Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

#4:

Curieux (draft)-Allagash Brewing Company

This was actually 3rd on the tray but thought a higher ABV (11%) was better to taste after the 8.3% Spooky and before the BBA RIS. I've read/heard great reviews about this the last 2-3 years but this is my first tasting. Using "underwhelmed" or "fell short of expectations" are not quite right or fair to type as this is a wonderful ale, but, at the end of the sampler, I liked the Thirsty Dog BBA RIS better. This ale is Allagash's first step into blending/aging and it really didn't disappoint. The base beer is their Belgian style Tripel, a readily available 4 pack, that has been aged in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks and then blended with their regular Tripel. The result is a slightly cloudy, golden-yellow pour with a small, lacy head. Nose is typical golden ale with some clove, bananas, oranges with a whiff of booze. Tastes are delightful, also typical for the style, with mild sweetness, guessing from added Belgian candi sugar. The bourbon is quite subtle and only at the finish. I'll estimate IBUs of 20 and it is dangerously sippable, even with the high ABV. August West has a 2013 corked and caged 750 ml bottle we've delayed opening for 2 years now, but, I have a 2015 bottle I bought at World Market this summer at 20% off for $13.49, I think, so we'll have a mini-vertical with later this football tailgating season. I'd probably be a bit disappointed if I'd spent $20 on the bottle but wouldn't hesitate recommending or tasting again (and again) but I'd honestly have to admit at this point, I'd prefer the Mother Earth BBA Tripel Overhead if given a choice.

[devildeac]

#5:

Siberian Night BBA (draft)-Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

Never having tasted any brews from these folks, who bring you such "classics" as Old Leghumper and Labrador Lager (), I didn't have high hopes/expectations for this brew and was extraordinarily surprised and pleased with its inclusion in the 5 beer sampler. Appearance was pitch black with a modest, tan head. Amazing nose of semi-sweet chocolate and whiskey. Mouthfeel was silky smooth, thick and oily with more dark chocolate, a drop or two of dark roast coffee, a dribble of black molasses and lots of bourbon, but not over-powering. Bitterness is moderate with IBUs of 58 but the ABV of 10.9% provides incredible balance and potency. I'll be looking for this intently during my beer shopping this fall/winter and wouldn't hesitate picking up some other products, too. After a sip, I suggested it'd be worth a tulip to the retired NCSU guy (who taught his children to hate c*rolina) with whom I chatted during our tasting and he was highly impressed also.

[devildeac]

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.

[devildeac]

Brew #2:

(From 7/27/15)

Delirium Red (2014)-Brewery Huyghe

Take a can of Dr. Brown's black cherry soda, swirl with a generous amount of Rodenbach and add a couple tablespoons of Robitussin CF and Delirium Red is created. Poured a dark ruby with a generous, fizzy head that dissipated fairly quickly. Nose of dark, sour cherries and simple syrup. Immediate tastes of sweet, non-diet, black cherry soda, followed quickly by a sour cherry Warhead and, unfortunately, a rather astringent, medicinal finish. Three-fourths or more of each tulip glassful I sipped each night from this corked and caged 750 ml painted ceramic bottle would be an outstanding liquid dessert, by itself or with a slice of triple chocolate cake (Black Forest Cake anyone?). The last aliquot was just atypical of any of the Delirium series I've ever had, including Tremens, Noel and Nocturnum. Reasonably priced at about $8 from my World Market large format bottle purchase a couple weeks ago at 20% off. More sour than bitter, guessing 20 IBU, to accompany an ABV of 8%. Worth a bottle to share at a tasting to experience a Belgian fruited sour lambic but not one I'd revisit regularly.

From yesterday:

Not much different from my taste buds in July, yesterday or the other 5 folks who shared this with me. Not sure whether it was poor aging, an ale just not up to this brewery's standards, the combination of cherries and the ale or a by-product of all three. Not a Ycch, Beer but I won't buy/sample this again.

[devildeac]

#3:

Porter-Green Man Brewery

Grad devil gets several tips of the Blue Devil cap for joining us yesterday with his lovely wife and many generous contributions to our tailgate and my take-home collection of ales for which he refused to accept any $$. Thank you!

Poured a creamy, dark brown with a tan head and luscious aromas of roasted grains, cocoa and perhaps a bit of coffee. Mouthfeel was smooth with some mild chocolate, a splash of light roast coffee and hints of slightly charred dark brown sugar. IBUs of 40 and ABV at 6% which made it a nice lake breakfast beverage with an apple/French Toast/sausage casserole and some spicy sausage/egg strata. I'm not sure this is available in the Raleigh area and pretty sure it was brand new to my palate. Certainly worth a pint, 4 pack or 6er to sip, share and trade.

[devildeac]

#4:

(Originally from 12/25/14)

Tango-Weyerbacher Brewing

Cherry Christmas. Labeled as a dark, strong Belgian ale brewed with a ton of cherries (well, not quite-they only claim 1200 pounds) and poured from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle as a substitute beverage 2 nights ago because my (no longer favorite) craft beer store ran out of mini-growlers and French Toast Stout. Appeared with a mildly frothy light red/tan head and a gorgeous light ruby-brown color in our Allagash tulip glasses. (Rudolph) bright red cherry nose along with some medium brown sugar and caramel aromas to accompany somewhat tart cherry, figgy, date-like tastes and very slight orange-citrus bitterness. Grains and hops listed as Pilsner Malt with Honey Malt, Special B, Aromatic Malt and a touch of Chocolate Malt paired with Apollo hops to balance the bottle-conditioned, warm, boozy ABV of 10.6% with a modest 35 IBUs. This is quite a different beer than the New Glarus Wisconsin Red and more resembles the Ommegang Three Philosophers but falls a tad short in terms of smoothness, creativity and tastes, but a reasonably priced (under $10), very pleasant winter ale from an excellent brewery.

From Saturday (10/2014 version):

Ok, I was a bit less impressed at the tailgate and it was my contribution . I don't know whether it was a bit too much sediment, poor aging or the two better beers that followed this one but it was disappointing, even though this was a $2 off close-out special at Total Wine last month. I'd much rather have an Ommegang Three Philosophers than either of the Belgian or Belgian style krieks that I brought to the tailgate. A tip of the tap to the other participants, especially August West who brought the next two great beers. I need to raise the level of my contributions
.

[devildeac]

High Striker Single-Great Lakes Brewing Company

A trader from August West. Styled like a Belgian single with European hops (likely Czech or Saaz), lighter malts (none listed) and a touch of wheat, this light golden-tinged yellow ale had typical mild orange, apple and pear aromas and flavors with a hint of Belgian yeast spiciness. IBUs of 20 and ABV of 4.8%, both in line for the style. Unfortunately, the best by date was 7/15/15 so this probably would have been better a couple months ago. He said this was part of a 12 pack sampler which is new marketing for this brewery. It might be tough to find these dates on a half case of mixed beverages like this. Interestingly, it's listed as a pub exclusive on their website. They also list 104 beers (no typo) on their website, a far cry from a few years ago when I'll swear they had a dozen or less .

[devildeac]

Hummin' Bird-Red Oak Brewery

A trader from our younger son-in-law. It is a golden or Helles Lager adhering to the German Purity Laws of 1516 (aka Reinheitsgebot). Well, sort of as these rules only allowed water, barley and hops. I'll assume fermentation was spontaneous and/or the laws were changed later to allow yeast in the brewing process.

Anyway, it poured a light straw color with a small head which rapidly disappeared. Clean, floral nose with light, fruity tastes with a honey-like finish. Pilsner malt, Spalt Nobel hops and a proprietary yeast strain that is not filtered surprisingly as the appearance is quite clear. I'll guess 20 IBUs and ABV of 5%. This is a very pleasant lager on a warm, humid early fall evening.

[devildeac]

Back to Brunchgate.

#5

Review re-cycled from 11/27/09 and 5/16/14. Yea, I'm plagiarizing myself so give me an A and a degree with honors from c*rolina.



Ten Fidy-Oskar Blues-This is a viscous, smooth and mildly oily Russian imperial stout and a really, really good one. Nearly black and opaque that pours with a small dark tan one-fingered head. Lots of black and chocolate malts with flaked oats (I cheated and looked at their web site) with very modest bitterness despite an IBU of a monstrous 95. The ABV is 9.5% and it tastes like a shot of whiskey in a dark chocolate malted, reminding me very much of the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Even more amazingly, this marvelous brew comes in a 4 pack of cans. It reminds me an awful lot of the BBCS, one of my favorite all-time beers for the last 10+ years. Serve this in a pint glass at cellar temps and enjoy your sipping for an hour or so. Fabulous by itself, with some ordinary chocolate desserts like cookies or pound cake, or with something even more decadent like a chocolate torte or flourless death-by-chocolate type cake.

My original review still stands with a couple minor corrections. The IBU rating is now up to 98 (no significant difference) and the ABV has been raised to 10.5%, both fairly stunning numbers. This might be the best imperial stout on the market if you consider it in its purest form with no barrel aging and no additives. You'll pay the price though at about $14+ for each 4 pack of cans. Plus, this product was brewed in Colorado and not at their new NC brewing site as the brewed-on date stamped on the bottom of the can is 11-8-12, about a month before the NC site opened officially, IIRC. A classic.

From Saturday:

Bless you, August West for sharing this 12 ounce can, now brewed in Brevard, NC.

They've toned down the IBUs a bit and they're now at 65. ABV stays at 10.50% (or Ten Fidy). Looks like 10W50 (aka Ten Fidy), too, but tastes like decadence in a glass. I'll guess it's now about $16 for a 4 pack and still worth every cent of the price. Find it. Buy it. Drink one this weekend. Trade one and save the other two for next year, though it just might not get any better with age.

[devildeac]

Always worth re-visiting:

Olde School Barleywine (2009 bottling)-Dogfish Head

I divided this five year old, 12 ounce bottle over 3 cooler nights last week and sipped from a cordial glass. Poured an almost syrup-y, medium amber with basically no head. Nose is booze, syrup and dried fruit, which is no surprise as it's fermented with dates and figs. It really tastes like a dark fruit syrup with a bit of caramel or brown sugar added. The ABV of 15% (no typo ) masks the high IBUs of 85, which I would have never guessed. Should be served slightly chilled. I wonder what this would be like with a small slice of Black Forest Cake or Turtle Cheesecake (scratched chin). I think I have one bottle left which I'll try to forget about until next fall...

#6 from GT Brunchgate:

Profuse thanks again to August West for graciously/generously sharing this 12 ounce bottle with a 2014 date, IIRC. Not much different than the above review with a viscous pour, prominent notes of dates, figs, some medium to dark brown sugar and sherry. Incredibly smooth at 85 IBUs again and 15% ABV, the NC legal limit. Minimal booze warmth. Buy it, share it and age it. I think I have 2 vintage bottles that'll have to appear at a later tailgate this year.

[devildeac]

Ruby-Olde Hickory Brewing

A 12 ounce trader from my younger son-in-law last weekend. I just drank a lager? With flavor? Yep. Poured an amber hue with a mildly creamy head. Scents and tastes of English/European hops and malts (herbal and woody with light caramel notes). Kinda like a lighter bodied ESB. Quite a pleasant session brew that would pair nicely with grilled eagle, err, chicken and burgers and very crushable at 20 IBUs and 4% ABV. Reminds me a lot of Red Oak.

[Bob Green]

O"Connor Dismal Swamp Black IPA

I bought a six pack today and have it chilling in the frig.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22783/63699/

[devildeac]

Torch-Foothills Brewing

Wedding reception selection. Poured a light straw color with a modest, creamy white head. Floral scents and the mild European hops provide a light bitterness to balance a toasted, breadiness from the grain bill that was a whiter shade of pale. A tad more bitter than I anticipated from a typical German style pilsner at 35 IBUs with the ABV at 5.3%. Nicely paired with with cocktail hour snacks of fried mac and cheese, pimento cheese in tiny Mason jars with little celery stick "utensils" and bacon-wrapped figs and goat cheese.

Hoppyum was my other choice and when I saw they were pouring Woodford Reserve, my beer drinking/reviewing ceased.

[devildeac]

Haysaw Amber Saison (draft)-Burial Beer

Yep, more native stuff! (not that Native)

A bit more body than the prior two saisons, this was a cloudy orange-amber hue with floral and bready scents and tastes of toasty croissants drizzled with light caramel sauce and some orange zest. No way this had IBUs of 80 (more like 40) and the ABV stated on the menu is 6% but the paintboard had 7%. "Pair me with some mahi-mahi, some stir-fried veggies and a light cream sauce," my 4 ounce sample whispered to me.

From 5/13/15 and Tripping William's wholehearted approval comes my 16 ounce can (with great appreciation to Grad Devil who "left" this at the GT tailgate a few weeks ago) review from this evening:

Pretty similar appearance to the draft version above, I think I got a bit more apple, pear and peachy aromas and tastes than the sample from May. This is not a bitter brew and the ABV of this version is 6.2%. A pairing with almost any seafood would be delicious.

[devildeac]

Oak Barrel Stout-Fordham and Dominion Brewing Company

Very interesting "session" brew trader from CB&B a few weeks ago. Described as a "sweet stout" but no comments about lactose being added but it is infused with vanilla beans and aged on oak chips (no bourbon). Poured a dark brown with a modest, creamy tan head. Nose of dark chocolate, wood, vanilla and tastes of the same with the vanilla being subtle and the "sweetness" being very mild also. Some toasted coconut and coffee in the finish. Quite smooth at only 15 IBUs, a bit low for a stout and listed at 5.5% ABV on their site and 6% on the bottle, so it'd make a nice pairing with any chocolate and/or caramel desserts or as a prelude to an imperial stout a bit later in the evening. Thanks to our chef!

[devildeac]

Sorachi Ace-Brooklyn Brewery

An old member of their Brewmaster's Reserve series is now part of their Perennial gang of brews, packaged in 4 packs. What a pleasant beer! Labeled as a farmhouse saison, it poured a yellow-straw color with a modest, fizzy head. Aromas of fresh hay and lemongrass emanated from the glass with the expected tastes of apples, pears, a pinch of pepper along with some lemon and a slight pinot grigio finish (or should that be Finnish ? ). I think it was $8 or $9 for the litter, including my $1 coupon from Total Wine several weeks ago. One has been sipped, one has been traded and there are two remaining. Vital stats are 34 IBUs and 7.2% ABV so perfect to sip by itself on a summer or early fall afternoon or evening or to pair with some fruit or a light chicken or seafood entree.

[devildeac]

Tell Tale Tart-Boulevard Brewing Company

An introductory or "training" beer for sours. Bought several weeks ago when Total Wine had their buck off coupons, I think this was $9 for the 4 pack. Poured a slightly cloudy, reddish-brown with a moderate fizzy head that disappeared fairly quickly. Mild acidity with fairly prominent sour cherries on the nose with a bit of a red wine vinegar taste up front (not unpleasant) followed by sour and cherry/berry soda flavors, mingled with some hints of graham cracker, too. Nowhere near Wicked Weed or Rodenbach-like sour but subtle and intriguing. Might be perceived as "bitter" but it's not as IBUs are only 10 with the ABV at 6.2%. I sipped this with a shared fried seafood platter with a drizzle of cocktail sauce, a bit of salad, sauteed mixed vegetables and half a baked potato and found it to be nice company with the food, but not as nice as my wife.

[devildeac]

IPA-Oskar Blues Brewery (Brevard, NC)

Drink local! (well, sort of)

Another buck off coupon special. This time a 6er of cans for about $8 I think. Poured a golden-yellow with a frothy, lingering head. This one screamed grapefruit juice to my olfactory lobes with more of the same with rind/zest and a lot of pineapple and a splash of orange (from the red wheat malt) to the taste buds. It's a bit unbalanced at 70 IBUs and 6.43% ABV but not unpleasant or unexpected at all. Interesting hop profile of Enigma, Vic Secret, Ella, Topaz and Galaxy, the first four of which I am not familiar. Would pair well with mildly hot/spicy fare. I've got several left in the fridge and would be happy to share/trade.

[devildeac]

Rabid Duck-Duck Rabbit Brewing

It's been a while since I sipped one of these so thanks to August West (or was it CameronBornAndBred?) who slipped a 12 ounce bottle into my take home cooler a few weeks back. Poured almost 10W30 with about a 1/4 finger head which didn't hang around long. Seductive aromas of dark chocolate, black strap molasses, a splash of espresso and a hint of licorice. Tastes followed along the aromas with some charring. Bitterness I think is from the heavily roasted grains but couldn't eliminate the possibility of a high IBU rating which would be fairly common for this style. I'll guess about 60 here. A bit of booziness throughout with an ABV of 10%. High quality Russian imperial stout though I still prefer less coffee and licorice tastes in my RIS. I've heard of this being available as a BBA offering but I've never seen it but could imagine it smoothing out some of the roastiness with the addition of bourbon, oak and vanilla nuances.

[devildeac]

People's BBL Aged Porter-Foothills Brewing

How do you take a good quality porter and make it better? Why, throw a few hundred gallons of it into 20 year old bourbon barrels and age it for several months, of course. I've had their BBA (non Sexual Chocolate) stout before but never this BBA aged porter which I think I procured for about $6 with a buck off coupon from Total Wine a month or two ago. Poured a dark mahogany with a creamy, generous tan head. Bourbon up front with mild dark chocolate, dark caramel and a dash of espresso aromas. Tastes matched the olfactory registry with booze prominent but not off-putting and a bit of oak and vanilla in the finish (please, no c*rolina recruiting misses comments). IBUs at 42 and the ABV is 6%. I could drink several bombers of this every winter, served lightly chilled by itself or with a slice of triple chocolate cake or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.