Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Finally, #9

Bigfoot

I've got to admit, I had my doubts about tasting this after the prior 8 and the fact that I stopped buying it probably 4 years ago due its hop brutality, but, after they allowed our sample to warm to near room temperature as we sampled the others, this was a mildly pleasant surprise. Appearance was dark amber with little head. Nose was tobacco, pine, resin and dark syrup. Tastes were pretty similar and still quite bitter but perhaps a bit more balanced/softer as it was fresh from a keg. IBUs still stunning at 90 and ABV still high at 9.6%. I wasn't tempted to buy a $10 4 pack in the gift shop, nor was I tempted to purchase a $25 vertical . Serve with hard, stinky cheeses or a cigar (I guess).

[devildeac]

Cooter Brown-Jekyll Brewing

Ricks68 had quite the selection of brews in his beer fridge before his surprise party descended on him last Friday. This is an "American brown ale," and I'm guessing that refers to its somewhat hoppy profile given the style. I poured a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass and sipped with the main course of grilled pork tenderloin, grilled yams and nutella glaze. Poured a dark brown (d'oh!) with a modest head. Earthy hops scents with some dark caramel, brown sugar (d'oh again!), sprinklings of cocoa and coffee and nutty flavors. Modest bitterness at 46 IBUs and ABV of 6%. A completely new brewery/brew to me.

[devildeac]

The Miller's Toll-Raleigh Brewing Company

Drink local!

A ton of carbs with lots of dark, roasty stuff, flaked oats and cane sugar to accompany Northern Brewer and East Kent Goldings hops, this is a pretty massive but very smooth imperial stout. Poured from a $3.50 12 ounce can into a pint glass, the color was almost black, the head was a modest 1 finger width and tan and the aromas were baker's chocolate and a bit of coffee and the tastes were dark chocolate, dark caramel and alcohol. Mouthfeel was smooth and silky from the oats. IBUs listed at 68 from the website and the ABV was 9.1% but I think their on-line data is old as the can showed an ABV of 10.5% and this was more accurate I believe. Leave dessert in the fridge/freezer as this was liquid bliss. But I could be talked into a sliver of chocolate chess pie or sharing a small portion of a molten lava cake with this, too. Whipped cream or coffee ice cream on the side, please.

[devildeac]

The Miller's Toll-Raleigh Brewing Company

Drink local!

A ton of carbs with lots of dark, roasty stuff, flaked oats and cane sugar to accompany Northern Brewer and East Kent Goldings hops, this is a pretty massive but very smooth imperial stout. Poured from a $3.50 12 ounce can into a pint glass, the color was almost black, the head was a modest 1 finger width and tan and the aromas were baker's chocolate and a bit of coffee and the tastes were dark chocolate, dark caramel and alcohol. Mouthfeel was smooth and silky from the oats. IBUs listed at 68 from the website and the ABV was 9.1% but I think their on-line data is old as the can showed an ABV of 10.5% and this was more accurate I believe. Leave dessert in the fridge/freezer as this was liquid bliss. But I could be talked into a sliver of chocolate chess pie or sharing a small portion of a molten lava cake with this, too. Whipped cream or coffee ice cream on the side, please.

The Miller's Toll (bourbon barrel aged)

Take the above, throw in a couple aliquots of bourbon, 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla, some toasted coconut flakes and a drop or two of dark caramel and fudge sauces and you have an even more enormous brew. This was about a $16 bomber that I divided (not evenly) over 3 nights, finishing with a nearly full snifter of a very warming, boozy, port-like concoction that I'm sipping over an hour or so as I post. Heavenly. I may return to the brewer tomorrow to pick up a couple more bottles of this for myself and mattman if they have any left.

[devildeac]

Ninjabread Man-Asheville Brewing Company

Second serving tonight from a bomber ricks68 saved for me that I escorted out of town on Saturday for about $12. Poured an opaque brown with a modest tan head and aromas of ginger and chocolate and tantalizing tastes of ginger (d'oh!) and other cookie spices like cinnamon and vanilla. Raisins are listed on their website but I'm not sure I get that taste with all the other flavors bursting from this brew. No chocolate is listed but baker's cocoa sure stands forefront, too. I'm thinking IBUs in the 20s and the ABV is listed at 5.6%. I was going to head to the store tonight for some ice cream but the heck with that idea. This was dessert!

Thanks for saving, ricks68!

[devildeac]

Chocolate Hazlenut Porter-Heretic Brewing Company

Another thank you to ricks68 for this dessert. Appearance: dark brown and not murky with a modest tan head. Nose: milk chocolate, nuts and roasted grains. Tastes: A splash of coffee, a drizzle of dark caramel, a ton of mild chocolate and a small sprinkling of nuts. Maybe liquid Rocky Road? Stats: IBU 33, ABV 7%, so kinda on the edge of an imperial porter. I had half a bomber last PM for a late night dessert/celebration.

I think some enterprising Duke grad should open his own brewery and offer beverages like Too Damn Close, We Get All The Calls, Rebound the @#$%&$# Ball, Oh No/Oh Yes!, I Need A Cardiologist, High ABV Better/Safer Than Booze, OAD (IBU=120 and ABV=20%), Flagrant 1 Bastard, Flagrant 2 Bastard, The 4 Year Big Beer Project, Need More (or Less) Zone and...

The Next Hated White Beer.

[devildeac]

From 8/6/14:

Darkest Hour-Anchorage Brewing

I purchased this last fall at the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Kentucky while visiting family. The clerk actually went upstairs to retrieve this after chatting with me for a moment about my (fill in the blank) beer tastes. He said they simply did not have enough room on their shelves for all their inventory and that's saying something as this place is ginormous. So, I ended up with two 750 ml caged and corked bottles of this and another Anchorage brew. On to the review.

This may be one of the most complex beverages I've ever tasted. It's a Belgian imperial stout (yep, brewed in Alaska) brewed with Summit hops but they have little if any role here with an IBU rating of 40. It's triple fermented, first with a Belgian yeast (Saccharomyces), second in French oak Pinot Noir and rye whiskey barrels and then finished with a wine yeast. It's not Brett but this yeast imparts a mild amount of sourness. The wine aging imparts rich flavors of plum and currants and the rye imparts the expected boozey, vanilla and woody tastes. The imperial stout style is responsible for rich, dark chocolate and cocoa flavors along with hints of black molasses and licorice and a stunning ABV of 13%. Brewed in March, 2013 and listed as batch #1 but sadly, not described on their website now. I had about 10 ounces last PM in a cute little Allagash tulip and am finishing the remaining ~15.4 ounces tonight from a traditional pint glass with a tear rolling down my cheek as I'm not sure what I'll do with the other 750 ml bottle in the fall or winter.

Here's what I did with the remaining bottle. From this weekend (savored over 3 nights at cellar temperature from a snifter):

Darkest Hour (March, 2013)-Anchorage Brewing Company

All of the above and add some Sour Patch Kids Sour Blackberry and subtract some of the the rye and licorice tastes. Quite vinous and whiskey-ish, if you can imagine that. Maybe a vintage California Pinot Noir with a splash of Makers Mark? I'm sad. This was a truly outstanding beverage and it's likely I'll never taste it again .

[devildeac]

Love Ninja Part 2-Asheville Brewing Company

The original Love Ninja has competition .

Another bomber from ricks68. Thanks!

Poured a dark ruby-brown with a smallish tan head. Tempting aromas of milk chocolate and berries and a palate full of cocoa, raspberries and maybe a splash of coffee. It's labeled as a milk porter but I didn't think it was that sweet, assuming there was lactose added, as in a milk stout but that ingredient is not listed. IBUs of 26 and ABV of 5.6% so I divided the contents over 2 evenings so I could sip the high gravity ale listed below, too. Drink your dessert!

[devildeac]

Palo Santo Marron (2/2/11)-Dogfish Head Brewing

I'm still celebrating.

I must "cellar" my ales more carefully than fuse because I thought this 4+ year old version was outstanding. It's an "unfiltered and unfettered" brown ale that is aged in 10,000 gallon Paraguayan Palo Alto wood vessels. Poured an almost opaque mahogany hue with hints of ruby with a very small, short-lived head. Aromas of dark, dried fruits, wood and vanilla. Tastes of the same with a hint of smoke, some caramelized dark sugar and dark rummy notes. Exquisitely smooth and almost oily. This was dangerously drinkable despite its 12% ABV as I allowed it to warm a bit and sipped this 12 ounce serving from a pint glass over 30-45 minutes. Hops are merely bystanders here, even with stated IBUs of 50. This is one of those buy-it-if-you-see-it ales, guessing a 4 pack will set you back about $15 so you can drink one, trade one and age a couple for several years. I've got one left and can't decide what to do with it...

From 4/4/15:

Palo Santo Marron (2/2/11)-Dogfish Head Brewing

I'm still celebrating.

I must "cellar" my ales more carefully than fuse because I thought this 4+ year old version was outstanding. It's an "unfiltered and unfettered" brown ale that is aged in 10,000 gallon Paraguayan Palo Alto wood vessels. Poured an almost opaque mahogany hue with hints of ruby with a very small, short-lived head. Aromas of dark, dried fruits, wood and vanilla. Tastes of the same with a hint of smoke, some caramelized dark sugar and dark rummy notes. Exquisitely smooth and almost oily. This was dangerously drinkable despite its 12% ABV as I allowed it to warm a bit and sipped this 12 ounce serving from a pint glass over 30-45 minutes. Hops are merely bystanders here, even with stated IBUs of 50. This is one of those buy-it-if-you-see-it ales, guessing a 4 pack will set you back about $15 so you can drink one, trade one and age a couple for several years. I've got one left and can't decide what to do with it...

From the last 2 nights:

Another (almost) year of aging, another vintage ale. Same tasting impressions, perhaps even a bit smoother and more resembling a port instead of an imperial brown ale. Always worth having one of these in your storage area.

[devildeac]

From 1/10/10:

Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale-quite a different beer than the regular Arrogant Bastard as this is more drinkable. It pours a medium brown with a single finger tan head and has light grapefruitiness and lots of chocolate-caramel maltiness. My guess is that the IBU are the same, probably in the 70-80 range but the oak aging gives this a smooth, woody (not THAT kind of woodie, Ozzie) and slightly whiskey-ish taste. The ABV is 7.2%, same as the regular Bastard, so it shouldn't contain much more, if any, malts. Guess it would be best to call this a strong ale. Nice selection with spicy foods. CB&B grabbed this off the shelf at Total Wine a couple weeks ago and included it in his trader. I probably would not have bought a 6er for myself as it is $15 for the 6 pack so I greatly appreciate his selection and generosity.

From last PM:

Drank the whole damn bomber and needed another during/after the loss .

Some different impressions than 6 years ago. Thought little or no citrus last PM and tasted/sniffed mostly pine and resin. Still pretty hoppy and mildly unbalanced. Cost was about $4-4.50 for the 22 ounce bottle as part of my box of 4 Bastards from last month as a close-out, marked down from about $25.

[devildeac]

From 11/7/12:

Monster Ale (2011 bottling)-Brooklyn Brewing

This is a barleywine that is quite smooth and syrup-y when first released and continues to improve with age. Copper colored with a small tan head, the slightly piney three American hops are almost overwhelmed by the massive amount of English specialty malts with a surprise guest, wheat malt. Notes of sherry and syrup are present so this would make a fine dessert beer served slightly warmed in a snifter. I'd guess the IBU about 60-70 and the ABV is 10.3% so this is a sip at bedtime brew. Definitely worth the purchase of an $8 four pack so you can sip one now, trade one and stash a couple others away for a year or three.


From tonight:

No head. Poured cleanly and carefully into a pint glass. Lots of sherry and syrup scents and tastes of the same, perhaps with a bit of orange liqueur and dark, dried fruits. Despite the typical/expected bitterness of a barleywine, this was quite smooth, yet moderately boozy and warming. Two bottles of this left in the "cellar." Supply of aged beers continues to dwindle. More next year .

[devildeac]

http://www.ncbeermonth.com/

Just sayin'

[devildeac]

Peasant Brawl (draft)-Bond Brothers Beer Company

Drink fresh, drink local, drink new!

Beer is always better with friends, as attested to by the fact I really enjoyed this Belgian-style golden strong ale with the lovely fuse and the even lovelier Love Ninja at the official opening of this new brewery in downtown Cary. It was $5 for a 12 ounce pour of this slightly cloudy, yellow-gold elixir with floral, light citrus and spice aromas and some orange, banana, black pepper, clove and spicy tasting notes. Fuse thought coriander and I though perhaps basil spicing. I'll guess IBUs of 20 and the ABV was 8.5% so I had a single beverage with a food truck version of a Cuban sammich. Great way to spend part of a very pleasant Saturday afternoon.

[devildeac]

From 3/17/15:

Quote Originally Posted by devildeac View Post
Red Devil-Pisgah Brewing

Drink local!

Well, sort of as this was a delivery from ricks68 on his last trip to the Triangle a couple weeks ago from this Black Mountain, NC brewery. The base brew is a Belgian golden/triple ale that is fermented with cherry and raspberry compote. So, the pour is an orange-red with a small amount of Belgian lacing in a Duke Sports Hall of Fame goblet last night and an Ommegang chalice to polish off the bomber tonight. Nose is cherry and raspberry as expected and the tastes of the same are punctuated with a bit of black pepper from the Belgian yeast, along with a bit of overripe banana and a pinch of cloves. I'll guess the IBUs are 20-30 and the ABV on the bottle is 8% but the website quotes 9% which is more in line with the style. It reminds me a lot of Founders Rubaeus with a splash of cherry syrup or a blend of New Glarus Wisconsin Red and Raspberry Tart with a moderate more alcohol than any of those contain. Another way to think of this is an alcoholic version of something you might create at a 100+ flavor Coke machine mixing cherry and raspberry Sprite with a splash of ginger ale. Very interesting concoction that would nicely accompany a fruit plate before dinner or a fruited salsa topping on a mild fish or with a fruit pie/tart for dessert.


From tonight:

Red Devil (2016 version)-Pisgah Brewing

I don't think much has changed between the 2015 and 2016 offerings. Very good fruited Belgian-style triple ale. Half a bomber tonight and half tomorrow. I'm guessing <$10 for the 22 ounces so worth the price if you see it. Thanks again to ricks68 for the purchase/delivery.

[devildeac]

First Frost-Fullsteam Brewing

Rounded up 3 prior "related" reviews of this ale and will try to blend them in with my thoughts after the second half of my 2015 bomber bought about 2 months ago at the brewery.

I say "related" as this bomber was not barrel-aged, but, at 12% ABV, it was boozy. Same pour/appearance as the brewery sample, but I thought the bottled version more resembled a hybrid of a zinfandel blend with some vinous notes and a Belgian-style quad with a fair amount of dark, stone fruit flavors like plum and nectarine, more that any peachiness as I commented above. Disclaimer: I've never tasted a persimmon (nor have I ever tasted a prickly pear cactus as I admitted to above ).

Bottom line, for $16/bomber, I'll go somewhere between Tripping William's 4x great and fuse's "not for me beer," and say I wouldn't hesitate purchasing again and would be more than willing to Duke it out with the other 2 tasters above at the brewery late this year or early in 2017 over a sampler or a couple of pints .

[devildeac]

Oskar Blues has bought Cigar City Brewing. Note to windsor: please be sure they start distributing to my zip code .

[devildeac]

Depth Charged Double Bastard-Arrogant Bastard Brewing Company

Take your basic Arrogant Bastard, add more hops, yeast and a ton more grains (Stone previously listed their ingredients as "classified") and then toss in a bunch of espresso beans and you end up with a concoction that smells like a light to medium roasted coffee that tastes like a coffee-flavored, caramel/butterscotch doused, pancake syrup sweet, piney barleywine with a little bit of tobacco finish. I'll guess the IBUs to be about 80-90 on this and the ABV is listed at 11%. It took me 3 nights to finish this bomber and it's certainly worth the $4.25 or so for each bomber from the 4 pack of Bastards I bought a few weeks ago. I think this would be a polarizing ale with some folks being turned off by the coffee-barleywine nature of the brew and others finding the combination/description above to be intriguing.

(This was one of 2 different brews I had on National Beer Day so once again late and a couple $$ short )

[devildeac]

Gouden Carolus Noel-Brouwerij Het Anker

These folks have been brewing beer for a while (1471!). Looks/tastes like they do a pretty good job .

Poured from a 330 ml bottle into an Ommegang goblet and shared (just a taste ) with our younger daughter last PM. Purchased a 4 pack at Total Wine a couple months ago on a "closeout" for about $7, IIRC, with their buck off coupon. I like inexpensive, outstanding ales. Almost as much as I like expensive, outstanding ales . Brewed in August, 2015 and bottled on 9/9/15, it poured a clear medium brown with hints of ruby, the nose was dark brown sugar, dried fruits and dark rum. Six spices are mentioned and I'd guess ginger, cinnamon, coriander and licorice with no clue what the last 2 might be. Three hops mentioned but not named. Tastes like an expensive, high quality fruitcake, with nuts, spices, brown sugar and raisins with dates and figs on the top instead of a nasty, red maraschino cherry and a green pineapple chunk. And I like fruitcakes. I've got 3 left and it can be cellared for 3 years so guess what's coming to the Christmas table this year?

[devildeac]

From 9/24/14:

Back to camp!

Beer Camp brew #9.

Maillard's Odyssey-Sierra Nevada and Bell's Breweries

After a brief hiatus, the advent of autumn and a bit cooler weather prompted me to try this tonight. Aromas of a latte heavy on the coffee with tastes that were part Heath Bar, part coffee with a shot of dark rum and some figs and dates. Poured a dark brown color with a creamy, tan head and a soft, smooth silky finish, this had little bitterness outside the heavily roasted malts. IBUs listed at 40. Flavors improved as my 12 ounce portion warmed over about 30 minutes. This was excellent by itself and would be one of the selections from the 12 pack that should be brewed as a seasonal every fall/winter by one of these breweries.

Barrel-Aged Maillard's Odyssey-Sierra Nevada Brewing

This:



Plus this:





Equals:


Less coffee, more chocolate, a few coconut flakes, a splash of vanilla and some woody/oaky flavors. Ricks68 purchased the $20 corked and caged 750 ml bottle from the SN Brewery in Mills River/Fletcher/Henderson County, NC and delivered a couple months ago. Expensive, but worth it and I'll sip over the next 3 nights.

[devildeac]

Oak Horizontal-Victory Brewing Company

I thought I had given up my tastes for barleywines in favor of the growing segments of other styles and styles new to me, but this BBA version of one of my favorite barleywines (Old Horizontal) for quite a number of years has me thanking (and cussing at ) fuse for including this in a trading session a year or so ago. $17 for the corked and caged 750 ml bottle of a very smooth, sweet base ale that spent 3 months slumbering in old bourbon barrels and added the expected aromas and tastes of booze, along with some oak, vanilla and even more smoothness. I divided this 11% ABV monster over 3 nights and found the first two were excellent and the last aliquot to be a bit flat (my fault, not the brewers). No hop or grain varieties listed and no IBUs stated anywhere but I'd guess 60-ish, tipping the balance easily toward sweet and syrup-y and less piney/resin-y/bitter.