Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Plank II-Clipper City Brewing

Dopplebocks are one of my favorite beer styles. I really enjoy the darkly toasted bready tastes along with the toffee/caramel and milk chocolate flavors that are present and this bomber from Clipper City was no exception. Another winner in their Heavy Seas/Mutiny Fleet series, this pours a clean and clear dark brown with a modest head and little hop presence in the aroma or tastes. It is a lager after all. The name has the obvious pirate reference but also means this beer is brewed with the addition of poplar and eucalyptus chips or planks which impart vanilla and woody flavors to the mix. This beer is sweet and would make a fine dessert beverage. Should be low IBU (I'd guess 20-30) and the ABV is 8.5% so I sipped 1/2 the bomber the first night at nearly room temperature and shared the second 1/2 with my son last PM along with a tasting of Cardinal Sin. Reasonably priced, too, at about $7 for the big boy, IIRC.





AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!

[captmojo]

Plank II-Clipper City Brewing

Dopplebocks are one of my favorite beer styles. I really enjoy the darkly toasted bready tastes along with the toffee/caramel and milk chocolate flavors that are present and this bomber from Clipper City was no exception. Another winner in their Heavy Seas/Mutiny Fleet series, this pours a clean and clear dark brown with a modest head and little hop presence in the aroma or tastes. It is a lager after all. The name has the obvious pirate reference but also means this beer is brewed with the addition of poplar and eucalyptus chips or planks which impart vanilla and woody flavors to the mix. This beer is sweet and would make a fine dessert beverage. Should be low IBU (I'd guess 20-30) and the ABV is 8.5% so I sipped 1/2 the bomber the first night at nearly room temperature and shared the second 1/2 with my son last PM along with a tasting of Cardinal Sin. Reasonably priced, too, at about $7 for the big boy, IIRC.





AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!

Did this come from a Total Wine store? Interesting.
I enjoyed a Ayinger Celebrator last night. I celebrated the fact that it was Friday and I'm taking a 3-day weekend. Our vacation schedule resets on June 1st, so it's either use it or lose it.

[devildeac]

Plank II-Clipper City Brewing

Dopplebocks are one of my favorite beer styles. I really enjoy the darkly toasted bready tastes along with the toffee/caramel and milk chocolate flavors that are present and this bomber from Clipper City was no exception. Another winner in their Heavy Seas/Mutiny Fleet series, this pours a clean and clear dark brown with a modest head and little hop presence in the aroma or tastes. It is a lager after all. The name has the obvious pirate reference but also means this beer is brewed with the addition of poplar and eucalyptus chips or planks which impart vanilla and woody flavors to the mix. This beer is sweet and would make a fine dessert beverage. Should be low IBU (I'd guess 20-30) and the ABV is 8.5% so I sipped 1/2 the bomber the first night at nearly room temperature and shared the second 1/2 with my son last PM along with a tasting of Cardinal Sin. Reasonably priced, too, at about $7 for the big boy, IIRC.





AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!

Did this come from a Total Wine store? Interesting.
I enjoyed a Ayinger Celebrator last night. I celebrated the fact that it was Friday and I'm taking a 3-day weekend. Our vacation schedule resets on June 1st, so it's either use it or lose it.

Yes, it did. TW carries a nice selection of the Clipper City brews, both session beers and the special high gravity ones, too. I have not had a Celebrator in several years. Excellent beer. I like the Salvator just as much, maybe more, especially considering it's about $10 for the 6er and the Celebrator is about $12 for a 4 pack, IIRC.

[devildeac]

Cardinal Sin-Laurelwood Brewing Company

Ya won't find many of these around here as this hails from a specialty beer store/brewery/brewpub in the Portland, Oregon area and was transported by my son who interviewed out there in February and safely packed this in either snowboard boots or sweatshirts in his suitcase for the cross country journey. It is a quadruple Belgian ale that is quite complex. Part sour like a Rochefort, part wild and funky (? Brett yeast) and part lambic. It is a bottle conditioned ale from a 750 ml corked and caged bottle that pours a cloudy yellow-gold with a hint of red from the fresh, sour cherries on which it is aged "for several years" as part (15%) of a barrel aged amber ale. Fat Tire never tasted like this. Mild fizz and Belgian lace on the chalices we used to sip this over about 30 minutes or so at chilled, but not cold temperatures. It is a bit low in ABV for a typical quad at 10% but so very smooth with an IBU of 35, similar to what I'd expect from a Belgian golden ale. This is a dessert beer but I could also enjoy this with a pineapple or mango salsa covered portion of grilled tilapia or halibut. Guess I'll have to visit my brother soon in the Portland metro area and try to find another bottle of this as I thoroughly enjoyed the 1/2 bottle I shared with my son last PM.

[devildeac]

Total Domination IPA-Ninkasi Brewing Company

Another "import" from a brewery with which I was not familiar from Eugene, Oregon. Split a single of this with my son last PM who "smuggled" it in from Oregon after his trip out there in Febrewary (sic). Pours a pleasant orange-yellow with a generous head that has a floral bouquet aroma from the 3 hops which also impart similar tastes along with some citrusy notes. Plenty of pale and caramel malts for balance, too. IBUs check in at 67 and the ABV was 6.7% so we were able to split another brew before bedtime. I'd enjoy one of these with curry dishes or hot Chinese entrees as I believe the brew would hold up well against spicy fare. I have a 2nd one which is available for sipping or trading later this month or next.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Traders. Hmm!

Today I'll be trading dd some Chutzpah pastrami!

[devildeac]

That would/should be the Ymmm, Pastrami thread about 10 pages back .

[devildeac]

The Dogfather-Laughing Dog Brewing

http://www.laughingdogbrewing.com/ldb/brews/dogfather

Bought for the name and because CB&B had traded an Alpha Dog with me after Christmas. Guess I'm gonna have to try Dogzilla, too. CB&B will find a Devil Dog in his next batch of trader bombers and not the cream filled chocolate kind, either .

On to the brew review. Licorice, blackstrap molasses, cappucino and mocha all in a nearly black imperial stout with a modest head. 7 malts, 4 hops as the linky will tell you with an ABV of 11% (only 10.85% on the bottle ) and the IBU are 71 which is a bit low for the style but still well hopped. Serve this at about 55-60 degrees and sip for a while. You could enjoy this with a savory brisket, a spicy bowl of chili or as dessert, with or without a scoop of vanila ice cream. Certainly worth a try at $8 for the bomber which I sampled over 2 nights.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Version

Not much to add to the above except this is a very limited release as I read somewhere that only a small number of kegs were being produced and about 300 cases distributed so I consider myself fortunate that I found a bomber at the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Kentucky while visiting Lavabe and enjoyed 1/2 last PM and will finish it tonight. Not too much to add to the above except the aging imparts some vanilla and woody notes to the aroma and taste and the bourbon element is rather subtle and manifests itself only near the end of a sip. I think this was $1-2 more for the bomber but it may well have been the same price so if you see a bomber, add it to your cart and sip and savor now or save until this fall or winter.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

That would/should be the Ymmm, Pastrami thread about 10 pages back .

And it was Ymmmmmmmm, good tonight!

[devildeac]

http://now.msn.com/now/1105-old-beerio.aspx

Sounds/looks like a job for the folks at Dogfish Head Brewing .

[devildeac]

Elder Betty-Magic Hat Brewing

A much more pleasant spring/summer beer than the Summer Shandy, this weiss beer poured a cloudy, whitish-yellow with a hint of purple and a fizzy head. Slightest floral hop bite with an IBU of 13 and an ABV of of 5.5% made this rather refreshing on a warm spring evening. The addition of the elderberries rendered it slightly sweet balancing the very mild citrus notes from the wheat malt. It would be a very pleasant porch-sipper or lawmower ale and would make a nice beverage with a plate of light, soft cheeses or fruit before your evening meal. Received as a trader earlier in the week.

[throatybeard]

We are going to Copper Harbor at the end of My; therefore, we will be going through Wisconsin; therefore, we will be stockpiling New Glarus. I think I had a convo a few months ago with Lavabe about whether/what to get for him. We'll probably be through Kentucky on the way back from seeing my parents in June.

[devildeac]

Several options for pick-up/delivery:

1. Leave with Lavabe if/when you pass through Lexington. He'll pay you and deliver in July when he attends our son's wedding in Greensboro. He knows I'm good for the $$.
2. Save until you visit Winston-Salem (June? July?) and I will pick-up then while visiting our son and daughter-in-law who will be moving there early July. Once again, I'm good for the Jacksons (or Franklins if you end up buying WAAAYY too many New Glarus products).
3. Trading is also a possibility if you'd like some regular and/or high gravity Duck-Rabbit ales.


Thanks. Expect a PM at DBR, too, just in case you don't visit here for a while.

[devildeac]

Barbarossa-Christian Moerlein Brewing

What a pleasant surprise! I believe I have tasted one other product of theirs, Over the Rhein (the beer, not the group), but could not remember much about it but I decided on a 6er of Barbarossa while visiting Lavabe several weeks ago as it sounded intriguing and was reasonably priced at about $8. This double dark Munich lager, as the name suggests, is a clear, medium brown and has pleasant aromas of toasted breads and tastes of the same along with dark caramel and mild chocolate. Don't let the "dark" fool you as this is a rather light bodied beer (not thin) as it is a lager and not bitter at all with an IBU of 18. The "double" part likewise should not make you think it is "strong" as the ABV is 5% so very quaffable and excellent to enjoy with BBQ flavored fare such as ribs, chicken or even a steak. I traded a couple of these already and have 3 available for future deals, gifts or personal consumption.

[devildeac]

Here's an interesting list of the 100 most bitter beers in the world:

http://www.beertutor.com/beers/index.php?t=highest_ibu


My favorite excerpt:

"You should also keep in mind that the higher end of this list is basically gimmicky as the human mouth can only taste up to about 120 IBUs."

An IBU of 2500? WTH?




Probably what one would look like after tasting the brew with the IBU of 2500:

[devildeac]

18th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA-Great Divide Brewing

It looks like this is the 3rd year they have released this but it could be more as I do not recall many Great Divide brews making it to NC much earlier than 3 years ago. This $9 bomber which I divided over 2 nights was pretty much as expected but the wood aging (no bourbon) removed most of the roughness or bitterness that can accompany many DIPAs. The pour was slightly reddish amber and clear with a mixed bouquet of citrus and pine with tastes to match and an estimated IBU of about 90 so this is not for the faint of palate. Plenty of malty, caramel sweetness balances the hop bite and it is listed at 10% ABV. The very mild vanilla tastes from the wood aging makes this high gravity ale dangerously easy to sip. I'd have this as an after dinner digestif served slightly chilled in a snifter. I actually bought this one myself along with a 2nd bottle to hide in the cellar for a year or two and see how it "matures."

[devildeac]

The Doppelrock-Great Lakes Brewing

Just couldn't let this description from the brewers go without placing it in its entirety here:

"Name Origin: “Rock and Roll” may have been
coined in Cleveland, but the influence of this
genre reaches far beyond the shores of Lake Erie.
Our Doppelrock bears witness to everything
double: double bock flavor, dueling rockers and
the double neck guitar made famous by many
rock legends.
Style Origin: Our doppelbock (German for
“double bock”) celebrates the style originally
developed by medieval monks. Living by the
strict rules of their order, monks were regularly
required to castigate themselves by periodic
bouts of fasting, when next-to-no solid food was
allowed to pass their lips. The longest and most
taxing of these periods of culinary abstinence
was, of course, Lent—the 46 days between Ash
Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Because the
monks believed that liquids not only cleansed the
body but also the soul, they would make plenty
of “liquid bread” instead of solid bread from
their grain and then drink it in copious quantities...
the more, the holier."


My thoughts: One of my favorite styles of beers is a double bock because of its abundance of slightly over-toasted breadiness or biscuit qualities to accompany the dark caramel, milk chocolatey sweetness in a medium bodied, clear, dark brown brew. There are minimal floral hop scents and tastes with an IBU of 18 but the double amount of grains give this a hefty ABV of 7.8%. This was about $9 for the 4 pack at Total Wine a couple weeks ago and I have already traded one and given another to my son. One more to go for...

Great label, too:

[devildeac]

Bourbon Barrel Stout-Bluegrass Brewing Company

With an IBU of 38 and an ABV of 8.9%, this is a bit thin for the imperial stout mantle but is still a solid brew. The pour is black and clean with a small tan head and an aroma of dark chocolate. Tastes include the same dark chocolate, vanilla, a bit of coffee and a faint finish of bourbon. This was bought at the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Kentucky for about $9 for the 4 pack. A very dessert worthy beverage and the other 3 are destined for sharing and cellaring.

[devildeac]

Great Lakes Brewing Company tour and sampler with an added 25 cent tasting.

First up was the:

Commodore Perry IPA

I'd add this brew to my list of favorite IPAs and not just because it was the 25 cent beer I selected in the middle of our tour. I threw my quarter in the "donations" cup and our guide proceeded to pour the entire 12 ounce bottle into my plastic souvenir Great Lakes Brewing Company cup . This one make my list because it has pungent aromas of orange and grapefruit and similar tastes. Poured a clear orange-yellow with a modest, foamy head. The moderate bitterness with an IBU of 80 is very well balanced with toffee and caramel malty flavors and an ABV of 7.5%. Hearty enough to put out the fire from curry or hot Chinese entrees. I thought about having another 25 cent brew on the tasting/tour but wanted to sample a couple draft only brews they had at the brewpub with dinner so I passed on the Doppelrock which I reviewed last week .

From the brewer:

Like the naval officer
and War of 1812 hero who battled the British
enemy on Lake Erie, this brew is both distinctive
and highly decorated.
Style Origin: The Bow Brewery in London
exported this particular version of pale ale
to the multitude of British soldiers, colonial
administrators and settlers in India. Its high
potency and high level of attenuation reduced
chances for spoilage and made it a strong
candidate for shipping.
Flavor: Medium-bodied and well hopped
with a dry, fruity finish
Ingredients:
MALT
Harrington 2-Row Base Malt: Allows color
and flavor from other specialty malts to come
through; makes for very clean beer
Caramel 30: Small amount contributes to color,
flavor and body
HOPS
Simcoe: Unique, non-traditional bittering
hop; provides high levels of bitterness with
smoothness
Fuggle: Traditional English hop for flavor
in English ales; little hop bitterness, but adds
complexity to beer’s large hop profile
Cascade: Popular in American pale ales;
provides citrusy/grapefruit aroma and flavor.



On the bottle: "Don't Give Up the Sip."

[devildeac]

The Wright Pils-Great Lakes Brewing

Beer #1 from a 4 beer sampler (4-5 ounces each) of drafts from the brewpub. Pale yellow color with a small head and a lovely floral bouquet. Pretty light on the hops/bitterness at 35 and an expected modest ABV at 5.3% with lighter malts and even a bit of wheat malt included but no real citrus aromas/tastes. This is available in 12 ounce bottles on a seasonal basis but I have not seen it in NC yet. Good starter beer and a fine pilsner/lager.