Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Hoppy Ki Yay-Lonerider Brewing Company

I'm thinking I've had this before but it's been quite a while.

Another 12 ounce can trader from August West. Thanks!

Pour was a cloudy orange-yellow with a moderately foamy head. Aromas of pine and resin and tastes to match with some rind. There's some grainy, malty sweetness but not enough for a good balance. Stats support my palate with IBUs of 76 from Columbus and Amarillo hops and ABV at 6.6% from "great malts." Good IPA but these pine-y/resin-y styles have moved out of my tasteland as I've edged more toward the tropical/citrus-y style in the last couple years.

[August West]

(out of order posting)


1516 Heller Bock-Red Oak Brewery

A limited release from this Whitsett, NC brewery.

Several of us shared a 12 ounce bottle of this from August West at tailgate yesterday. Thanks! Pour was a medium straw color with a mild, creamy head. Lightly toasted, grainy nose and very mild floral hop bitterness with medium caramel and honey flavors. No stats listed on their website or on the bottle so I'll guess IBUs about 20 (it's a lager) and ABV around 6% which would be standard for the style. It paired nicely with our mildly spiced pulled pork, slaw, potato salad and fancy baked beans. I'm looking forward to the 12 ounce bottle I was promised that "disappeared" just before we departed after the game.

I found a sibling of the one that "disappeared" and will bring it Saturday. The ABV listed on the box is 7%. No ibu's listed. Word on the street is the missing bottle has been seen in Craven county. AW.

[devildeac]

(out of order posting)


1516 Heller Bock-Red Oak Brewery

A limited release from this Whitsett, NC brewery.

Several of us shared a 12 ounce bottle of this from August West at tailgate yesterday. Thanks! Pour was a medium straw color with a mild, creamy head. Lightly toasted, grainy nose and very mild floral hop bitterness with medium caramel and honey flavors. No stats listed on their website or on the bottle so I'll guess IBUs about 20 (it's a lager) and ABV around 6% which would be standard for the style. It paired nicely with our mildly spiced pulled pork, slaw, potato salad and fancy baked beans. I'm looking forward to the 12 ounce bottle I was promised that "disappeared" just before we departed after the game.

I found a sibling of the one that "disappeared" and will bring it Saturday. The ABV listed on the box is 7%. No ibu's listed. Word on the street is the missing bottle has been seen in Craven county. AW.

Thanks.

If it was seen in Craven County, it had to be in its reprocessed/recycled form .

[devildeac]

Green Zebra-Founders Brewing Company

The 2017 beverage brewed for the annual ArtPrize competition in another town that calls itself Beer City, USA. Other artful brews have included Mosaic Promise, Pale Joe, Spectra Trifecta and Inspired Artist Black IPA.

This year, they brewed a gose and flavored it with the expected sea salt and (perhaps) the unexpected watermelon. Three words: liquid Jolly Rancher. Pour was a faintly pink-tinged straw color with a brief, thin head. Yep, there are mild watermelon aromas and even more prominent watermelon tastes, along with a pinch of salt and sugary Jolly Rancher candy. IBUs pretty low and standard at 10 and the ABV also about as expected at 4.6%. This would be good with a fruit tray. I haven't had an Anderson Valley Briney Melon for over a year and I think I'd prefer that one but I'd be willing to participate in a side-by-side to refresh my memory. ;)

[devildeac]

We temporarily interrupt the Ymm, Beer thread to bring you:

Mystic Dragon-Appalachian Mountain Cidery

Fuse was kind enough to include a 12 ounce can of this in his recent drop, knowing I'm kinda/sorta neutral about ciders. I'm sipping it right now and am very appreciative. (somewhat because Mrs. dd took a couple sips and made her "beer face")

This is a green tea infused cider with rhubarb and strawberries. Pour was a pinot grigio color with no head. Nose was apple-y with faint berries. Taste was not overly sweet as some other sugar bomb ciders I've sampled and the berry and tea notes were pretty subtle. I'm not sure what liquid rhubarb tastes like. Tart? Bitter? IBUs are 0 (D'oh!) and the ABV was 5%. Very crisp and thirst-quenching. Thanks!

[devildeac]

Pilsner-Southern Tier Brewing Company

Clever name .

No fake news here. This is a German-style lager/pilsner from the same folks who bring you thick, chewy, often over-the-top, double something, imperial strength, best shared with others, dessert beers .

Poured from a 12 ounce can extracted from their first ever 15 pack (called Overpack'd) of five assorted flavors. Color was a pale straw with a floral nose. Head was moderate and lingered a bit. Palate sensations were hay, lightly toasted white bread, garden flowers with a hint of honey. They use German Pils malt, 2-Row malt and wheat (somewhat surprising) in addition to German lager yeast and German noble hops. IBUs a tad surprising at 40 (I'd have guessed about 20) and the ABV is 5%. Pair with a BLT, turkey and swiss or cheddar sammich or some wursts. August West received the first 5 traders from the carton and I'm looking to trade another 5 this weekend or next. Very solid for the style.

[devildeac]

Éphémère Pomme-Unibroue

Very nice starter beer from duketaylor. Thanks!

"It's like sitting in a hotel at the breakfast buffet and sipping an apple juice." August West, 9/9/17

Well, it was a breakfast tail gate and there was a bit more flavor than that in this Belgian-style while ale. Single 12 ounce bottle shared among 4-5 people. Pour was a light apple juice color (D'oh) with a small head. Nose of cider (D'oh) and tastes of apples (again!) with a bit of spice from some coriander and a bit of orange peel/rind. IBUs were 10 so no surprise duketaylor brought/like this one () with ABV at 5.5%. A very pleasant breakfast juice, err, ale.

[devildeac]

From 7/1/17:

Virginia Blackberry (draft)-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Hooville location

Drink more indigenous!

This was a 2 ounce sample prior to purchasing a couple 750 ml bottles for transporting across the state line .

Pour was a cloudy, ruby-purple with a thin head. Mildly fruity nose with modest tastes of berries and nuances of orange and spice from the Belgian-style white ale base. Very easy sipping at 12 IBUs and ABV stated at 6.8%. Would be wonderful with a plate of fruit, with or without some soft, mild cheeses. It's part of their Reserve Series and an annual release since August, 2012.

Hmm, might make a nice comparison with some New Glarus fruit beers.

From tailgate today:

Virginia Blackberry-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

The 750 ml bottles made it safely across the state line 2 months ago and fuse reviewed his already, IIRC.

Didn't bring any New Glarus fruit beers to compare but the crowd received this well. Pretty similar stuff to the draft version. Very nice breakfast beverage.

[devildeac]

From 10/14/16:

From 4/24/14:

Breakfast Stout-Founders Brewing

Pass the cream and sugar!

This was another leftover from an office meeting I missed last week. Found it in the back of the 'fridge behind the budlite no one wants.

Poured darn near black with a creamy beige head. Coffee, coffee and more coffee up front with semi-sweet chocolate and espresso throughout the tasting with a modestly bitter backbone due to the heavily roasted grains and moderate hop presence. IBUs are 60 and the ABV is 8.3% so this is in the imperial stout family. It's labeled as a double chocolate oatmeal stout and the flaked oats lend some smoothness to the typical bitter flavors you ascertain from the darkly roasted coffee. This is a liquid dessert you could enjoy by itself or sip briefly chilled with almost any chocolate or even cinnamon pastry/cake. Always a treat to enjoy one of these.

From tonight:

Thanks to August West (or was it dpslaw?) for this trader a couple or three weeks ago.

Not much different than 2.5 years ago and not quite as good as the draft from last month but still an excellent "morning" beer.

From tailgate today:

Breakfast Stout-Founders Brewing

I'll post a review of this one every time some one offers me a taste . Thanks to August West for sharing his 12 ounce bottle today.

Dark chocolate and coffee in a stout at a breakfast tailgate. Yes, please. I almost poured an ounce of this over my thick slice of French toast casserole instead of the Log Cabin syrup.

[devildeac]

From 9/27/15:

First up from GT tailgate testing:

(Originally from 9/7/14)

Rubaeus-Founders Brewing

I'll try to restore some of your faith in this ale as I must admit, the first and only bottle I ever had was several years ago and I think it had spoiled as it tasted funny and there was a lot of sediment in it. August West had a couple of these at tailgate last week and, after talking with fuse and reading his review, I decided it was worth a trade. Darn good decision on my part.

Poured a clear, medium red (drum roll please) raspberry color with a small head. Smelled like an Ocean Spray Cran-Rasberry juice with far more raspberry than cranberry. The raspberry soda is a good comparison. I thought it had a bit more body than fuse did. Wheat is not listed as an ingredient but I thought there may have been a hint of it with a very, very subtle citrus flavor. This could have been from what is a very low hop presence, too, as the IBUs are 15. Slight tart finish. The ABV at 5.7% and low IBU made this incredibly easy to sip on a warm summer evening. Pair it with a bowl of fruit, a bowl of vanilla ice cream or chill a 12 ounce bottle, pour slowly into a champagne flute (there was sediment in this bottle, too) or wine glass and sip by itself. I've got a 750 ml bottle of 2014 Raspberry Tart, so if August West has a Rubaeus left in his cooler this weekend, I may trade for another so I can do a taste test, too.

Yesterday's thoughts from about a 3 ounce sample kindly shared by August West:

Just as good as last year's and made good friends with a pecan-caramel pastry and some cinnamon-raisin bread for breakfast starters.

From tailgate today:

Breakfast Stout-Founders Brewing

I'll post a review of this one every time some one offers me a taste. Thanks to August West for sharing his 12 ounce bottle today.

Dark chocolate and coffee in a stout at a breakfast tailgate. Yes, please. I almost poured an ounce of this over my thick slice of French toast casserole instead of the Log Cabin syrup.

[devildeac]

Z Dam-Legend Brewing Company

The story:

"Emerging from the heights of Appalachian Mountains, The James River flows down to the banks of Richmond City and beyond, passing through a series of majestic dams and rapids along the way. To show our appreciation for our great friends at the James River Outdoor Coalition and one of the dams in particular, we've named our Summer Seasonal in honor of the iconic Z Dam which connects Pony Pasture to William's Island."

The ale:

Labeled as an ale, but I'm not so sure about that. Nor were any of the other sippers. There was little info on the bottle except the name on the label and the standard gov'mint warning.

Duketaylor contributed this single 12 ounce bottle which was well received. Thanks!

Pour was a light golden-yellow with a small head. It smelled like ginger with some very soft floral notes. My word, it tasted like ginger, too, but all of us missed the orange and lime, too. Very mild caramel sweetness. I'm going to call some more bullstuff from their website as they claim 0 IBUs (no typo) and served best at 0 degrees . All the tasters today thought "lager" as the bitterness was minimal and we agreed on 10-20 IBUs. Stated ABV is 5.8% (researched and again, not on label) and we also guessed 5-6%. Yet another brilliant "fruit" beer choice for a morning tailgate.

[devildeac]

Duketaylor's Really Old Homebrew Amber Ale That He Thought Was a Stout (2014?)-Duketaylor Brewing

Undated Boston Lager bottle. Poured a very foamy amber color (that was our first clue it was not a stout). Once the giant head (usually a very bad sign for beer) disappeared, the nose was mild toasted bread and tastes of the same. Very mild bitterness, guessing IBUs of 30, with an estimated ABV of 5%. Not quite "turned," but this one was past its prime. I'm kinda/sorta giving duketaylor a hard time here but I'm still very thankful to him for his contributions today which also included Ephemere, Rubaeus and Z Dam, in addition to 3 Hardywood Reserve series brews which August West and I divided (unequally) and traded for with duketaylor that will see future tailgates this season.

[devildeac]

Lizard of Koz-Founders Brewing Company


I thought I had tasted/reviewed this before but searching here and "elsewhere" revealed two character flaws: being wrong and memory.

August West brought his 750 ml bottle to tailgate yesterday and was kind and gracious enough to share. Many thanks!

Pour was opaque but not quite as black as his So Happens It's Tuesday from the *nc tailgate last year, which, when held up to a very bright halogen spotlight allowed no light through . Seductive aromas of dark chocolate and a bit of bourbon. Mouthfeel was thick/oily/chewy. Tastes were initially of semi-sweet chocolate again and, as it warmed a bit, blueberry pie/cobbler. Bourbon became more prominent with a bit more warming. None of us noted much vanilla. Blueberry bourbon fudge maybe? Couldn't find any IBUs listed anywhere but we all guessed about 50-60 based on the style (imperial stout) and the ABV was on the label at 10.5%, making this a very dangerous liquid dessert.

[devildeac]

From 8/21/16:

Tangier-Southern Tier Brewing Company

WTH? A session IPA? From Southern Tier? Must be a mistake?!?!

Nope. A non-extreme beer from the brewers of Choklat, Choklat Oranj, Mokah and Creme Brulee. To be fair, they brew a lot of session, seasonal and standard brews so I was happy to see this as a single in my 4 pack of beer-of-the-month club from a local package shop. Poured a slightly hazy orange with a citrus nose. Much like the Big Squeeze, I think I'd have preferred tangerine juice instead of peel, but there was a bit of citrusy sweetness coupled with a bit more than expected bitterness from 3 unnamed hops plus the rindiness. Four unnamed malts lend to a bit of caramel sweetness. No IBUs listed but I'll venture 40-50 and the ABV is sessionable as advertised/expected at 4.6%. I think it'd be tasty with some orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken/pork/shrimp or a fruity salsafied light seafood dish. Glad to taste but wouldn't buy a 6er.

From tonight:

From tonight:

Tangier-Southern Tier Brewing

Well, I didn't exactly buy a 6er but three of these were included in last week's Overpack'd 15 pack so I figured I'd trade two of each and consume one of each variety. Pretty similar review to 13 months ago, still with no IBUs to be ascertained anywhere but they do list Azacca hops being featured and imparting stone fruit tastes to the ale. I think the carton was $17 so a reasonable price for trading/sharing and keeping for oneself.

[devildeac]

2XSmash-Southern Tier Brewing Company

Beer #2 from the Overpack'd 15 can sampler. This one is a DIPA with only Mosaic hops and a special pale malt (alledgedly). Nice citrus nose, modest creamy head and tastes of grapefruit and rind and a little pine and resin. Reasonable balance with some malty/grainy sweetness. No IBUs quoted anywhere so I'll guess 60. ABV is 8.1%. Would wash down some curry or mildly spicy Asian entrees comfortably. Won't buy a litter of them but happy to have sampled.

[devildeac]

Moravian Rhapsody-Raleigh Brewing Company

Billed as a Czech-style pilsner.

This was a 2 ounce sample during a tasting tonight at Bottle Revolution. Clear, straw-colored pour from a 12 ounce can with a small head. Floral nose and tastes with a bit of honeyish sweetness. Pilsner malt, Saaz hops and German lager yeast, as expected for the style and fairly authentic. IBUs at 37, a bit higher than I'd have guessed and the ABV was 5.2%. I should have had a half pint with my mixed green salad with a bunch of toppings one would usually put on (in?) arepas.

[devildeac]

Dear Ol' Dixie-Raleigh Brewing Company

Their seasonal pale ale.

Two ounce sample pour was a light, orange-amber with a moderate head from a 12 ounce can. Tropical and citrusy nose, followed by mango, pineapple and grapefruit tastes with hints of rind. Mild caramel sweetness for balance. Pretty much right down the middle for pale ale stats with IBUs at 48 and ABV of 5.8%. Solid but not spectacular offering that'd be tasty with a deli sammich or some BBQ chicken/ribs/brisket off the grill.

[devildeac]

From 6/6/15:

Shotgun Betty-Lonerider Brewing

Drink indigenously!

It's actually kind of embarrassing that this brewery has been open since 2009 (maybe earlier) and I haven't tasted/reviewed their flagship beer. Brewed year round, this German-style hefeweizen represents the style well. Poured from a 12 ounce can stolen from our older son-in-law last PM while baby-sitting for them into a pilsner style glass, it arrived a cloudy orange-yellow with a fizzy and foamy head that didn't linger very long. Potent overripe banana on the nose and tastes of the same with prominent clove and a bit of orange and orange zest. Gentle on the palate at 11 IBUs but with a bit higher ABV than I'd have expected for the style at 5.8%, this makes a refreshing spring/summer/early fall ale and would pair nicely with lighter grilled fare, salads or fruits.


Their slogans:

"Ales for outlaws"

"Is there an outlaw in you?"

From my pint glass tonight:

Shotgun Betty-Lonerider Brewing Company

12 ounce can from August West as a trader after the NCCU game. Thanks!

Not much has changed with this ale, nor should it as this is a true-to style German hefeweizen. Same tastes and aromas as above, making for a pleasant, refreshing ale on a warm, late summer evening.

[devildeac]

From 12/25/16:

Ho-Ho-Ho.

We divided 8 bottles among 7 of us tasting over our hour long meal. Give or take 15 minutes.

Citradelic-New Belgium Brewing

An IPA for folks who really don't like IPAs much (well, our younger son-in-law but our younger daughter, not so much )

Light orange-yellow pour with a mildly foamy head. Nose of citrus and tastes of orange, light brown sugar and tangerine with some tropical hop bitterness. Very pleasant and refreshing fruited IPA. Here are the ingredients/stats:

ABV
6.0
IBU
50
YEAST
Ale yeast
CALORIES
170
HOPS
Nugget, Crystal, Centennial, Azzaca, Cascade, Citra, Chinook, Galaxy, Mandarina Bavaria, Simcoe
MALTS
Pale, Caramel 120
FRUITS/SPICES
Tangerine infused orange peel

I wouldn't buy a 6er of this but would be happy to have another serving or two.

August West must have read my mind . From tonight:

Citradelic-New Belgium Brewing Company

A 12 ounce trader received after the Northwestern game.

A refreshing, orange-y/tangerine-y, mild, fruited IPA. Looking forward to the other 3 traders from his mixed 12 pack that I think did NOT contain a regular Fat Tire.

Thanks!

[CathyCA]

From 6/6/15:

Shotgun Betty-Lonerider Brewing

Drink indigenously!

It's actually kind of embarrassing that this brewery has been open since 2009 (maybe earlier) and I haven't tasted/reviewed their flagship beer. Brewed year round, this German-style hefeweizen represents the style well. Poured from a 12 ounce can stolen from our older son-in-law last PM while baby-sitting for them into a pilsner style glass, it arrived a cloudy orange-yellow with a fizzy and foamy head that didn't linger very long. Potent overripe banana on the nose and tastes of the same with prominent clove and a bit of orange and orange zest. Gentle on the palate at 11 IBUs but with a bit higher ABV than I'd have expected for the style at 5.8%, this makes a refreshing spring/summer/early fall ale and would pair nicely with lighter grilled fare, salads or fruits.


Their slogans:

"Ales for outlaws"

"Is there an outlaw in you?"

From my pint glass tonight:

Shotgun Betty-Lonerider Brewing Company

12 ounce can from August West as a trader after the NCCU game. Thanks!

Not much has changed with this ale, nor should it as this is a true-to style German hefeweizen. Same tastes and aromas as above, making for a pleasant, refreshing ale on a warm, late summer evening.

Hey! I know this one. This is my son-in-law's "go-to" beer (or ale). I keep Shotgun Betty on my seasonal shopping list for the times when Jon's kids come to visit!