Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

From 2/24/17:

Head Hunter (draft)-Fat Head's Brewery

From Tripping William's link above to the best IPA by state in the USA. This was the winner in Ohio.

Pour was a light gold in a pint glass. Modest, fluffy head with citrusy aromas and piney, Juicyfruit tastes of grapefruit, orange, peach and mango with a bit of honey. It's toeing the line of IPA/IIPA with IBUs of 87 and ABV of 7.5%. Paired very well with a plate of Cajun chicken, dirty rice with sausage and bacon and a side of fire-roasted corn. I'd definitely buy a 4 pack of these for sipping, sharing and trading. Here's the ingredients:

HOPS: Columbus, Simcoe, Centennial
MALT: Pale, CaraMalt, C-15, Cara-Pils

It won some awards, too:

SILVER AWARD 2012 • 2014
WORLD BEER CUP® AMERICAN-STYLE IPA
SILVER MEDAL 2010 • BRONZE MEDAL 2011
GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL®
AMERICAN STYLE IPA

Quite the IPA/IIPA night with dinner.

From tonight:

Head Hunter (bottled on 3/11/17)-Fat Head's Brewery

Well, our son found it, bought it and delivered it several weeks ago and 2 were included in fuse's recent delivery, so waiting to read what his hop-o-meter thinks about this one...

Best in O-HI-O? I'm not sure but I'd greatly enjoy a DIPA tasting sometime in Columbus or Cleveland to side-by-side this with Bodhi, Great Lake's Lake Erie Monster and Chillwave.

Pretty similar appearance to the draft but my grapefruit and pineapple sensors are on high alert tonight and the peachy/mango-y receptors a bit less prominent. There's no honey added as Hopslam does but the finish is mildly sweet. There's a bit of oiliness (?) and resin on the palate, too, more evidence that fresher-er is better-er, especially with this style. No food pairing tonight but Bodhi is up next, ASSuming I can stay awake long enough to finish another 12 ounces .

[devildeac]

Pommier Sauvage-New Glarus Brewing Company

This was a limited release only available at the brewery on 9/24/16, IIRC.

Apple cider champagne!

My tasting was not too much different than the esteemed fuse's except I perceived no dirty barnyard horse stall though there was a bit of funky sourness to it. Effervescent. Mildly sour on the tastebuds and less apple-y than I thought it might be but nowhere near Sour Patch/Jolly Rancher/Warhead type sour. Almost a bit vinous. Paired nicely with a shared 4 item seafood dinner at the NC coast last PM. A dessert pairing would most certainly work, too. IBUs at 6 and ABV of 5.2%.

I've still got my 2nd bottle and not quite sure whether it'll be a celebration beer this coming weekend for a couple graduations or age another 6 months until a tailgate...

[devildeac]

Exemption-Taxman Brewing Company

I told you there was a trend here...

It's a Belgian style tripel ale so the pour was light gold, the head was fizzy, foamy and a bit cling-y and the nose was citrus and brown sugar. Mouthfeel was tingly and tastes were orange, a bit of rind and a bit of spice (coriander added). There's some more brown sugar sweetness and a pinch of black pepper. The "bio" on the beer appears to claim lemon is added but I didn't smell/taste any. White wheat, oats and "Belgian artisan malts" are also listed as ingredients. Pretty smooth as most tripels are with IBU at 30. Potent also with a deceptive ABV of 8.5%. I supposed one should have mussels with this but I'm not a fan so I'd pair with a light seafood or chicken entree.

[devildeac]

Deduction-Taxman Brewing Company

Continuing the theme...

This one is a Belgian dubbel style ale, meaning a medium-dark brown pour with a foamy, tan head. Raisins, dates and fig aromas wafted seductively from my Duke goblet with flavors of the same, accompanied by brown sugar and some dark rum. Euro hops impart faint, earthy bitterness and Belgian candi sugar sweetens the deal. IBUs 20 and ABV of 8%, nicely representing the style. I'll have a pulled pork or chicken sandwich with some potato salad with mine, please.

[devildeac]

Kölsch (draft)-White Street Brewing

Drink local!

Pre-dinner pint tonight. Light straw color, topped by a thin, fizzy head. Floral aromas and tastes of apples, pears and honeydew melons with very mildly bitter floral hops. At 24 IBUs (a tad higher than I'd have thought) and 5.2% ABV, one could throw down a couple of these after lawn mowing or with a light chicken or seafood entree.

[devildeac]

Cran-bic (2016)-New Glarus Brewing Company

Next of the last of the litter from our September Duke football and midwest beer-cation. I believe I have one Oud Bruin I'm reserving for its one year anniversary this fall.

Perfect beer to share with the return of our daughter and her husband to Raleigh after their 10 day vacation.

Poured three (almost) equal servings into recently purchased champagne flutes. Pink, cloudy and effervescent. Fruity nose with mildly sour/tart, cranberry tastes tickling the taste buds. There's some woody/oaky presence along with a flash of acid/vinegar. Cranberry champagne. I'll guess IBUs of 20 and ABV of 5-6%. Very nice celebration beer. Would be nice with a plate of fruit. New Glarus fruit beer-never a disappointment.

[devildeac]

Horsepower (draft)-Aviator Brewing

My pulled pork, house-smoked sandwich was topped with some delicious (not too much mayo) slaw and my side to accompany the sammich was, wait for this now, a pint of Horsepower. Yes, Aviator Brewing allows, hell, even encourages their patrons to select a pint draft as your side and then, if you're diet/fiber/health conscious, you can spend another $2.75 for a "real side" and I chose a small, mixed green salad . Probably saved $2-3, guessing my pint of 9.7% ABV (9.1% in cans) and 120 IBU (100+ on their website), would have been about $6. This was truly a hop monster. Waves of pine and resin aromas and a palate-searing tsunami of more pine and resin with very little citrus/tropical juice/fruit flavors. Reasonable grain balance with a bit of caramel but, make no mistake here, this was hop oil/pellet/extract forward bitter. Not for the faint-tongued. If you prefer more grapefruity/pineapple-y/orange-y/mango-y flavors and tastes, this IIPA is not for you. Didn't want the 4 pack as we exited as I selected the Night Jump but this was certainly worth a pint.

[devildeac]

Tropicale (draft)-Aviator Brewing

Two ounce sample before the palate-searing Horsepower IIPA at the brewery Friday night. Pour was a pale, straw color with tropicale, err, tropical fruity aromas and rather mild mango and pineapple flavors with a bit of sour and woody nuances from the foeder aging. IBUs were no listed on the chalk board or on the printed tap list so I'll guess 10-20 range with the ABV around 5%, from taste bud memory as I have a photo of the chalk board but not the paper copy . A nice effort from the previously rather boring folks at Aviator.

[devildeac]

Sour Cherry Brown Ale (draft)-Aviator Brewing

Another 2 ounce sample from the Aviator "barrel" series.

This was a red-brown pour with the expected scents and tastes of sour cherries, a bit of acidity and vinegar, wood, and a nibble or two of chocolate and toffee. No IBUs given but a WAG would be 20-30 and I think the ABV was 5-6%. I'd definitely re-visit this. Sipped before the palate-scorching 9.7% ABV and 120 IBU Horsepower IIPA.

[devildeac]

From 1/13/11:

Hell or High Watermelon-21st Amendment Brewing

No kidding. That is really the name of this canned wheat brew that CB&Burgers picked up during his Blacksburg trip over Christmas. Pale yellow in color with a rather light body, and a clean, crisp pour with the tiniest hint of orange, which is fairly typical for wheat brews. The watermelon juice with which it is brewed appears on the palate midway through the first sip and imparts a very slight sourness to it. A strange brew indeed but I could find myself drinking another one of these with a fruit plate in the summer time before a sweet and sour chicken or scallop/shrimp meal. I'd guess the IBU to be about 10 and the ABV is 4.9% so I'll follow this with a few sips of Alpha Dog just before bedtime.

From Saturday, 5/13:

Hell or High Watermelon-21st Amendment Brewing

A guest beer from our Saturday celebration. They haven't changed this ale much in over 6 years. Guess that could be good because it's light and refreshing or bad because they're still trying to convince drinkers to try this mild Jolly Ranch sour watermelon hard candyish concoction. Certainly worth a 2 ounce sample each as we all had, or a single to try but I'm not sure what our daughter and son-in-law will do with the rest of the 6er they were gifted over the weekend.

[devildeac]

From 2/3/16:

Cali-Belgique/Cali-Belgie-Stone Brewing

Stone IPA (their flagship) with a special Belgian yeast strain. From their website: "Think of it as an otherwise identical twin to Stone IPA that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally." If you don't like/are tired of IPAs, this one might be for you. Really (read on). Bought on a whim as I saw a 12 pack of mixed Stone IPAs for $20 at Harris Teeter yesterday, looked at the line-up and thought this might be a good purchase. I'm off to a good start. Poured a yellow-golden with a mild citrusy/piney nose and hints of sweetness. Tastes were tropical fruits including mango and papaya with a bit of grapefruit, banana and peach with mild honey-ish and light brown sugary flavors added and subtle pine in the finish. Yea, it's bitterly rated at 77 IBU (hey, whaddaya expect, it's a Stone ale) but the balance is excellent with the ABV at 6.9%. Serve with grilled or spicy fare and please your palate. There are 3 other IPAs in the cardboard cage and they'll be weekend tasters (if I don't go back to what's left of my Belgian 6er) in addition to sharing and trading.

From this weekend:

Cali-Belgie (brewed on 1/5/16ish, best by 5/5/16ish)-Stone Brewing

Fresherer is betterer. Likely, this 12 ounce bottle was leftover from a trade/gift to our daughter and son-in-law last year, neither of whom are IPA fans, so, it sat in their fridge, untouched by human lips. Bottom line, while others mostly liked this, I thought it was a bit stale but had not "turned."

More later on the final and best tasting of the afternoon/evening...

[devildeac]

From 5/16/16:

World Wide Stout-(2007 vintage)-Dogfish Head Brewing

It's graduation time!

Another amazing concoction. Black as night, smooth as satin and almost as thick as 5W/20 and very few bubbles that could be called a head. This really reminded me of a port. There are dark chocolate, medium-roasted expresso, dark fruits, licorice, black molasses, dark rum and plenty of vinous flavors in the taste to me. There was some sediment in the last 5 ml and we avoided most of it with a fairly careful pour and (sadly) leaving the last half sip in our glasses. Technically, this is probably an imperial stout but it really is in a category of its own. I'd guess the IBU to be 70-80 or higher to balance the redick-ulous amounts of barley for a brew that clocked in at 18-20% ABV when originally brewed many years ago! I split this with our son over about 30 minutes this afternoon. I'll guess it was $8-9 for the 12 ounce bottle when I bought this in 2008 or 2009 but, well worth it to share a bottle as a celebration brew. There's one left and that'll cellar for one more year for what I hope is our final graduation.

Final tasting of the day/weekend.

From 5/13/17 (aka graduation Saturday):

World Wide Stout (2007)-Dogfish Head Brewing

It's here/time!

Last World Wide Stout from the cellar and last graduation for the devildeacs!

Four of us had 3 ounces each after most of the cookout crowd had departed. Same pour, aromas and tastes so not much to add to my 2016 review. I'm not sure who was most impressed, our son or me. We each tried to squeeze and/or lick the last half drops out of our respective cordial glasses. Simply an amazing beer that I may never see again given its limited release and its unavailability in NC due to state ABC laws. However, if any folks in neighboring states ever see this, buy a bunch and I'll gladly make arrangements for its pickup/delivery. (wipes tear from cheek)

[devildeac]

Bourbon County Stout (2013)-Goose Island Brewing

Still celebrating!

Fuse kindly/graciously delivered this 12 ounce bottle several years ago and it made a wonderful shared nightcap last PM with our younger daughter, along with a small glass of the 2015 edition.

Pour was viscous and almost pitch black with a thin head that rimmed our cordial glasses very briefly. Aromas of dark chocolate, dark fruits and molasses. Tastes of the same with a bit of espresso, licorice and a very warming, bourbon-y finish. No additives to this one but they have brewed a number of variants with chocolate, coffee, vanilla and who knows what else as I've not tracked their releases very closely at all. I'll guess IBUs about 60 based on the style and the ABV was a stunning 14.9% so we savored our 4 ounce portions slowly. There's a cork in the bottle now with about 4 ounces remaining that I should have little difficulty finishing tonight. By myself. No daughter. Mrs. dd hates beer.

[devildeac]

Bourbon County Stout (2013)-Goose Island Brewing

Still celebrating!

Fuse kindly/graciously delivered this 12 ounce bottle several years ago and it made a wonderful shared nightcap last PM with our younger daughter, along with a small glass of the 2015 edition.

Pour was viscous and almost pitch black with a thin head that rimmed our cordial glasses very briefly. Aromas of dark chocolate, dark fruits and molasses. Tastes of the same with a bit of espresso, licorice and a very warming, bourbon-y finish. No additives to this one but they have brewed a number of variants with chocolate, coffee, vanilla and who knows what else as I've not tracked their releases very closely at all. I'll guess IBUs about 60 based on the style and the ABV was a stunning 14.9% so we savored our 4 ounce portions slowly. There's a cork in the bottle now with about 4 ounces remaining that I should have little difficulty finishing tonight. By myself. No daughter. Mrs. dd hates beer.

^^^^

Bourbon County Stout (2015)-Goose Island Brewing

I actually bought this 500 ml bottle myself in November, 2015, even though GI had sold out to AB about 4 years earlier . A local store had a beer lottery and Mrs. dd, our younger daughter and I each had tickets but only their names were called so I got 2 bottles, one of which went to fuse as a return favor for his 2013 purchase. I think this was $16 for the 16.9 ounce bottle but included a gorgeous Goose Island snifter.

Pour was a bit thinner than the 2013 and had the same basic brief wisp of a head. Very similar nose but a bit thinner on the palate and a tad less smooth but still somewhat viscous and slightly more "rough." Same tastes of dark/unsweetened chocolate, charred wood, some vanilla, burnt caramel and dried fruits, along with a warming, booze-y finish. I'll guess the same IBU range with the ABV a bit lower at "only" 14.3% . Our 4 ounce portions were sipped slowly so I have about 8 ounces remaining for personal consumption this evening. Made a nice pairing with a slice of homemade lemon-vanilla pound cake (not low fat/calorie).

Little if any BCS made it to NC for 2016 as they apparently had to dump a bunch due to contamination, much as DFH did several years ago with about $250K worth of 120 Minute IPA.

Truly a sipping, celebration beverage.

[devildeac]

Enigma-New Glarus Brewing

I can certainly see why. The Ommegang tulip from which I'm very slowly sipping 12 ounces of this outstanding nectar is being cradled as if it contained liquid gold.

Pour was a ruby-brown with a small head. Nose if cherry-cola-toffee. Mouthfeel is tingle-y and tastes are incredibly complex with Sour Patch kids cherry, Gummi Colas, toffee, cherry cider vinegar, vanilla and oak. I don't want this glass to be empty, but, I do have one more bottle for a later date, not sure whether it'll be another celebration beer in the next week or two or I'll cellar it for 6-12 months. This rivals any true Belgian sour red/brown ale I've ever tasted. But, I'd also be willing to have a taste-testing discussion, too .

Apologies to fuse for not including his recent review (damn search feature), several high fives to tbyers for his suggestion and major accolades to younger daughter and her husband for their trip to Kenosha from Chicago several weeks ago to seek this out and fill my order.

[devildeac]

Floy Division 1 (aka FD 1 529)-Three Floyds Brewing

Pineapple-check
Pine-check
Stone fruit-nectarine, maybe?
Citrus/coconut/mint-WTH?

Sipped half a bomber last PM from a snifter. Pour was a mildly hazy, yellow-orange with a generous, meringue-like head. No sediment yet as warned by fuse in a private/secure/non-redacted communication during his consumption. Aromas and scent parallel in this one with perhaps a bit of butterscotch sweetness. IBUs were 85 and ABV was 7.5%, with both advanced stats sitting right on the IPA/IIPA boundary. Numbers were gathered from rate beer as FFF rarely puts any of their metrics on their products. Also learned from rate beer was that FFF brewed 5 variations of experimental hop IPAs, cleverly named 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. This batch was brewed on 3/2/17 and 2 bombers were bought at the brewery in early April by our younger daughter and her husband for ~$8 each. You've likely figured out by now who received the other bomber .

[devildeac]

Necron 99-Three Floyds Brewing

An "interplanetary IPA," from their website. Would that make it a new style IIPA?

Or, is it a "scortch style ale" as the label states?

I'll let fuse figure this out.

My vote goes to the highly tasty IPA category, but, does Three Floyds really brew, err, play positions?

Pour was a light bronze with a mildly foamy, eggshell white, lingering head. Pineapple and stone fruits from first sniff. Pineapple, butterscotch, nectarine and peach on the tongue. Moderate bitterness but pretty well balanced with IBUs of 61 and ABV of 7.3%, both from their website. I'd pair with some mildly spicy fare, as I would with most IPAs/IIPAs. I think this brings my FFF samplings to about 20 now, some world class, others outstanding/standard for the style and others I'd characterize as "unusual," but always stimulating my interest in trying yet another offering.

[devildeac]

From 10/21/12:

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.

From dinner tonight:

Devil's Tramping Ground (draft)-Aviator Brewing

This was a $3 pint draft that accompanied a couple sirloin soft tacos with a side of pimento mac n cheese at a local restaurant. Pour was a light golden-yellow with a thin, non-lingering head. It's a Belgian-style tripel so the aromas were soft and enticing and tastes marked by some orange, light brown sugar and a bit of spiciness. I think the ABV is a bit higher now at 9.2% and it's still a very mild brew with IBUs around 30. I think it would match better with chicken/seafood but it was thirst quenching this evening.

[devildeac]

Mothman-Greenbrier Brewing Company

Tripping William missed one on his recent journey through WV .

I must admit, when our neighbor dropped this 12 ounce can off yesterday as a "thank you" for minding their mailbox and driveway for a couple days while they were out of town, I had my doubts when learning it was from WV, not known for their craft beer industry. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this black IPA as I drain the last few drops from my pint glass as I type.

Pour was almost black with a half inch tan head. Aromas of heavily roasted grains waft to the nostrils, followed by tastes of grilled/charred orange and pineapple slices, some milk chocolate, toffee, a bit of resin and a drop or two of coffee. Pleasantly, but not overly bitter at 71 IBUs and balanced nicely with 6.7% ABV. This would pair well with some spicy BBQ/grilled fare or game. Here's the ingredient list:

HOPS: Amarillo, Chinook
BARLEY: American 2-Row, German Munich, German Roasted Barley

[devildeac]

The Poet-New Holland Brewing Company

The local NHBC rep had some samples this evening at Bottle Revolution and it was time for me to claim my May beer club 4 pack, so...

They were founded in 1996 and this beer is listed as being first brewed in 1999, but the rep admitted it had been re-formulated for this year, but honestly, it's been probably a decade or more since I sipped it that I really don't recall its "original" qualities. The two ounce bottle pour was dark brown with a small head. Nose of heavily roasted grains with a fairly smooth, silky mouthfeel from the oats as part of the grain bill. Tastes were the expected mild chocolate and medium roast coffee, neither as additives. Their stats geek page claims IBUs at 37 and ABV is 5.2% but I'd have guessed a bit higher on each, but not much given the style (oatmeal stout). I'll have a half a rack of ribs or some brisket with mine next time, please.