. Fuse has some interesting observations. Last night, this was almost all vanilla, oak/wood, dark caramel, butterscotch and mild chocolate with very little whiskey. Tonight, my aliquot was likely a bit warmer and the bourbon was more prominent up front and at the finish. There's still a lot of dark caramel sweetness, too. I'll guess IBUs of 30 and the ABV is 9%. I think the bottle was $15-16 and I'm glad they had some left at the brewery this weekend as I picked up 2 more of these for myself and purchased a couple other BBA offerings for ricks68. My only complaint is that it's a bit "thin" for the style but it is indeed a highly tasty sipper that I don't think I'd pair with anything except a warm chair and a crackling hot fire on a cold winter night, although it's about 60 degrees outside now .

From 12/28 and 12/29:

From bomber #252 (2015 version) into a Founders snifter after another 10 months in "storage."

Poured a bit too cold each night, but sipped over 30-45 minutes so the last few sips each night were wonderful. I thought the bourbon was more prominent after aging but still a lot of dark caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, toasted coconut and maybe a little chocolate in the middle. Did I mention bourbon ? Forget my thin comment above-this is almost syrupy, in the good sense. I've passed on the 2016 version which is rum barrel aged but I might make a trip to RBC for some of this plus a bomber or 2 of The Toll BBA version tomorrow or Saturday.

Respectfully submitted as post #15000. What'd ya expect, the Milestone Thread?

[devildeac]

Black Belle (2015)-Blackstone Brewing Company and Nelson' Green Brier Distillery

A bomber individually packaged in its own cardboard box.

Poured about cellar temperature into a Founders snifter. Thick and darn near black with essentially no discernible head. Boozey nose. Pretty viscous and oily mouthfeel, almost chewy. Bourbon burn with some semi-sweet chocolate, blackstrap molasses and oak-y flavors and a warming bourbon finish. I ended up sharing about 8 ounces with younger daughter who came home about the time I was ready to pour myself a second shot, err, serving. IBUs unknown but I'll guess 50. ABV was 10.2% but felt/drank higher. A very nice (guessing rather expensive find) from fuse. Thanks! Final impression:

[devildeac]

Red Nose-Natty Greene's Brewing Company

Drink (sort of) local!

This was a leftover from our younger daughter's visit over the holidays. I'm not a big Natty Greene fan but this was a decent offering. Pour was an orange-red-amber with a small head and a modest amount of winter spices up front. Tastes were a bit of caramel and chocolate with sprinklings of cinnamon, ginger and orange peel (all added) to complement the wheat and barley grain bill. Minimal bitterness, guessing 30 with an ABV of 6.8% on the label. Nice pairing with some (store bought) chicken and sausage gumbo and a sliced apple for dinner tonight. Not one I'd purchase/seek out but a respectable winter ale.

[devildeac]

Another year, another beer.

Original posting 3/10/15:

Barleywine-Duck Rabbit Brewing

Pretty classic rendition here. Dark amber color, modest head and floral bitterness and tons of dark caramel, toffee, dark cherries, a bit of smoke, whiskey 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) 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. Many thanks to ricks68 for the remainder of the 6er he bought a couple weeks ago.

Tonight's sampling;

I think this was the 2014 version and another 10 months of "cellaring" lends a bit more smoothness on the palate. I've got a bottle left so there'll likely be a 2017 review.

What a coincidence .

From tonight:

Barleywine-Duck Rabbit Brewing

Drink (kinda) local!

I don't think my palate perceives much different than a year ago. Maybe some tobacco and leather tastes in tonight's 6 ounce pour from a 12 ounce bottle. A bit too much pine/resin/hoppiness, even after another year of cellaring. This actually made a good pairing with some smoked/aged cheeses (Gouda, cheddar and Jarlsberg) we received as a Christmas gift last week. Going to have to pass on purchasing many (any?) more barleywines, unless, of course, it's Gramps aged in bourbon barrels...

[devildeac]

Gramps-Rheingeist Brewing

No, this is not the Matt Jones of barleywine style ales but a Cincinnati made American style brew. Poured from a bomber divided over 2 nights into an Alewerks snifter, its appearance was a somewhat cloudy, dark amber with a modest, fluffy, tan head. Smelled like cured tobacco, well-oiled leather and slightly over-cooked caramel. Tastes mirrored the scents along with a moderate amount of piney bitterness and a bit of smoke. A bit unbalanced at 72 IBUs and a lowish ABV for the style at 8.2% so not as bitter or as potent as ales like Bigfoot but not quite as smooth as the Irish Walker I sipped several days ago. I think this would be at home next to some smoked brisket/ribs. I've got a bomber of the BBA version of this at 11.9% ABV that may be sipped very soon, but not tonight .

Soon is here.

Gramps Bourbon Barrel Aged-Rheingeist Brewing

Bomber divided over 2 nights. Pour was a bit lighter than Gramps with no head. Little tobacco scents and more butterscotch and dark caramel on the nose. Mouthfeel was a bit syrup-y. Very mild bitterness on the palate and a lot of toasted coconut, slightly-burned dark caramel, a bit of vanilla with a warming, booze-y but surprisingly mild, subtle bourbon finish. IBUs minimally lower at 69 but ABV on BAC alert at 11.9%. Paired nicely with some smoked cheeses and a salted sea caramel. I don't recall the price difference between BBA and plain old Gramps but I'd spring for the difference if you're in the greater Cincinnati area and looking for a pint to sip or a bomber or three to take home.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Here's a video of DD and Ricks68 in their younger days!
https://www.facebook.com/funbibleonline ... 135683049/

[devildeac]

Enjoy After 7/4/16-Stone Brewing Company

Based on the sage advice of the non-grouse, but still highly esteemed fuse, I held this another 6 months after the suggested date. It's a 750 ml corked and caged bottle of a brett-infused IPA. What I decanted was about 375 ml of a pale yellow-gold color with a thick, foamy, 4 fingered head, despite gentle pouring down the side of a standard pint glass. This is one carbonated ale! Scents of funk (tough to really describe), wet hay and a mixed citrus and tropical fruit salad. Tasted like a citrus juice blend of pineapple, grapefruit and a bit of Brett-influenced sour/pucker fresh lemon juice with some orange rind at the finish. If you don't like IPAs, this one is not for you. I seem to be leaning toward the "fruited" IPAs so I found this fascinating and alluring. I'll guess IBUs about 70 and the ABV is 7%. Pairings? Spicy Indian/Asian cuisine most likely.

Another shout out to fuse for including this in a trader last summer.

[devildeac]

Bush De Noël 2015 (aka Scaldis Noël Premium)-Brasserie Dubuisson Frères Pipaix

Liquid fruitcake!

Now, for folks that don't like fruitcake, this likely will be of little or no interest. However, I greatly enjoy a few slices of fruitcake over the Christmas season so I found this Christmas ale to be highly quaffable over the last 2 nights. I poured about 375 ml portions last night and tonight into my Ommegang tulip. Appearance was dark amber and slightly cloudy. Last night's aliquot had a moderate, foamy and lacy head that lasted about 30 minutes. Tonight's, little head that disappeared rather quickly as expected. Nose of brown sugar/maple syrup and very complex tastes of caramel, pecans, raisins, dates, figs, dark rum, cinnamon (none added) and brown sugar (how come you taste so good?), along with pineapple and banana (but none in any fruitcakes I've ever nibbled ). IBUs listed on brewery website at 21 and the ABV is a stunning 12%. I think this was a drop of about $10 last January on a Total Wine closeout, quite the steal as I saw the 2016 version last month for $20 and I passed.

[devildeac]

From 4/10/16:

Gouden Carolus Noel-Brouwerij Het Anker

These folks have been brewing beer for a while (1471!). Looks/tastes like they do a pretty good job .

Poured from a 330 ml bottle into an Ommegang goblet and shared (just a taste ) with our younger daughter last PM. Purchased a 4 pack at Total Wine a couple months ago on a "closeout" for about $7, IIRC, with their buck off coupon. I like inexpensive, outstanding ales. Almost as much as I like expensive, outstanding ales . Brewed in August, 2015 and bottled on 9/9/15, it poured a clear medium brown with hints of ruby, the nose was dark brown sugar, dried fruits and dark rum. Six spices are mentioned and I'd guess ginger, cinnamon, coriander and licorice with no clue what the last 2 might be. Three hops mentioned but not named. Tastes like an expensive, high quality fruitcake, with nuts, spices, brown sugar and raisins with dates and figs on the top instead of a nasty, red maraschino cherry and a green pineapple chunk. And I like fruitcakes. I've got 3 left and it can be cellared for 3 years so guess what's coming to the Christmas table this year?

From last PM:

Well, I'm a little late for Christmas but we sampled plenty of other ales over the holidays so this was all mine.

The licorice/anise was more prominent after another 9 months in the "cellar." Perhaps a bit too prominent as I tasted it from mid-sip to the finish of each swallow. Mouthfeel was very smooth but not oily. The fruitcake analogy continues to be very relevant here. I'm still unable to ascertain what those other 2 spices might be. In Euro tradition: 10,5% ABV and EBU of 11. I'll probably have one of these again for a Christmas in July and then finish off the 4 pack sometime during the 2017 Christmas season.

[devildeac]

Smoke on the Porter-New Glarus Brewing

Noting my tardiness once again . I almost served this over the holidays with some leftover turkey and/or some beef tenderloin but Yazoo's Sue was not well-received by our younger daughter so I deemed it a DND-FD (did not drink-father's decision ).

Pour was a dark, dark brown with some ruby highlights. Very small head with aromas of whole hog over a pit/fire. Medium to strong intensity smoke flavors with some dark chocolate, coffee and BBQ sauce. NG does not list any stats and typically lists a few generic ingredients so I'll guess IBUs around 30 but I did find some quotes of 6.1% for the ABV on ratebeer and/or beeradvocate. This would have been an interesting side by side with Sue or the classic smoke beer, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, though the latter is a Märzen and not a porter. Fuse was very astute with his food pairing comment and this matched very nicely with some homemade BBQ we had frozen from a church fund raiser a couple months ago, slopped on to a Bulkie roll topped with a couple tablespoons of my wife's freshly prepared (non-vinegared/non-tomatoed) slaw. This would also be highly tasty with ribs, beef brisket or a pulled chicken sammich.

Is there anything NG doesn't brew well?