Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

LaGrave-Troegs Independent Brewing

This triple golden ale was poured from a corked and caged 375 ml bottle and formed a hazy yellow-gold with a 3 fingered, foamy, fizzy meringue-like head in a large red wine glass. Aromas of orange, banana, pear and peach with the same flavors with a bit of coriander and white pepper from the abbey ale Belgian yeast. Ingredients include Pilsner malt, German Northern Brewer hops and I'd guess some light Belgian candi sugar. IBUs at 31, a bit higher than I might have thought, with the ABV at 8%, a bit lower than I would have thought for the style. Serve with some soft, mild cheeses or fruit or sip by itself and chat with friends. Worth a single for sure (not sure of price as this was beer #4 in my Belgian/Belgian style 6er I got as a gift a couple weeks ago) but I'd guess $12-14 for a 4 pack.

[devildeac]

Duvel-Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat

A world classic. What's not to like about this golden/triple ale? Shoot, Duvel (pronounced doo-vel) is Brabantian, Ghent and Antwerp dialect for devil, the standard Dutch word being duivel (from Wiki).

Poured into a red wine glass (sorry, I don't own any Duvel stuff ) from a 330 ml bottle, it appeared a slightly golden-yellow with a 2 finger, foamy, fizzy lacy head that lasted the entire 30 minutes of sipping during dinner tonight. Bouquet of flowers, light caramel and fresh pears, oranges and apples. Tastes of crusty French bread, honey, the same fruits and a bit of white pepper. Ingredients include Saaz and Styrian Golding hops, their proprietary yeast and I'll guess traditional European malts. I'll estimate 30 IBUs and the ABV is a dangerous, devilish 8.5%. This accompanied flounder stuffed with crab meat, sauteed zucchini and carrots, a baked potato, French bread and a mixed green salad. Beer #5 from my Belgian sampler from last month. Beer #6 on deck in another hour or so...

[devildeac]

Tripel-The Trappist abbey in Westmalle (officially called Abdij Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart van Jezus)

Another world classic. The last of the Belgian/Belgian style 6er I received from friends last month and a great way to finish the week celebrating a Duke win and another loss by the #2 team in the nation.

Decanted gently from a 330 ml bottle into a red wine glass (no, I don't own any Westmalle stems either ), it was a slightly hazy yellow-golden hue with just less than a 2 finger head. Flowers and assorted fruits including pears, peaches, apples and oranges tempted the olfactory region, followed by similar gustatory sensations along with medium brown/candi sugar, sourdough bread and a bit of black pepper. No grains/hops/ingredients listed so I'll guess pale/crystal/pilsner malts and Saaz, Tettnang and Styrian Golding hops, all fairly typical for European beers. Estimated IBUs of 30 and the ABV is dangerously deceptive at 9.5%. I haven't had one of these in 5 years or more but one never forgets this quality of ale. I'll leave "champagne" to describe DeuS but this and Duvel approach that texture/quaility. This would be marvelous with a plate of fresh berries and/or sliced fruit or simply sipped at the end of the day by itself.

[devildeac]

Sunday afternoon/evening in Derm at Fullsteam Brewing with Mr. and Mrs. ricks68 and the lovely and (mostly) agreeable Mrs. dd.

A buncha 2 ounce tasters first:

26 Stout

On nitro. Dark brown and slightly sweet milk chocolate. Brewed with popcorn (don't ask me how or why), cocoa and sorghum. ABV was 5.5% and IBUs of 30. Worth an 8 or 16 ounce pour (for $2.50 or $5). Draft only.

[devildeac]

Common Good

Style listed as Kentucky common, a new one to me. Light amber color, slightly acidic and sour cherry nose and tastes but not in the Sour Patch kids realm. IBUs almost non-existent at 7 and ABV of 5%. I'd re-visit/re-sample this but not regularly.

[devildeac]

Hogwash

A hickory-smoked porter that is also listed as wood barrel-aged. Mild chocolate-covered pulled pork from a Big Green Egg? I've had very few smoked beers but this would pair nicely with grilled tailgate fare but I think it's draft only. IBUs of 20 and ABV at 5.4%.

[devildeac]

Fruitcake, the Beer

A medium to dark brown old ale brewed from their Forager series with local/nearby figs and chestnuts from Rockingham County and then bourbon barrel-aged. Dark brown, small head and scents of dark dried fruits and tastes of the same along with some nutty and brown sugar notes and a generous splash of booze. IBUs listed at 48 and ABV a stunning 12.3%. This was also a 2 ounce sample and it might be available in a crowler at the brewery. This was excellent.

[devildeac]

15 month Reserve: First Frost

This is another beer from their Forager series that starts as a Belgian style quad to which a local persimmon harvest/foraging is added, fermented with a Belgian yeast and then aged for 15 months in brandy barrels. Golden-amber color with table syrup-y/brown sugary aromas and orange-peachy tastes along with some naturally occurring spiciness from the persimmons. Moderate booziness as evidenced by its 12% ABV and brandy barrel aging and low IBUs at 26. Another dangerously sippable high gravity ale. I had 2 ounces but certainly worth a six buck 10-12 ounce tulip but brewery availability only.

[devildeac]

Vienna Lager-Devil's Backbone Brewing

Drink regional!

Found this 12 ounce bottle in the fridge, another leftover from some visitors. Nice find.

Poured a light amber with aromas of lightly toasted bread and flowers. Tastes were light caramel, bready with minimal floral bitterness. IBUs of 18 and ABV at 5.2% so smooth and sessionable. It'd be a nice warm weather beer with some lighter grilled items. Ingredients (from their site):

Hops: Norther Brewer, Saaz
Malts: Vienna, Pilsner, Dark Munich, Caramel Malts

Awards: Several silver or gold medals in 2009, 2012 and 2015 at the Great American Beer Festival. Impressive.

Not everything has to be dark/hoppy/barrel-aged/high gravity to be tasty.

[devildeac]

Lampshade-Fullsteam Brewing

At 12% ABV and 42 IBUs and with several other tasters before this 10-12 ounce tulip as the "closer" for the evening, I almost donned a lampshade for the drive home . Poured a dark brown with hints of ruby, there was little head and pungent aromas of red wine from the port wine barrels in which this barleywine was ages. Tastes were dark berries, more wine, brown sugar with minimal hop presence and moderate booziness. Excellent sipper over nearly an hour with enhanced flavors as it warmed. Very interesting choice to age a barleywine in red wine barrels as I usually think of whiskey barrels being used with that style. Makes me re-think my journey away from barleywines over the last few years. No cans, bombers or crowlers of this. If you want it, you'll have to visit the brewery.

[devildeac]

From 6/19/09:


Stone Ruination IPA-a bomber-a good evening. Lots of hops with an IBU of 100+. I thought this was mainly spruce and pine with a hint of grapefruit. Don't think it makes it to IIPA levels as it has some malt for balance but is not boozey like an IIPA as the ABV was a "mere" 7.7%. Dark amber pour. Nice combo with spicy grilled fare like ribs or BBQ chicken. This was a new one for me.

From last night:

It's back. This time with a new formulation and designation:

Ruination Double IPA 2.0-Stone Brewing

This was one of three included in my 12 pack of Stone IPAs bought a couple weeks ago. Brewed on 1/11/16 (consume by 4/11/16) so this made it to market in about 2 weeks which is pretty impressive and pretty fresh.

Appearance was clear and golden with a 2 fingered, foamy head. Grapefruit rind and pine aromas with some orange rind, mango and brown sugar syrup added to the tasting along with an almost oily mouthfeel. They maintained the 100+ IBUs rating from the original with their monstrous hop bill of Magnum, Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra & Azacca. No grains are named but they're present in large enough quantities to boost the ABV to 8.5%. I thought the presentation was reasonably balanced but I'd expect others to find this to be a bitter hop monster. Suitable pairings would be with hot/spicy entrees. I've got 2 left for sharing/trading. (99 on ratebeer and 94 on beeradvocate)

[devildeac]

Pataskala-Stone Brewing

A new brew for Stone (bottled on 1/13/16 and released on 2/1/16 according to their web site so I must have bought it that day on the next day), a new ale for me and a new style, a red IPA. Its lovely crimson-dark amber hue is from a new German malt variety called Red X, hence the sub-title on the bottle, Red X IPA. Little head from my 12 ounce bottle included in my Stone sampler, even with an aggressive pour into my pint glass tonight. This smells like blood orange/red grapefruit squeezings with a bit of pulp and rind. Tastes like it, too, with a bit of pine and a bit of slightly burned caramel. Firmly in IPA territory with IBUs of 75 from generous amounts of Cascade, Mosaic and Amarillo hops. I'll take this with a half a rack of ribs, a big scoop of slaw and some German potato salad. Two left for trading/sharing.

[devildeac]

From 11/21/14:

Cold Mountain Winter Ale-Highland Brewing Company

Many thanks to ricks 68 for standing in line at the brewery on release date last week to procure 6 bottles of this for me, donating 3 more to the Saturday Brunchgate and finding any additional hour or three for consuming several samples of brewery-release only iterations of this. Poured a clear ruby-tinged dark brown with a somewhat small fizzy head. Aromas of vanilla and nuts with well-blended tastes of the same accompanied by a bit of brown sugar, toffee and baking spices. I couldn't place the other tastes as a shared a 12 ounce bottle with my younger daughter Wednesday night but the label also lists raspberry and cranberry extracts along with cinnamon. Grains are 2-Row Brewers Malt, Pilsen, Vienna, Chocolate, Wheat, Caramel 40, Caramel 60 with the hops being Cascade and Mount Hood, IBUs listed at 28 and ABV is 5.2%. The bitterness is minimal as I'd expect from this style but the ABV is a bit low for a winter warmer ale. A very flavorful concoction that should be sought out if known to be available in your area.

From 2/12/16:

Cold Mountain Winter Ale (filled 11/5/14):

Ricks68 was kind enough to save one of these from last year to accompany the delivery of the 2015 version last weekend so I could side-by-side them last PM.

I liked this one better than the current edition. I thought the hazelnut flavor was a bit more prominent last PM followed closely by cinnamon and dark berries. The vanilla was less pronounced to me after 15 months of storage and the beer was still quite quaffable.

[devildeac]

From 11/21/14:

Cold Mountain Winter Ale-Highland Brewing Company

Many thanks to ricks 68 for standing in line at the brewery on release date last week to procure 6 bottles of this for me, donating 3 more to the Saturday Brunchgate and finding any additional hour or three for consuming several samples of brewery-release only iterations of this. Poured a clear ruby-tinged dark brown with a somewhat small fizzy head. Aromas of vanilla and nuts with well-blended tastes of the same accompanied by a bit of brown sugar, toffee and baking spices. I couldn't place the other tastes as a shared a 12 ounce bottle with my younger daughter Wednesday night but the label also lists raspberry and cranberry extracts along with cinnamon. Grains are 2-Row Brewers Malt, Pilsen, Vienna, Chocolate, Wheat, Caramel 40, Caramel 60 with the hops being Cascade and Mount Hood, IBUs listed at 28 and ABV is 5.2%. The bitterness is minimal as I'd expect from this style but the ABV is a bit low for a winter warmer ale. A very flavorful concoction that should be sought out if known to be available in your area.

From 2/12/16:

Cold Mountain Winter Ale (filled 11/5/14):

Ricks68 was kind enough to save one of these from last year to accompany the delivery of the 2015 version last weekend so I could side-by-side them last PM.

I liked this one better than the current edition. I thought the hazelnut flavor was a bit more prominent last PM followed closely by cinnamon and dark berries. The vanilla was less pronounced to me after 15 months of storage and the beer was still quite quaffable.

Cold Mountain Winter Ale (filled 10/20/15):

A bit darker than the 2014/15 version with more cinnamon, hazelnut and berry flavors and minimal vanilla overtones. I didn't check IBUs or ABV but I'd guess very close to last year's offering. Some year I'll have to visit the ricks68 family and mattman and attend the first offering of this at the brewery along with several kegs of other flavored versions.

As a qualifier, it took me about 90 minutes to consume the two twelve ounce pourings of those yesterday.

[devildeac]

Grapefruit Harvest IPA-Abita Brewing

This was our younger son-in-law's 12 ounce contribution to our shrimp and grits, grilled asparagus and mixed green salad with Feta, Craisins, candied pecans and strawberry salad victory dinner last PM. Poured a light orange-yellow with a small head. Nose of (drum roll) fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice and tastes of the same with a bit of bready, light caramely sweetness and a little bite. Paired well with the meal. I do take issue with the labeling as at 6% ABV (pale, pilsner and caramel malts) and 40 IBUs (Cascade hops), it's really not an IPA and falls into pale ale territory. I'm not that fond of Abita but not a bad beer and worth a 12 ounce bottle to taste/share and venture into the expanding fruited IPA or pale ale field.

[devildeac]

From 1/18/15:

Love Ninja-Asheville Brewing Company

Take ABC's World Beer Cup award-winning Ninja Porter (which I must admit I've never tasted), add a squirt of raspberry juice and a couple tablespoons of fresh brewed coffee and you have your Valentine beer. Ricks68 delivered this last week as we dined the day after he attended the Miami MBB game. Poured a dark brown with ruby highlights into a pint glass and formed a medium-sized foamy head that fairly quickly disappeared. Nose was coffee and mild chocolate and palate-pleasing tastes encompassed the same with some dark caramel and a slight, pleasant raspberry finish. Snooped out the IBUs (not listed) at 27, about as expected, with the ABV discovered to be 5.25%, also not listed. The bomber, which I'll be sipping over two nights, has no dating but it's a new release (heck, mattman didn't even know it had hit the retail market) and can't be more than a week or two old. Fuse might even find pleasure in my extra Love Ninja.

From last PM:

Love Ninja (bottled 12/22/15)-Asheville Brewing Company

Same name, different year, different beer. It's still a porter with a dark brown-reddish pour and a modest head divided 3 ways from a bomber last PM and served with our own individual home-baked chocolate lava cakes with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side. This year's variety (not labeled Part 1-more later, obviously) is made with strawberries, cocoa powder and vanilla beans. The aromas are milk chocolate/cocoa and the tastes are the same with the strawberries and vanilla as pleasant but minor players. There's a hint of coffee but that's not listed as an ingredient. IBUs of 26 and ABV of 5.6% and it paired really well with dessert. Thanks to ricks68 for the delivery last weekend.

[devildeac]

Winter Ale-Goose Island Brewing Company

Goose me!

Clear, medium to dark brown pour from a 12 ounce bottle with a modest, light tan head. Nutty and toffee aromas with milk chocolate, slightly burned caramel, toasted almond and pumpernickel bread tastes. Somewhat "thin" for a winter ale at 25 IBUs (Fuggles hops) and ABV at 5.3% (2-Row, Caramel-60, Wheat, Dark Chocolate, Victory malts). Made a decent pairing with light to medium hors d'oeuvres before a local theatre performance of Grease.

[devildeac]

Winter Porter (bottled 11/12/14)-C*rolina Brewing Company

Drink local!

Churning out good ales since 1995, this is one of the early breweries in the area. Their offerings range from a summer ale/Kolsch to a barleywine and all on the lower ABV-side for their respective styles. This selection was no exception. Poured a dark brown with a small tan head, the aromas were cocoa and coffee and dark breads with tastes that mirrored the scents. This was a decent pairing with desserts of chocolate chip cookies, coconut balls and brownies. Not a good idea to keep session beers for this long and the slightly flat, almost cardboard-y mouthfeel kept me from finishing this. Not a Ycch, Beer but I'd re-consider tasting a fresh bottle or draft to see if it was outdated or simply not very good beer.

[devildeac]

Barrel Aged Chocothickfreakness (draft)-Steel String Craft Brewery

Drink local!






Quite a nightcap after a Duke win, conversation/dinner/dessert with family and a night of Valentine's dancing on Saturday with the lovely and vivacious Mrs. dd. Served at the brewery in the town of Carrboro in a 10 ounce tulip. Appearance was black with a small beige head. Baker's chocolate and whiffs of coffee to start and all sorts of other chocolates upon tasting to accompany some blackstrap molasses, licorice, a couple drops of espresso and a very subtle bourbon finish. We were in a bit of a hurry so this was mostly sipped cold, not the best way to enjoy an imperial stout. I was slightly put-off by the licorice (probably not an additive but just a flavor from the heavily roasted grains) and a tad disappointed by such little bourbon presence but still found this to be an excellent concoction. I'll guess IBUs around 50 and the ABV was 10.5% so you can't enjoy many of these. They did bottle this but I was waaaaay late for that opportunity/party.

[devildeac]

Black Watch-Highland Brewing Company

Liquid brownies!!!

Part of their Warrior Series, this is a double chocolate imperial milk stout as they took 5 grains, roasted barley, flaked oats and a bunch of cacao nibs, threw in some lactose and created an almost black elixir with a one finger head that smells like a pan of dark chocolate brownies with semi-sweet chocolate chunks that has been drizzled heavily with fudge sauce. Tastes just about the same. This is some kind of sweet so it took me almost an hour to consume the 12 ounce serving that was even more flavorful as it warmed. I'll guess IBUs of 30 and the ABV is on the bottle at 8%. Forget dessert tonight as I just drank it . Thanks to ricks68 for including this in his recent delivery.