Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Latitude 48 IPA-East Kent Golding-Boston Beer Company

Wet cardboard. More stale beer. I'm learning quickly here. This may make it really easy to go through the remainder of the 6er tonight that fuse gave me last week as I drank about 10 ounces of the first one and 2-3 ounces of this one. Next up, the German version with Hallertau hops. More later, or, if I sample another 2-3 ounces again with this one, much sooner than later.

[devildeac]

Latitude 48-Hallertau Mittlefrueh-BBC

The Germans are coming! This one started out with a bit more promise than the prior two with a pretty clean pour and a 1 finger head that lasted a bit longer than the others. Same stale nose and tastes. Same story/finish: Drink 2-3 ounces, pour the rest. I'm stopping here tonight and having a real beer to finish off the night. Not sure whether I'll try the other 3 tomorrow night or just dump them and save the bottles for mattman's home brewing or let him have them for target practice. There will be a moral here tomorrow night.

[devildeac]

Candi-Old Dominion Brewing Company (on the label) (aka Fordham and Dominion Brewing Company)

These folks represent the collaboration and consolidation of the Fordham Brewing Company (est 1995) from (in the) Annapolis, MD and the Old Dominion Brewing Company (est 1989) in Ashland, VA and their subsequent re-location to Dover, DE in 2009. This Belgian style triple ale poured a light, clear, golden-yellow with a slightly fizzy and mildly foamy 2 fingered head into a pint glass. Pleasant floral Saaz and Hallertau hops scents up front followed by biscuit-y, honey-like tastes and an apricot jammy sweetness on a light, fluffy croissant from Vienna and wheat malts and added Belgian candi sugar. This was sweeter than the typical style and surprised me a bit but didn't really fool me as it's a beguiling, seductive 9% ABV with a dangerously quaffable IBU rating of 20. This would make a nice beverage to serve (in small quantities) with a fruit plate or soft cheeses before dinner or with a kiwi-strawberry custard tart for dessert. A tip of the tulip to fuse for trading this last week on his return home from the riotous Maryland Turnpike corridor (I think).

[devildeac]

Double D-Old Dominion Brewing Company (on the label)/Fordham and Dominion Brewing Company (on the website)

Double IPA here, not some bawdy barleywine or licentious label as suggested by the name or by the pin-up label lady. No, not at all suggestive. Poured a light copper with a mildly foamy head. First scents and tastings of grapefruit but evolving into mango, papaya and guava with a light brown sugar finish. Pretty heavy on the hops (Zythos, Crystal, Citra, Bravo) but equally represented by the Munich and Chocolate malts, the latter somewhat surprising due to the light color. IBUs of 90 and ABV of 9% so this would pair well with hot and spicy dishes. Fuse included this in our recent trading session and I'm thankful he did for the opportunity to sample another Delaware brewery's products not emanating from Lewes.

[devildeac]

Hopslam-Bell's Brewery

This is a fabulous, hard to find beer and I'm honored/humbled that fuse would relinquish two of his 4 pack (or 6er) that he bought a couple months ago. I've long forgotten about those Sam Adams stale ones.

Poured a golden-yellow with a mildly foamy head. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with a bit of zest stimulate the olfactory lobe and the gustatory sensation is at first the same, followed by other tropical fruits including papaya and mango with a moderate honey finish. This isn't a hop monster at 70 IBUs, though I'd have guessed it a bit higher. The malty balance is superb with the ABV at a dangerous 10%. This is so smooth and sippable by itself, I don't think I'd pair this with any foods. I know I've had this before but couldn't find any prior reviews. I'm certain I could easily consume two of these in an evening and curl up on the floor with a couple cushions, pillows and blankets and never even dare/consider climbing the stairs for my night's sleep. I'd be in complete beer-vana if given the opportunity to taste test this with Heady Topper, my other new favorite IIPA. Sorry, 90 Minute, you're still delicious but...

[devildeac]

British Pale Ale-Caledonian Brewing Company (Newcastle Importers)

I'll have to reset my calibration process for this ale. It's a bit different than the expected American pale ale as it's a bit less hoppy and more woody and herbal than the typical APA. Poured a light bronze with a mild creamy head, the aromas were a bit herbal and the palate more pine and cedar than citrus and tropical. This style was commonly referred to as "bitters" but not the ESB style. I'll guess IBUs about 40 and the ABV is on the bottle at 5.8%. Not a beer I'd buy a 12 pack of but certainly appreciated as a trader to try something new from fuse a couple weeks ago. It'd make a nice ale to enjoy with deli sandwiches or brats and burgers off the grill this fall during FB season.

[devildeac]

British Session IPA-Caledonian Brewing Company (Newcastle Importers)

I finally figured out the origin of this. It's from a 12 pack labeled "Best of Britain Variety Pack" so it has the Newcastle "brand" with "Collaboration Edition" on the labels assuming Newcastle, not listed as the brewer on the back of the bottles' labels, collaborated with the Caledonian Brewing folks to produce this assortment.

This was sort of IPA-lite. Poured a light golden yellow with a modest creamy head, the aromas were grapefruit juice "cocktail" and flowers. There was less grapefruit in tasting it and more of a lemon and lemon zest presence. Light caramel and gently toasted biscuits also tickled the palate. Not the hop bomb one comes to expect with all the American IPAs on the market now but more of the traditional British IPA. IBUs estimated about 40 and the ABV is a sessionable 5.1% so a 12 pack of this shared with friends over Memorial Day or Independence Day would be a nice companion to some brats and burgers. I doubt I'd have bought a 12 pack but fuse gets a thank you for sharing part of his.

[devildeac]

Bitter Unicorn Tears-Deep River Brewing Company

Drink local! (Clayton, NC-Johnston County's first legal brewery) From ratebeer:

"COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Bitter Unicorn Tears is a highly imaginary that the fine folks at Tyler’s Taproom and Deep River developed as a departure from the traditional IPA. An India Pale Lager (IPL) is like an IPA from a parallel universe. We use a lager strain of yeast in this beer and ferment it at a lower temperature which helps to highlight the hop flavor and aroma. We hop this beer with over two pounds per barrel of a blend of some of the most hard to get hops known as "unicorn tears" in the hop world. The unicorn tears mixed with rainbow shavings help make this beer highly coveted."

From my nose and palate:

Poured a light, yellow-golden with a modest head. Immediate aromas of citrus fruits, freshly mowed grass and tropical fruits are apparent. Tastes much of the same with tangerine, mango, grapefruit, papaya with a little added rind. A shade less bitter than an IPA, this still has an impressive hop bite, guessing IBUs of 60, and the balance is well-achieved with light caramel tastes to the tune of an ABV of 7.2%. I've had several ales from DRBC and sorry I missed their JoCo white winter ale (Belgian dubbel brewed with white NC sweet potatoes, marshmallows and a blend of spices) as my older son in law drank his entire 4 pack without saving/sharing. I'd pair this with mild to moderately spicy fare and, considering this 16 ounce can bought kinda on a whim with my NCAAT office pool winnings was about $2.50, I'd eagerly drink another of these and would recommend it to folks in the Triangle area.

[devildeac]

Ring of Dingle-Sun King Brewery

Ricks68 was kind enough to pick up a 4 pack of this while he was in the Annapolis last month and left 3 for fuse and me to fight over. (I won cuz I got to Asheville to pick up the beer from him.) It's obviously one of their winter seasonals and is in the Irish style dry stout category, winning a gold medal at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival. That's quite an honor. Poured a dark, dark brown with aromas of heavily/darkly roasted grains and tastes of coffee, molasses and a hint of licorice. Medium-sized beige head with mild bitterness, mainly from the black/chocolate malts and likely not from the hops as the IBUs are only 34. ABV is 4.8%. This would be at home in a shaker pint on the table with a thick stew or a hearty soup and maybe even a shepherd's pie.

[devildeac]

Valdez-Pisgah Brewing Company

Drink local!

Iced coffee! I should have had this in the morning with a cinnamon roll. Poured a dark, dark mahogany with a creamy tan head and heavenly aromas of freshly ground and brewed coffee. Very smooth blend of the stout style with heavily roasted beans from Dynamite Roastery in Black Mountain, NC. Really smooth mouthfeel with little hop presence. I'll guess the IBUs about 30 and the ABV is 6.5%. There may be a hint of chocolate here but this one's all about the coffee. This would be highly tasty with a caramel/chocolate dessert after dinner, too. Thanks to mattman91 for tossing this 12 ounce can in our recent trading session during our visit to Asheville last month. (Far, far superior to the Salamander Slime, err, Slam)

[devildeac]

Slacktivist-Three Floyds/Sun King

This is the 3rd new beer style (sort of) to which I've been introduced in the last 12 months. The first was Graetzer (oder Grätzer) at a tailgate last fall, courtesy of August West, with a bomber of the Three Floyds/New Belgium collabeeration. The second was Gose, from reviews by fuse here. Last night and tonight, I'm dividing a bomber of a Doppel Koelsch (oder Kölsch) that ricks68 was kind enough to purchase (and re-sell to me but don't tell the NC ABC officials) in the Annapolis in early April. Think of Mother Earth Endless River (Kinston, NC) and double the malts and hops and you have a doppel ko(e)lsch ale. Smells completely floral and tastes like a liquid bouquet of spring flowers with some underripe apples and pears with just a bit of a tang at the finish. Light gold pour with a light, creamy head. A standard kolsch is about 10-20 IBUs with the ABV typically <5%. This is 32 IBUs and 7.3% ABV and would be fabulous with fruits, lighter soups and seafood main courses.

[devildeac]

Barn Yeti-450 North Brewing Company (Columbus, IN)

I must confess that I had mixed emotions about the contents of this 16 ounce can when it appeared in my case from ricks 68 last month after his trip to in the Annapolis in April. Unknown brewery with a sort of unknown style without a brewed on date and few ingredients/stats listed on the product. After sipping on this concoction for an hour, I'm quite impressed, so a winter warmer thank you to one of my favorite beer mules. Labeled as a Belgian winter ale, I'm still not sure whether it's a Belgian-style stout or strong ale. Or both? The pour was a moderately thick, opaque, dark brown with a creamy tan head. My first reaction was, "I'm drinking a cold cocoa." The next thought was that it's a cold latte as the initial aromas of cocoa/baker's chocolate surrendered to freshly ground Colombian (or Mexican valley beans). And that's just in the nose. Tastes were latte-like as expected but with some vanilla, dark fruits and licorice-like flavors from the star anise interlaced. The flavors intensified as my serving warmed over the 60 minutes it took to consume this big beer. And big it is at 9.1% ABV. I'll guess the IBUs about 30-40 with most of the perceived bitterness originating for the heavily roasted malts and coffee. I think it was $2.50-$3 for the 16 ounce can and I wouldn't hesitate tasting this again, either by itself or with a double or triple chocolate dessert. I'm pretty sure fuse got one of these so I'll be curious as to his thoughts, too.

[devildeac]

Space Station Middle Finger-Three Floyds Brewing Company

Marketing at this brewery must spent an incredible time naming their brews. This is an American pale ale which makes it a bit higher on the ABV scale and hoppier than the British counterparts. In fact, this tiptoes on the edge of IPA territory with IBUs of 50 and an ABV of 6%. Poured from a bomber I divided over two nights, it was a slightly cloudy orange-amber with no sediment. A little grapefruit sneaks through the light, creamy head and is followed by more grapefruit with nuances of mango, papaya and even a little Juicyfruit gum. There is a very mild, light caramel sweetness for balance. Serve this, if you can find it, with grilled fare as distribution after production at their Munster, IN brewery is only to IL, OH, IN, KY and WI . I wonder if they do any trading with the folks at New Glarus. Many thanks to ricks68 again for his beer-hunting in the Annapolis after the FF in April.

Warning: Link is to a picture that is an artist's drawing/rendition on the label of a man-made, orbiting celestial body with an uplifted 3rd digit that some may find amusing but others may find unsuitable for viewing by those under the age or 12-13 or so :

http://res.cloudinary.com/ratebeer/imag ... 205549.jpg

[devildeac]

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?"

[devildeac]

La Fin Du Monde-Unibroue (Sleeman, no Sapporo) Brewing

I had forgotten how good this golden/triple ale was until we started our discussion here a few days ago about the end of the world (as we know it and I feel fine). Shortly after that, I received my (anonymous) 6er delivery from The Raleigh Wine Shop, owned by none other than the (almost) former poster, genedoc.

Poured a golden-yellow with a fairly typical moderate to large fizzy, lacy head into my Ommegang tulip a couple nights ago. Complex nose of peppery Belgian yeasts, banana, spice, tart apples and ripe pears. The taste didn't disappoint either, following the aromas fairly closely. Perhaps a bit of pineapple on the palate, too. I might have to buy a 4 pack of Duvel along with another one of two of the Belgian golden ales for a taste-testing sometime this summer. I think this would rank near the top. Extremely smooth drinking at 19 IBUs and rather dangerous, too, at 9% ABV. Sip by itself before dinner or with fresh fruits. It'd also pair nicely with lighter fish or even creamy seafood entrees.

[devildeac]

Deesko-3 Floyds Brewing

Drink local!

Well, it was (sort of) local when ricks68 bought this for me in April when he was in the Annapolis. From a (legendary) brewery in Munster, IN, comes this Berliner Weisse beer. Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into pint glasses and shared with our son last PM as a night cap. There was a brief, fizzy head and aromas of lemon juice and rind and tart apples that tickled the senses. Appearance was a cloudy orange-yellow and tastes were SweeTarts, Sour Patch kids and Granny Smith apple juice. Once again, I though lemons were the dominant taste. There was also a bit of light brown sugariness that took the edge off the pucker. I haven't had many brews of this style but I'm guessing it was a bit malty for the style from the ABV of 6.5%. Most Berliner Weisse styles are 3-4%. Hop presence here was virtually non-existent with IBUs of 4 (no typo). This must mean 1-2 hop pellets/cones or drops of hop oil per barrel. I don't think I've had an ale with this low a number in decades. It'd be a nice opening beverage with light appetizers or with a plate of fruit or a fruit tart for dessert. Shoot, drizzle some raspberry syrup or artificial woodruff flavoring in it and make it your traditional 16th or 17th century German dessert as you lift up your lederhosen, dance a polka and shout "prosit" at the top of your lungs!

[lawgrad91]

I had something called "The Remedy" last night. It's from a brewery in Salem, VA. It was very hoppy. It wasn't all that cold, so I reserve judgment on it until I have a colder one. I liked it but it would have been better about 20 degrees colder.

[devildeac]

Old Stock Ale 2015-North Coast Brewing

I think this was about $12 for the 4 pack last month with my $1.50 off each 4 or 6 pack from Total Wine last month. It's an old ale or might also be described as an English-style barleywine. Poured a dark amber with a luscious nose of dark, dried fruits, toffee and a wee bit of dark rum. Taste were moderately rummy with the expected raisins, dates, figs and toffee which matched nicely with some herbal, woody hops. Grain bill included traditional English Maris Otter malt along with some Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, also from England (not Finland). IBUs roll in at 34 and ABV is a hefty 11.9%, so I split this 12 ounce bottle with our son after we had our Berliner Weisse. Excellent night cap. I've got 3 left so there'll be a trader and two for cellaring over the next couple years. Now, if there was only some way I could bourbon barrel age one of those bottles...

[devildeac]

Tripel Overhead-Bourbon Barrel Aged-Mother Earth Brewing (Kinston, NC)


This was another 6er purchased at Total Wine last month with a $1.50 coupon, making the cost about $11-12, IIRC, far better pricing than $15 or so for a 750 ml bottle. Appeared an orange-amber in my Ommegang tulip last PM with a mildly fizzy, lacy head that didn't linger long. Orange juice and zest, brown sugar and whiskey on the aromas with tastes of ripe apricot, and a bit of clove and banana at first, followed by oak and vanilla, then whiskey at the finish. Darker and richer with more stone fruit tastes than I'd have thought from the style and from my somewhat distant memory of the original Tripel Overhead which was not BBA. I'll guess IBUs of 20 and the ABV is 9%, another dangerously sippable ale that I'd serve with fresh fruit, a mild or spicy seafood entree or a fruit tart for dessert. I'm glad to see this in a format different than the original large, expensive bottle.

[devildeac]

Hey, CathyCA, if you're reading this thread this quarter, here's one for you to try this summer and report back to us:

http://www.motherearthbrewing.com/beer/homegrown