Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Big Barleywine (draft)-Zaftig Brewing Company

A Zaftig slogan: "Go big or go home." Evidence: They had 2 beers on their tap list today that were <7% ABV .

Sample #6 was dark brown with an imperceptible head. Labeled as an "American barleywine" and hoped with Target and Fuggles varieties, I wasn't sure what to expect as Target was new to me and Fuggles are typically Euro hops. Lots of dark brown sugar and toffee scents with a cloying sweetness from first sip to last drop to accompany dark cherries, figs and dates. Finish was a warming alcohol heat. The expected atomic hop bomb from an American barleywine wasn't there as as grains ruled again. I'll guess IBUs about 40-50 and the ABV was a stunning 14%.

[devildeac]

BamBaLam (draft)-Zaftig Brewing Company

Beer #7 from our shared 2 flights.

Breakfast stout. Why? Because it's brewed with flaked oats, locally roasted Crimson Cup Coffee and Ghirardelli chocolate.

Pour was 5 ounces. Black was the color. The head was thin and tan. The nose was java and dark chocolate and the tastes were heavily roasted grains, unsweetened dark chocolate and espresso. I'll guess IBUs about 60 based on the style (imperial stout) and the ABV was 10%. If I didn't have so much beer already from Memorial and Father's Day purchases and Veil brews, I'd have bought a mixed 4 pack of this and the following...

[devildeac]

French Toast-Wicked Weed Brewing

Stamped on neck of 500 ml bottle:

11/7/18
421 13:59

Also for JStuart and fuse for our meet-up to hoist our glasses in January when I bought this bottle for 35% off (about $4.50, tax included) as we helped send Sam's Quik Shop off to rubble-land.

Shared liquid dessert last PM with devildeac2.

Pour was a dark brown with a thin, tan head. Aromas were maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla (all added) and chocolate (not added) in that order and all the adjuncts (no corn syrup as ABInBev doesn't use that ) made their presence prominent on the palate in that order, too, along with some slightly burnt grains (it is French Toast after all...) along with some brown sugar and a warming alcohol burn. I'll guess 50 IBUs, about as expected for the imperial stout style. ABV was 8.8%. A very pleasant after dinner/night cap concoction.

[devildeac]

From last PM, because one good dessert is not enough:

Kentucky Christmas Morning-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Shouts of acclamation to accfanfrom1970 for picking up a brewery record number of GBS The Complete Set 2018 from Hardywood the day it was released and to fuse for having his under-aged chauffeur ferry him up to Richmond for a meet-up with the aforementioned accfanfrom1970 to pick up 4 of those GBS Complete Sets for NC, Ohio and Illinois distribution.

The corked and caged 750 ml bottle was shared with son of devildeac last PM, taking easily an hour to sip and marvel over its complexity.

Appearance: darn near black with a smallish, creamy tan head
Nose: ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, coffee (all added) and dark chocolate (not added)
Mouthfeel: moderately viscous: as smooth and silky as a JJ Redick jumper
Tastes: the ginger tingles, the vanilla and lactose sweeten (it's an imperial milk stout), the cinnamon tantalizes, the coffee bitters and the bourbon warms
IBU: 55-same as the original GBS
ABV: 11.6% (the original is 9.2%)
Overall impression: superb variant of the original GBS that beeradvocate originally rated 100 and said "like freagin' Christmas in a bottle"

[devildeac]

Peels & Pits-Definitive Brewing Company

Stamped on bottom of pint can:

Canned on
06/14/19 12:31
Happy Birhday (sic)

See above comprehensive review

My overall impression is a tangerine/orange/peach milkshake made with the flesh, pith, juice, rind and seeds of the added fruits. This is one thick, juicy brew. I'll guess 60 IBUs.

Another excellent inclusion in my Maine beer package last month from fuse. Thanks!!

[devildeac]

Tiny House-Allagash Brewing Company

Bottom of can stamp:

6010
05/30/19
09:58

Small beer with wonderful tastes.

I thought a bit more honeydew and cantaloupe than grapefruit on the nose but not by much. Pretty equal melon and grapefuit juice/rind on the palate with a bit more bitterness than anticipated but very pleasant and mild. I'll guess IBUs about 30 and the ABV is 3.4%. I'd pair with some lightly sauteed/broiled seafood or grilled and lightly herbed chicken.

Sometimes simple is better and this is an outstanding beer.

Many thanks to fuse for including it in his delivery package last month!

[devildeac]

River Trip-Allagash Brewing Company

Rather offset dot matrix on bottom of pint can:

6994
05/23/19
19:28

I'll not add much to the beermeister's comprehensive review above except maybe my perception of some floral aromas and hints of grapefruit on the tastebuds. I'll guess IBUs in the 20-30 zone. Some players in the beverage from their website:

Grains: Local Pale Malt, Local Raw Quick Oats, 2-Row Base Malt Blend, Munich Malt
Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Comet, Azacca
Yeast: House
Spices/Other: Coriander

This was a delightful ale, especially with a homemade salmon Caesar salad for dinner this evening.

Another round of cheers for fuse for selecting this as part of his delivery earlier this month. Thanks!

[devildeac]

Tropical Storm-Liquid Riot Bottling Company

I'm slow/late to the party but still want to thank fuse publicly for including a pint can of this in his early July trader package from Maine!

You forgot the guava and passionfruit: (from their website) "Kettle soured wheat beer brewed with mango, guava and passionfruit. In collaboration with the Bier Cellar, originally for their 4th anniversary."

Smells and tastes like a tropical fruit punch! I'll guess IBUs of 10 with the ABV quoted at 4.8%. This was quite enjoyable last PM with a small bowl of fresh NC cantaloupe chunks. I got nothing else to add. I'd buy a 4 pack of this for summer sipping/trading if it was available in NC.

[devildeac]

From 11/25/18:

From 1/20/18:

From 9/3/17:

DKML-Founders Brewing Company

Booze bomb alert.

This is their 4th barrel-aged beer of 2017 with Backwoods Bastard to follow in October and a TBA in November or December. The Founders sales rep I chatted with a couple months ago is hoping #6 will be CBS. (Day-umm, I just looked this up and it will indeed be their 6th BA release for 2017, representing a re-release of the 2011 version in bombers and a keg-only release in 2014. Sign me up! http://tenemu.com/news/founders-rere...series/08/2017)

A bourbon barrel-aged malt liquor? WTH? Not sure I've ever heard of that before and I can't recall the last time I had a malt liquor, though I think some states require that on the labels of beers that exceed a certain ABV, likely varying from state to state.

August West kindly contributed this capped bomber as the "finishing" beer of the tailgate, and, at 14.2% (no typo), we were indeed finished. Pour was a honey-straw color with a small head. Nose? Booze, specifically, corn liquor. Tastes? Vanilla, butterscotch, wood, caramel and more liquor. I'll estimate IBUs in the 20 range and didn't I mention the ABV is a stunning 14.2%? I <think> I did already. They're marketing this in 4 packs and bombers and, if you pick up a 22 ounce bottle, be prepared to cork the bottle tightly if you can't finish it in a single sitting (say, 1-2 hours) or share with friends. I got a litter of 4 from Total Wine yesterday AM rather coincidentally and will sure lay 2 of them down for a year or two in order to see what the alcohol burn will be like after some cellaring.

From the wee hours this am:

DKML-Founders Brewing Company

Still a booze bomb, even after another 4 months in the "cellar."

Same appearance and aromas. Perhaps a bit "softer" on the palate than in September but it still has quite an alcohol "burn." I think the bourbon barrel aging/tastes are a bit more prominent now. Flavors became even more "intense" as it warmed. This took over an hour to sip from a snifter after we finished a drive to the NC coast for the weekend. Two bottles remain. I think one makes a tailgate appearance this year and the other ages until January, 2019. Very potent stuff.

From Friday night:

DKML (brewed on: 7/27/17 stamped on back label)-Founder's Brewing Company

I'm a bit sheepish to review this after fuse's link upthread.

Well, almost made it to 2019 , or, and then there was one. I poured a 50 degree ("cellar" temperature) 12 ounce bottle into a Founder's snifter after a long drive home on Friday and sipped for about an hour.

Clear/clean, medium amber color with a thin, off-white head. This one is a bit more palate friendly than the above review. There's still a lot of booze on the nose and on the taste buds but it's a pleasant warming sensation with perhaps some oak, vanilla and toasted coconut now, too, even moreso as it warmed to room temperature. Guessing about 20 IBUs and the ABV was 12.7%, IIRC. Very happy to have waited on this an look forward to the final bottle in another 6-12 months.

From last PM:

DKML-Founders Brewing Company

"Kicks you where you most expect it" on the label.

Bottled on:
07/03/17 0421 6

Last of the litter with pretty similar experience to the 1/20/18 and the above. Lots of booze from start to finish with corn (added) likker for the aromas and bourbon-flavored grain alcohol on the palate. The BBA lends wood/oak, butterscotch, vanilla and lightly toasted coconut flavors, too. Minimal bitterness but a continuous alcohol burn over the 60 minutes it took to sip this bad boy from my new Stella snifter, courtesy of richardjackson199 (thanks!!).

[devildeac]

Kölsch-Blowing Rock Brewing Company

(Stop laughing, fuse, I can hear you through the interwebz .)

Beer #1 from my late pick-up July beer club 4 pack. I must admit, I had my doubts as I've been underwhelmed with the few Blowing Rock brews I've tasted, but this is a decent offering.

I poured the 12 ounce can with vigor into a shapely Dogfish Head pint glass and found a light bronze-yellow beer with a medium-sized, foamy head. Floral nose and palate from the Aramis and Mistral hops (both new to me) and traditional Pilsner malts. There's a mild bitterness, but not unpleasant, so I'll guess IBUs around 25. Some lightly toasted grains are present with faint apple, pear and citrus notes. ABV is 5.5%. I wouldn't avoid this but I also wouldn't buy this again but it was only about $1.75 when the average beer cost for each can is factored in with my annual membership. Would have been nice on a warm, summer afternoon with a turkey and cheese sammich and some chips. Perhaps worthy of a 1.5 on the new fuse beer scale.

[devildeac]

Noble Blonde-Allagash Brewing Company

And yes, I enjoyed this thoroughly. In fact, after reading and re-reading the above masterfully composed review, I really have nothing to add as it describes exactly what I'm sipping currently out of my oversized Ommegang tulip stemware as my smile becomes wider and wider.

Many thanks for including this in your recent trader!!

[devildeac]

HMU-The Veil Brewing

aka Hit Me Up

On bottom of pint can:
smudge/02/19 (there's no way this beer was brewed in February, 2019, it's simply way too fresh; I'd suspect a June/July brewing)
smudge/36:19

Labeled on the can as a double IPA, this easily fits the definition of a NEIPA as reviewed above or even an imperial NEIPA.

Appearance: a very hazy, pineapple-yellow
Nose: pineapples, grapefruits and dank
Mouthfeel: almost viscous; juicy and pulpy
Tastes: pineapple, pineapple core, grapefruit with zest, mango, papaya, orange
IBU: 60 (estimated)
ABV: 8.5%
Overall: a pretty amazing beer; I shoulda kept the entire 4 pack for myself (completely kidding; part of beer-tasting is also beer-sharing/trading)
Ymm, Beer rating: fuse Cat 3 without a doubt

Yes, fuse, one of these will be included in your delivery next week .

[devildeac]

Cloud Walker-Victory Brewing Company

Beer #1 in my July beer club 4 pack

Hazy, juicy IPA-a day late for National IPA day and a few weeks late for DBR Ymm, Beer Virtual Pub Day

As expected, the vigorous pour of two almost equal portions (consecutive, not simultaneous ) into a standard pint glass brought forth a rather cloudy, pineapple-yellow brew with a pungent, pineapple nose, followed by pineapple, orange, grapefruit, peach and rind tastes with an almost pulpy mouthfeel. Another brew that could be mistaken for a Dole juice blend product. I'll guess IBUs of 40 and the ABV is quoted at 6.8%. Pair with some grilled sea creatures topped with a mango-pepper salsa. I'm not sure I'd but a 4 pack of this but it is most worthy to sample/share a can of this which I think might be readily available. Definitely a fuse Cat 2.

[devildeac]

yellowferrari-The Veil Brewing Company

(from bottom of can)

07/01/19
04:07:29

Bought on July 6, so 5 days after canning and tasted <1 month after packaging. Drink fresh! Drink local!

Another pint can, poured with enthusiasm into a pint glass in fairly equal installments. Some orange hues blended in with the sunshine yellow color. Hazy with a modest, creamy head. The lemon-orange sherbet is a great description with maybe some pineapple sauce and hints of piney dankness/bitterness and juicy sweetness. Perhaps a tad more bitter than Hit Me Up (HMU) but not unpleasant. I'll guess IBUs around 60-70, right in the IIPA wheelhouse, along with the pretty standard ABV of 8%. This is a better beer than the Cloud Wanker, err Walker, and perhaps a shade less enjoyable than the HMU but still an excellent beverage. Not quite worthy of a @#$% *&^% but worth seeking out. BTW, they also make a "smaller" version of this called yellowmiata. Seriously.

Accfanfrom1970 also deserved a loud shout-out, too, for going the extra mile after work to have a beverage or two with us that evening at The Veil and highly recommending our meet-up there. This is an outstanding brewery.

[devildeac]

10/52-Bright Penny Brewing Company

Drink local!

New brewery alert in Mebane, NC that our older daughter and husband discovered about a month ago and manipulated the right upper extremity until it hurt on the return trip of a family outing today.

This was a shared pint.

Style: hefeweizen
Appearance: cloudy orange-yellow with a one-fingered head
Nose: bananas, oranges and cloves (none added)
Palate: same as the aromas with minimal bitterness
IBU: 14
ABV: 5.3%
Overall impression: nicely represents the style in a quite crowded field
Fuse Category: better than a 1 but not worthy of a 2

[devildeac]

IPA Batch 1-Bright Penny Brewing Company

Still local

Another shared pint.

Today, they released 4 beers after their original porter they've had on tap since they opened a couple months ago. Guest taps have kept them in business until all NC ABC laws were met I think.

Pour was a cloudy pineapple-yellow with a modest creamy head. This could pass for a "hybrid" IPA, meaning some scents of pineapple and grapefruits along with some resin and pine with tastes to match. Or, like somebody blended a traditional American IPA with a NEIPA. Moderately bitter but balance was good with 60 IBUs and 6.5% ABV. I'd pair with some mildly spicy dishes but would be friendly with sweet and sour entrees, too.

Overall, a good brewery with room to grow/improve. Friendly staff and some of their late lunch/early dinner food offerings looked appealing.

[devildeac]

Eager to Bleed-The Veil Brewing in Collaboration with Angry Chair Brewing

On bottom of pint can:

07/02/1 9
04:35:smudge 2

Hey, RJ199, I'm not convinced this was beer. Looked/smelled/tasted more like raspberry/cherry sherbet to me .

Appearance: raspberry sherbet
Aromas: the same with cherry syrup
Mouthfeel: thick, viscous, creamy; a Berlinerweisse milkshake?
Tastes: raspberry (maybe ), tart/sweet cherries, maybe hints of orange, cream
IBU: 10
ABV: 8% (it's an imperial Berlinerweisse; the usual ABV for the style is 3-4%)
Overall impression: RJ199 underrated this ; this is an amazing beer; it's a totally different style than Raspberry Tart but the flavors are sensational

Yes, fuse, there is one of these already included in your trader, but, don't believe the hype...

[devildeac]

Del's Shandy-Narragansett Brewing Company

A beer from my July beer club 4 pack.

I had low expectations for this beer and I was not disappointed .

Pour was a clear, light lemon-gold with a rapidly disappearing, fizzy head. Smells like lemon dishwashing liquid but fortunately, at least tasted like a pilsner/lager with lemonade added. Minimal bitterness, guessing 20 IBUs here and the ABV was 4.7%. Redeeming features were its temperature-cold, and I could imagine belting one down after a lawn mowing session. Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy *might* be better. Not bad enough for Ycch, Beer and worth a pint can to try but wouldn't offer to a friend or re-visit. Earns a Fuse Cat 1.

[devildeac]

New Sun-The Veil Brewing Company

07/02/19
06:19:19

Bought 4 days after canning. Still really fresh last PM.

Farmhouse/saison ale

The pour of two fairly equal portions from the pint can into an Ommegang tulip arrived a light, golden-amber with a moderate, off-white head that lingered quite a while. Wet straw/hay nose with some orange, followed by pears, apples, orange rind, more wet hay and a mild, black pepper bite. I'll guess IBUs about 20 and the ABV was 5.6%. I'd pair with some roasted/grilled herbed chicken or a pork loin. A very good beer but below the others I've tasted from Veil so it earned a fuse Cat 2 (I'm spoiled). Certainly worth a single pint can /draft or a 4 pack to share/trade.

[devildeac]

Flight at Trophy last PM (all 5 ounce pours, I think) with the esteemed fuse:

Lead off hitter:

Trophy Wife (the liquid kind)-Trophy Brewing Company

session IPA; their signature beer

Light, clear gold color with a small head. Scents and tastes of Tropicana Light OJ with some rind and hints of pine. I'll guess IBUs about 40 to accompany the ABV of 4.9%. Would be fun to do a head-to-head with Founders All Day IPA and some other similar brews. Fuse Cat 2; not a replacement for Mrs. dd.