Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Dire Wolf (draft)-Wolf's Ridge Brewing

Their "base" imperial stout (you'll read why with reviews 2 and 3 ). Black as night, viscous as Valvoline, dark chocolate-y as Ghiradelli with a splash of espresso. I'll guess 60 IBUs with an ABV of 10.4%

Dire Wolf One Line (draft)-Wolf's Ridge

The coffee infused version. Same as above with a very generous infusion of local espresso, but I can't remember which roaster our server named. The "base" version had no adjuncts. This variation was loaded with rich, dark roast coffee flavors. Same stats. Decadent.

[devildeac]

Dire Wolf (draft)-Wolf's Ridge Brewing

Their "base" imperial stout (you'll read why with reviews 2 and 3 ). Black as night, viscous as Valvoline, dark chocolate-y as Ghiradelli with a splash of espresso. I'll guess 60 IBUs with an ABV of 10.4%

Dire Wolf One Line (draft)-Wolf's Ridge

The coffee infused version. Same as above with a very generous infusion of local espresso, but I can't remember which roaster our server named. The "base" version had no adjuncts. This variation was loaded with rich, dark roast coffee flavors. Same stats. Decadent.

Coffee Vanilla Dire Wolf (draft)-Wolf's Ridge

I am very fortunate to have shared this 5 beer sampler with our son. Somewhat surprisingly (and thankfully), the coffee in this version didn't overwhelm the vanilla, which was quite prominent. Same stats. Beyond decadent. I liked this offering better, but not by much, and our son liked the One Line variant better, but they were both amazing. Now for that BBA version...

[devildeac]

Merry Monks-Weyerbacher Brewing

I'm almost embarrassed to post that I've never had this beer. It's their Belgian-style triple ale.

Appearance: slightly cloudy with a fizzy, foamy, lacy, lingering head
Color: light golden-yellow
Nose: banana, orange juice, citrus peel, spicy
Tastes: coriander?, orange juice, orange pith, hints of black pepper, banana, light brown sugar
Hops: Hallertau, Saaz, Fuggles (they need one more to make it a Euro stretch 4 )
Grains: Pilsner, maybe pale and Two-row
IBU: 18
ABV: 9.3%

Glassware: tulip or snifter
Food pairing: mussels (silly me), light seafood entrees, melons, berries

Very good for the style at about $12 for the 6er with my buck off Total Wine coupon last week. Several available for tasting/trading . Perhaps coming soon to a tailgate near you.

[devildeac]

Hopsolution-Bell's Brewery

Yet another entrant in the crowded IIPA arena. This one is a foamy, orange-yellow pour that has first impression scents of canned pineapple juice, flavors of a Dole juice blend of pineapple juice, OJ, orange zest and a piney, oily finish. Bell's doesn't quote IBUs anywhere because bitterness is in the mouth of the beerholder, or some such nonsense they claimed somewhere on their website. But, this is a moderately bitter beverage, guessing 80 IBUs and the ABV is a bit thin for the style at "only" 8%. I like Two Hearted Ale better (I know, it's really an IPA.) and Hopslam and Hoptimum from SN are better DIPAs. I'm waiting for fuse to deliver a bottle or two of The Oracle for a comparison . I'd pair this with spicy entrees and have several available for trading during FB season.

[devildeac]

Brown Ale-Legend Brewing

Drink regional!

A tip of the mug to Bob Green for this bomber/starter brew to tailgate today. Poured a dark brown with dark caramel, nutty and mild chocolate-y aromas and tastes to match. Nice pairing with my foot long Costco, a TrueBlue'CueCrew tradition. Others had their ~5 ounce samples with wings or ABTs, or both. I'll guess IBUs around 30 and the ABV about 5%, neither being listed on the bottle and I've got too many samples to review tonight to look at their website.

[devildeac]

Beer #2-Worth a repost:

Sumatra Mountain-Founders Brewing Company

Fullsteam's Coffee Is For Closers may have met its match . Bought a couple weeks ago with a $1.50 off coupon from Total Wine for about $9 for the 4 pack. It's an imperial brown ale with a mahogany hue, little head and a chocolate-covered coffee bean aroma, followed by thick, nutty, cocoa-y, espresso-like tastes and a dry finish. Listed on the bottle (unusual for Founders): caramel, chocolate, aromatic and Munich malts, flaked barley, German and Perle hops and Sumatra coffee. IBUs are 40, perhaps a tad high for the style and the ABV of 9% is way over the limit for a standard brown ale, hence the imperial designation. I hope I can sleep tonight after 12 ounces of this decadent, boozey nightcap. Maybe I should have saved it for breakfast tomorrow .

Shared this with the tailgate group today with potato salad and some spicy baked beans. Pass the cream and sugar!

[devildeac]

Creme Brulee-Southern Tier

Been reviewed a time or 3 here but worth re-visiting. Several of us split this 12 ounce bottle from August West between courses. Thanks! Two ounces each of liquid dessert was just about right. Sweet, sweet dark chocolate which was heavy on the vanilla beans. Early dessert!

[devildeac]

Blushing Monk 2015-Founders Brewing

Their first re-release from their Backstage Series, originally brewed in 2011. This Belgian-style ale, most likely a tripel, was brewed with a ridiculous amount of raspberries and probably can best be thought of as Rubaeus' big brother. Pour from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle was a medium red-brown with a fruity nose and luscious amounts of raspberries upfront and throughout each sip. I'll guess 20 IBUs and the ABV was 9.2%. Paired nicely with a peach cobbler and a second helping when a couple folks decided they didn't like fruited ales that much. Many thanks to August West for cellaring this since the 2015 FB season.

[CathyCA]

Creme Brulee-Southern Tier

Been reviewed a time or 3 here but worth re-visiting. Several of us split this 12 ounce bottle from August West between courses. Thanks! Two ounces each of liquid dessert was just about right. Sweet, sweet dark chocolate which was heavy on the vanilla beans. Early dessert!

This was very tasty! It's a bit thick/viscous, like creme brûlée! The taste initially begins as bitter but resolves to a smooth sweet vanilla.

And, I would use this as a candle flavor, too!

[CathyCA]

Blushing Monk 2015-Founders Brewing

Their first re-release from their Backstage Series, originally brewed in 2011. This Belgian-style ale, most likely a tripel, was brewed with a ridiculous amount of raspberries and probably can best be thought of as Rubaeus' big brother. Pour from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle was a medium red-brown with a fruity nose and luscious amounts of raspberries upfront and throughout each sip. I'll guess 20 IBUs and the ABV was 9.2%. Paired nicely with a peach cobbler and a second helping when a couple folks decided they didn't like fruited ales that much. Many thanks to August West for cellaring this since the 2015 FB season.

People didn't like this? OMG! What is WRONG with you people? I LOVED this brew! This was pure liquid delight!

If they bottled this ale in a pink bottle and called it "Raspberry Delight," it would capture the top of the female market share. I would pour this drink in a champagne fountain and serve it at brunch! What a delightfully fruity berry drink!

[devildeac]

Blushing Monk 2015-Founders Brewing

Their first re-release from their Backstage Series, originally brewed in 2011. This Belgian-style ale, most likely a tripel, was brewed with a ridiculous amount of raspberries and probably can best be thought of as Rubaeus' big brother. Pour from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle was a medium red-brown with a fruity nose and luscious amounts of raspberries upfront and throughout each sip. I'll guess 20 IBUs and the ABV was 9.2%. Paired nicely with a peach cobbler and a second helping when a couple folks decided they didn't like fruited ales that much. Many thanks to August West for cellaring this since the 2015 FB season.

People didn't like this? OMG! What is WRONG with you people? I LOVED this brew! This was pure liquid delight!

If they bottled this ale in a pink bottle and called it "Raspberry Delight," it would capture the top of the female market share. I would pour this drink in a champagne fountain and serve it at brunch! What a delightfully fruity berry drink!

Yo, yo, yo. Two posts in a row from Cathy? Eight minutes apart?! On the Ymm, Beer thread?!?! Must be the new screening/no re-entry/no bags policy . We need to keep pouring her beer samples next weekend. Maybe have her drive to the Duck-Rabbit Brewery and/or Mother Earth and see if she can purchase any brewery-only beverages she can share with us...

[devildeac]

Ovila Abbey Quad-Sierra Nevada and Abbey of New Clairvaux

The last of my ~$8 corked and caged 750 ml bottles of my trio of these ales, shared with 4-5 others yesterday at tailgate. Pour was a ruby-brown with a tan, creamy head. Aromas of dark caramel and cherries were first up, followed by tastes of the same with raisins, dates, figs and milk chocolate and a very nice not-too-sweet cherry finish. I'll guess IBUs of 30 and the ABV was stamped as 9.2% ABV. Paired nicely with some more peach cobbler but it'd be very tasty with any chocolate dessert, too. This was pretty luscious and I was rather proud of my decision to cellar this for a few months for the first tailgate and thought rather highly of my choice until August West brought out the final bottle/sample of the day and shamed/humbled me a bit...

[devildeac]

Bourbon Barrel Quad (2015)-Boulevard Brewing Company

Absolutely killer beer. Many, many thanks to August West for this selection. Pour/appearance was pretty similar to the Ovila Quad but there's dark caramel, bourbon, dark cherries (added), more booze and dark fruits in the aroma, followed by tastes of oak, vanilla, dark cherries, bourbon, a bunch more dark fruits, cocoa and a warming, boozy finish. Dangerously easy to sip at 26 IBUs combined with the ABV of 11.8% makes this decadent and sinful to consume. We divided this slightly chilled, 750 ml corked and caged bottle among 4-5 of us. Liquid dessert in a glass. Here's some data from the brewer:

Malt: Pale Malt, Cara 300, Munich, Malted Wheat
Adjuncts: Dextrose, Brown Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar, Dark Candi Syrup, tart cherries
Hops: Magnum, Styrian Golding

Truly outstanding finish to our tasting.

[CathyCA]

Blushing Monk 2015-Founders Brewing

Their first re-release from their Backstage Series, originally brewed in 2011. This Belgian-style ale, most likely a tripel, was brewed with a ridiculous amount of raspberries and probably can best be thought of as Rubaeus' big brother. Pour from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle was a medium red-brown with a fruity nose and luscious amounts of raspberries upfront and throughout each sip. I'll guess 20 IBUs and the ABV was 9.2%. Paired nicely with a peach cobbler and a second helping when a couple folks decided they didn't like fruited ales that much. Many thanks to August West for cellaring this since the 2015 FB season.

People didn't like this? OMG! What is WRONG with you people? I LOVED this brew! This was pure liquid delight!

If they bottled this ale in a pink bottle and called it "Raspberry Delight," it would capture the top of the female market share. I would pour this drink in a champagne fountain and serve it at brunch! What a delightfully fruity berry drink!

Yo, yo, yo. Two posts in a row from Cathy? Eight minutes apart?! On the Ymm, Beer thread?!?! Must be the new screening/no re-entry/no bags policy . We need to keep pouring her beer samples next weekend. Maybe have her drive to the Duck-Rabbit Brewery and/or Mother Earth and see if she can purchase any brewery-only beverages she can share with us...

This is a splendid idea, and I'll work on it. I can't promise it for the Duke-WFU game, but perhaps I can make a brewery-only purchase for another game.

[devildeac]

From 9/20/13:

Old Chub-Oskar Blues Brewing

Drink local! From their new brewery in Brevard, NC, this Scotch ale is an excellent example of the style. Not many folks brew this style and the ones that do usually call it a Scotch style ale. My favorite for years has been SA Scotch Ale which is not brewed very often. The other has been Traquair House Ale which is a hefty $8-9 for a 330 ml bottle. This one poured a slightly viscous dark brown and had aromas of dark caramel and cocoa and tastes to match along with a wee bit of smokiness. Generous foamy head topped off the pour from the 12 ounce can. Wouldn't hesitate for a moment to buy another 6er of this one.

From tonight:

Four of us shared a 12 ounce can of this, paired with grilled/rubbed pork tenderloin, and Montreal spiced/rubbed grilled beef tenderloin, steamed baby carrots with a honey glaze, fresh/steamed green beans, twice baked cheddar potatoes and sliced NC tomatoes. Very nice combination. As fuse has posted before, beer is almost always better with family and/or friends.

[devildeac]

Skull Crushing Ape-Devils Backbone Brewing

The marketing department earns their salaries again .

I'm not sure I've ever had this style of beer, a schwarz-weizen doppelbock. This was another shared 12 ounce bottle with the previously posted menu tonight. Pour was a dark brown (not black for you German scholars) with a tan, creamy head. This really tasted like an orange/dark chocolate/caramel dipped banana that had been passed very briefly through a smoke house. It's a lager, so despite its name/appearance, it was rather light on the palate with minimal bitterness at 20 IBUs and a hefty 8% ABV, making another nice pairing with our feast this evening. I think this was $9-10 for the 6er a couple weeks ago with my buck off Total Wine coupon. I gave a couple to family members so I'll still have a couple traders this weekend at the Devil-Deac game.

[devildeac]

Flanders Red-Destihl Brewing

From their Wild Sour series, which amazingly contains 11 beers according to their website. This one poured a brilliant ruby-amber color with a small, fizzy head. Aromas were "corked" or "turned" wines and sour cherries. Tastes were lactic acid, vinegar, Sour Patch cherry kids and Warheads. I haven't had a Rodenbach for probably a decade or more but this really reminded me of that ale. Amazingly, I didn't wonder "why" as fuse mentioned, probably because he had prepared me what to expect with his review, plus, the distant memory of the intense sourness of a Belgian Flanders red ale. IBUs are 15 and the ABV is 6.1%. This is worth a single purchase for anyone wishing to try the style (I think I spent about $10 for the 4 pack) but I doubt it'll be added to your favorite list. I'll return to Total Wine later this week and buy a single Rodenbach and probably do a side-by-side, either by myself or with our son who we'll be visiting next weekend. I think it's that authentic/close to the traditional Belgian offering.

Done. Again.

Rodenbach-Brouweriij Rodenbach (or something like that)

Now owned by Palm Brewery.

The classic (original?) Belgian red/brown/sour ale, brewed since 1821. Poured from a $2.69 330 ml bottle (dated 9/24/16 so we "enjoyed by" the suggested date) and divided into 2 "cocktail" glasses with our son last PM, along with the Destihl as threatened, err, promised last month. The Rodenbach is a blend of old/aged on oak ale and young/un-aged ale in a 25%/75% fashion. Color was a mildly murky, reddish-brown with next to no head. Aromas were red wine, vinegar and tart cherries with tastes of the same, smoothed a bit with some oaky/woody flavors. Their website states the pH at 3.4 (I've never seen beer pH measurements before :eek: ) but no IBUs so I'll guess 20 as it was more sour and winey than bitter. ABV is 5.2%. Tough to figure out a pairing with this. Mussels are the obvious recommendation here but I don't like them, so I'll go with sauerbraten or shrimp diavolo.

Now, the comparison. As expected, fuse was on the money as I expected with the Destihl being significantly more sour (there is no sourness scale for comparisons that I'm aware of like the AA/Lovibond/SRM/IBU/ABV numbers) than the Rodenbach which almost seemed tame with its oaky/winey characteristics vs the very tart cherry/Sour Patch/Warheads type sour of the Destihl.

I've got one can of the Destihl left and would be happy to trade at tailgate but, if I have no takers, I'll likely try to pair it some night with a mixed green salad with bleu cheese crumbles, lots of berries, candied pecans, craisins and a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

[devildeac]

Liquid Bliss-Terrapin Beer Company

This is the second chocolate peanut butter porter I've tasted with the first being from DuClaw brewing. The pour was dark brown with a small, tan head that lingered for a bit. Not surprisingly, the nose was Jif (or Skippy or Peter Pan), Hershey's with a wafting of Starbucks (or Caribou). Tastes were nutty, chocolate-y and coffee-like, the latter of which is fairly typical for a porter. Best served slightly chilled in a pint glass, with or without a chocolate chip cookie. IBUs listed at 23 and the ABV was 6.1%. Hey, Chuck, here are the ingredients from their web site:

Hops: US Golding
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Wheat, Crystal 85, Crystal 120, Chocolate Wheat, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt
Other: Peanut Butter, Boiled GA Peanuts, Olive & Sinclair Cocoa Nibs

This was their Side Project volume 18. What else might you expect from a Georgia brewery beside this and some variation of a peach ale? Cool label, too.

[devildeac]

For Pete's Sake-DuClaw Brewing

An imperial version of this (from 12/3/13):

Sweet Baby Jesus-DuClaw Brewing

Quite the name (though I'd have probably picked another) for this chocolate peanut butter porter. A shout out to fuse for his selection of this as one of his traders last month. It poured a dark, dark brown with a thick, foamy head. Aroma and tastes were Reese's peanut butter cups with a trace of espresso. Six grains and two hop varieties weigh in at an ABV of 6.5% and IBU of 53, both a bit high for the style but very pleasant. Dessert beer all the way. This is worth a 4 pack or 6er to do some bartering as I'm not sure I could drink more than a couple of these during the fall/winter seasons but definitely worth tasting.

A bit more viscous with a dramatically smaller head, a few less IBUs (a tad surprising but really not perceptible) at 45 and a lot more booze at 9% ABV. Serve up with a few dark chocolate covered raisins, some caramel-drizzled brownies or in a snifter by itself for a liquid dessert.

Shout out to August West for this as a trader last Saturday.

[devildeac]

From 9/28/10:

Milk Stout-Left Hand Brewing

I didn't have one of these at Brunchgate Saturday (just too &*%$ing hot) but dpslaw was kind enough to include one in my going away package so I enjoyed it last PM on a slightly cooler fall evening. For folks who don't like "dark" beers, you might wish to give this a try. Ozzie had one and liked it. I think it was the sweetness of the brew from the lactose sugar used in the brewing process. It is almost black, slighly viscous and has the aromas and tastes expected from a stout with a bit of coffee and a bit of dark chocolate. Its texture is enhanced by the use of oats in the brewing process which render it almost silky smooth. IBU about 40 and ABV probably <6%. Great with all the usual dessert suspects of CCC, brownies or chocolate chip pee-can pie or by itself. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would feel right at home in 4-6 ounces of this brew .

From tonight:

Nitro Milk Stout-Left Hand Brewing

I'm not sure much has changed in almost 6 year except they've added Nitro to the name and I guess figured out how to put nitro in the bottles without a widget like some of those from Great Britain . Similar appearance/pour/aromas/mouthfeel and tastes. I guessed IBUs wrong 6 years ago as they state 25 and the ABV is listed at 6%. Here's the ingredient list:

Malt: Pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, Roasted Barley, Flaked Oats, Flaked Barley and Chocolate
Hops: Magnum and US Goldings

A tip of the pint glass to August West for this trader after the NCCU game.