Ymm, Beer!

[bluebeer]

Another haul:

2-750 ml bottles Dogfish Head Black and Blue-never had this before
2-750 ml bottles DFH Theobroma-not only never had this before but I have never seen this before (but read about it on their web site and it sounds VERY interesting)

Glad I got paid this week-this stuff is REAL spend-y

I've seen but also have never had either one of those..looking forward to reading your thoughts on them. Thinking about it, I buy a lot of DFH and its one of my favorite breweries but seem to shy away from their bombers. I wish they put more of those beers like Theobroma, Sahtea, Chateau Jaihu, Fort in 4 packs..

[bluebeer]

People's Pint Slippery Slope--My first braggot which as far as I can tell is like a weaker mead made with honey..the description of slippery slope is "A much awaited winter tradition; this is brewed in the style of an English "Braggert." Made with local apple cider, honey, barley malt and fresh ginger"--and that is exactly how it tastes..a cross between a hard cider and a lager. There was a bit of a lemony kick to it and you can taste the spicy ginger in the finish. This was a very enjoyable drink though its hard to consider it a beer. At almost 10% it was a little too smooth and easy drinking..glad I split the bomber with my wife as I could have too quickly plowed through it alone..

[devildeac]

Another haul:

2-750 ml bottles Dogfish Head Black and Blue-never had this before
2-750 ml bottles DFH Theobroma-not only never had this before but I have never seen this before (but read about it on their web site and it sounds VERY interesting)

Glad I got paid this week-this stuff is REAL spend-y

I've seen but also have never had either one of those..looking forward to reading your thoughts on them. Thinking about it, I buy a lot of DFH and its one of my favorite breweries but seem to shy away from their bombers. I wish they put more of those beers like Theobroma, Sahtea, Chateau Jaihu, Fort in 4 packs..

Agreed. I don't think I have ever seen any of their "exotic" brews in 12 ouncers. I don't buy many of their big bottles at all. I would be much more likely to buy a 4 pack at $12-14 instead of a single 750 ml bottle at the same price which is what the Black and Blue and Theobroma cost today .

[devildeac]

People's Pint Slippery Slope--My first braggot which as far as I can tell is like a weaker mead made with honey..the description of slippery slope is "A much awaited winter tradition; this is brewed in the style of an English "Braggert." Made with local apple cider, honey, barley malt and fresh ginger"--and that is exactly how it tastes..a cross between a hard cider and a lager. There was a bit of a lemony kick to it and you can taste the spicy ginger in the finish. This was a very enjoyable drink though its hard to consider it a beer. At almost 10% it was a little too smooth and easy drinking..glad I split the bomber with my wife as I could have too quickly plowed through it alone..

How does that compare to the DFH Midas Touch?

[bluebeer]

People's Pint Slippery Slope--My first braggot which as far as I can tell is like a weaker mead made with honey..the description of slippery slope is "A much awaited winter tradition; this is brewed in the style of an English "Braggert." Made with local apple cider, honey, barley malt and fresh ginger"--and that is exactly how it tastes..a cross between a hard cider and a lager. There was a bit of a lemony kick to it and you can taste the spicy ginger in the finish. This was a very enjoyable drink though its hard to consider it a beer. At almost 10% it was a little too smooth and easy drinking..glad I split the bomber with my wife as I could have too quickly plowed through it alone..

How does that compare to the DFH Midas Touch?

It's been a while since I've had a Midas Touch but I remember that tasting a lot more like "honeyed" wine while Slippery slope was really dominated by the apple cider. Similar beers though that are tasty to drink with hints of beer but hard to consider as beers. I think its time for a midas touch refresher..

[devildeac]

People's Pint Slippery Slope--My first braggot which as far as I can tell is like a weaker mead made with honey..the description of slippery slope is "A much awaited winter tradition; this is brewed in the style of an English "Braggert." Made with local apple cider, honey, barley malt and fresh ginger"--and that is exactly how it tastes..a cross between a hard cider and a lager. There was a bit of a lemony kick to it and you can taste the spicy ginger in the finish. This was a very enjoyable drink though its hard to consider it a beer. At almost 10% it was a little too smooth and easy drinking..glad I split the bomber with my wife as I could have too quickly plowed through it alone..

How does that compare to the DFH Midas Touch?

It's been a while since I've had a Midas Touch but I remember that tasting a lot more like "honeyed" wine while Slippery slope was really dominated by the apple cider. Similar beers though that are tasty to drink with hints of beer but hard to consider as beers. I think its time for a midas touch refresher..

I guess I thought of Midas Touch because I saw it today at Total Wine. You're right when you say it's tough to think of beverages like that as "beer."

[bluebeer]

I guess I thought of Midas Touch because I saw it today at Total Wine. You're right when you say it's tough to think of beverages like that as "beer."

It's one of those beers that I see somewhat often but never pick up and it's been a while since I've had one..like I said, I need a refresher..I think I'll add it to my next haul...

Schlafly Reserve Barleywine (07)...I can only find this and the reserve stout from Schlafly locally so I was excited to pick this up. Thought about cellaring it for a bit but figured I'd crack it open since it's a few years old already. Excellent barleywine. Pours a thick reddish brown with very little head. Huge sweet malts up front followed by a mild alcohol burn. The finish has a decent amount of hoppy bitterness but overall this is a fairly sweet beer. It's a little closer to an old ale compared to Bigfoot or Old Crustacean which have way more hops. Little too pricey and hard to find to pick up many more of these but I would have this as part of my regular barleywine rotation otherwise...

[devildeac]

I guess I thought of Midas Touch because I saw it today at Total Wine. You're right when you say it's tough to think of beverages like that as "beer."

It's one of those beers that I see somewhat often but never pick up and it's been a while since I've had one..like I said, I need a refresher..I think I'll add it to my next haul...

Schlafly Reserve Barleywine (07)...I can only find this and the reserve stout from Schlafly locally so I was excited to pick this up. Thought about cellaring it for a bit but figured I'd crack it open since it's a few years old already. Excellent barleywine. Pours a thick reddish brown with very little head. Huge sweet malts up front followed by a mild alcohol burn. The finish has a decent amount of hoppy bitterness but overall this is a fairly sweet beer. It's a little closer to an old ale compared to Bigfoot or Old Crustacean which have way more hops. Little too pricey and hard to find to pick up many more of these but I would have this as part of my regular barleywine rotation otherwise...

After that review, my '07 cellared bottle might not make it until the fall/winter season... ;)

I sure hope the Lavabe family can visit in the fall/winter this year to transport some midwestern brews that are not available in NC, like some Schlafly's, Goose Island Reserves, Great Lakes or New Glarus...

[CameronBornAndBred]

Saranac has released a summer sampler with a couple I haven't tried before. I'm a fan of their brews and their samplers have a good variety. I'll review after tasting a couple.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Saranac Rye Pilsener...gotta get the lager out of the way first. Not a whole lot to say about it, being a lager, but it is enjoyable. Very sharp, well bodied. Has a nice flavor, a hint of spices that I can't put my finger on. Great retention in the fluffy white head, expected pale yellow color. Not the best pils I've had but it is above average and worth buying a 6 for hot summer day.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Saranac Pale Pale Ale
Hell, I just love the name. Say it and mean it, this is a pale ale. Didn't hear me? I'll say it again..Pale Pale Ale..lol.
The hops pounce quick, but don't define the finishing flavor; that duty falls to the malts. I'm drinking from the bottle so I can't say much for the color (I bet it's pale!), but the body is weighted lightly and goes down smooth. Beautiful aroma, this brew is high up on my list of current favorites. In fact so much so that I took a break from painting just to post this review. I wish there were more than 2 in my sampler, but luckily they've brewed enough for a return trip for a 6 pack.

P.S. TO reiterate--this beer caught me off guard..I like Saranac but wasn't expecting something this good. Very "green" flavor if that makes sense. Fresh as hell hops maybe, slight nut flavor from the hops. Damn it's good.

[devildeac]

Victory Wild Devil Ale-I'll admit, the Hop Devil is tough for me to drink because of the over-the-top hop explosion. This is despite the fact I like the Stone Ruination IPA and Maharaja a lot. Perhaps because there is more bold malt balance with the latter two. So I bought this corked/caged 750 ml bottle with a bit of hesitation. This was a pleasant surprise. I believe it is brewed with the same formulation as the standard Hop Devil with one very noticeable difference of the wild Brettanomyces yeast which is a a Belgian yeast that imparts a nice funky sourness to the brew. It pours a slightly fiery orange-red and is bottle-conditioned so it is slightly cloudy. WAY too much carbonation, even with a slow pour, which takes a while to dissipate but does leave a very nice Belgian lace. Lots of pine and a bit of citrus with a bit more of a malt balance so somewhat less bitterness than your usual Hop Devil. Had this with an evening snack of pita points and 2 types of hummus which ended up being a nice combo. I'd guess the IBU's are 70-80 and the ABV is 6.7%, just like the Hop Devil. This might be worth another purchase and laying down a bottle for 6-12 months. I looked up their distribution states and Colorado is one of them if you are reading, rmd. ;) I split the big boy over 2 nights and had pretty much the same thoughts both nights. Very interesting formulation.

[bluebeer]

I've got to try this :lol:

http://www.geekologie.com/2009/07/blue_ ... ed_ice.php

[bluebeer]

Questions for bluebear and/or rmd-or anyone for that matter: Have you ever had any of the Eel River products? If so, which ones and what did you think of them?

I picked up a bomber of Eel River Triple Exultation--Old Ale--Hope to try tonight with a review to follow in the am...

[rockymtn devil]

Lots of activity since I've been on here. I haven't tried the Wild Devil, but I'll keep an eye out for it. The thought of an IPA with brett is very intriguing. As for the DFH discussion, I agree that I'd love to see the Fort/Red & White/Black & Blue in smaller bottles.

No new brews for me. I saw an Oskar Blues Double Bock on tap on Friday, but they were out. It's apparently a keg only beer, so I need to keep an eye out for it.

I will be killing my last bottle of Avery Fifteen this weekend (unless the liquor store has some more hiding). It was bottled in early April 2008, so I'm interested to see how the barnyard funk from the brett has mellowed over nearly 16 months. Last time I was at Avery they told me it was drinking very well right now and that I should crack open. Who am I to argue with that?

[bluebeer]

Eel River Triple Exultation--Old Ale--Not a bad beer by any stretch but I'm a little disappointed in my first Eel River offering. My first issue is that I wouldn't really call this an Old Ale--It's probably more of a hoppy barleywine. The beer had very little head but a lot of carbonation. Very bitter and hoppy and a fair amount of alcohol burn. I found the malts to by fairly subtle and more burnt/toasted instead of sweet. There was an undercurrent of chocolate beneath the hops. Again, this was not really what I was expecting but not a bad beer. I can't think of anything to compare it to. It would probably improve with some aging

[bluebeer]

Page 2..bump, bump..

A few new beers this week..
Atlantic Brewing Brother Adams Braggot..My second braggot over the past few weeks and this one was quite enjoyable..billed as honey barleywine which really captures it well. Huge sweet honey taste up front. Behind it is a fairly decent barleywine with a nice malt to hops balance. Tastes a little thin compared to other barleywines though part of that may be because of the strong honey taste. A very sweet beer overall which works well if you are in the right mood for that.

Smuttynose Baltic Porter..Pours black with only a little head. Fairly strong coffee and chocolate tastes blended with a decent amount of smokiness. It lacks some of the bite and and bitterness of its imperial stout cousin and comes in a little weaker at a little over 8%. I enjoyed this beer though it kind of comes off like imperial stout-lite..

Tonight I go with either Wild Devil (given devildeac's favorable review) or Weyerbacher 14 (wheatwine) both of which are new to me..

[YmoBeThere]

Ummm...beer. I've had a few in the last couple weeks. Okay, okay, a couple. Both were Sam Adams Summer Ale.

[cl15876]

Ummm...beer. I've had a few in the last couple weeks. Okay, okay, a couple. Both were Sam Adams Summer Ale.

Yummy, but where is your review? Come on ....???? ;)

[devildeac]

Page 2..bump, bump..

A few new beers this week..
Atlantic Brewing Brother Adams Braggot..My second braggot over the past few weeks and this one was quite enjoyable..billed as honey barleywine which really captures it well. Huge sweet honey taste up front. Behind it is a fairly decent barleywine with a nice malt to hops balance. Tastes a little thin compared to other barleywines though part of that may be because of the strong honey taste. A very sweet beer overall which works well if you are in the right mood for that.

Smuttynose Baltic Porter..Pours black with only a little head. Fairly strong coffee and chocolate tastes blended with a decent amount of smokiness. It lacks some of the bite and and bitterness of its imperial stout cousin and comes in a little weaker at a little over 8%. I enjoyed this beer though it kind of comes off like imperial stout-lite..

Tonight I go with either Wild Devil (given devildeac's favorable review) or Weyerbacher 14 (wheatwine) both of which are new to me..

You have (an) incredible sources for your brews. I have never heard of the Weyerbacher 14. I will be very interested in your thoughts about the Wild Devil.