Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Big Lushious 2014-Founder's Brewing

Spelling corrected. Lushious/luscious-spelling doesn't matter-it fits both ways.

What ricks68 said.

We divided this capped 750 ml bottle among 4-5 people and all of us are happy/grateful that August West wisely/kindly saved from the fall of 2014. Poured and looked like Tenfidy. Seductive scents of dark, dark chocolate and raspberry whatever: syrup, preserves, jellied candy, fresh from the bush. Mouthfeel was thick, oily and viscous and tasted like dark chocolate raspberry liqueur or fudge with a splash of espresso. I'll guess IBUs of 50 and the ABV was listed in small print on the label under the vixen's right tricep at 7.8% but it tasted more like 10%+. This was sinful and decadent. I don't think I could drink more than 6-8 ounces at a sitting, whether it was solo from a cordial glass, drizzled over my favorite vanilla ice cream or with a small bowl of assorted berries.

[devildeac]

From 12/21/15:

From 6/18/15:

Chocolatized-Pisgah Brewing

2014 gold medal winner for chocolate beers at the Great American Beer Festival. Amazing beer. I'm glad my birthday yesterday coincided with fuse's and finished with Tripping William's today. I needed 2 days to finish this bomber that ricks68 was kind enough to procure several months ago.

They took the beer formerly known as Vortex II, which I'm guessing was an imperial stout, and added 25 lbs of raw cocoa nibs to each 5 bbl brewing and transformed it into Chocolatized. Poured an almost opaque onyx color with a modest beige head. Smells like a dark, iced chocolate malted and tasted like semi-sweet chocolate covered raisins, dates and figs with a very small splash of whiskey-laced espresso in the finish. Well, maybe there's a bit of black strap molasses here, too. Incredible smooth, silky and almost oily mouthfeel make me think there are some oats in the heavily roasted dark malt grain bill. Hops have a minimal presence here but, considering the style, I'll guess IBUs about 50 with a numbing ABV of over 11%. Flavors are enhanced as I let tonight's serving warm over the hour I sipped it. Decadent liquid dessert, as expected, but I could imagine a small square of a triple chocolate brownie or a sliver of a flourless chocolate torte as an accompaniment to this also. I've got a 2nd bomber but I'm not quite sure what to do with it-save for a tailgate this fall or share it with family later this summer. Hmmm...


From last PM:

Now about that 2nd bomber I mentioned above...

Probably not many different thoughts after cellaring this bomber from March, 2015 until December. Perhaps a bit smoother and more dangerous drinking now. I shared this with our son along with a small sliver of a mini chocolate chess pie. Decadent. Hoping ricks68 was able to purchase another bomber or two of this last month when it was apparently re-released.

From Matthewgate:

Sadly/not surprisingly, this one finished 2nd to Big Lushious in our tasting but this is still an outstanding end of tailgate beverage and was just as enjoyable after nearly a year in the bomber.

Many thanks to ricks68 for cellaring and sharing.

[devildeac]

From 5/1/13:

Rampant-New Belgium Brewing

Very pleasant and interesting variation to the DIPA style. Two of the hops are varieties I've never read about, Mosaic and Calypso. The third, Centennial, gives the typical citrus burst to the nose and tastes but the other two lend other tropical fruits to the experience and I perceive mango, papaya and pineapple. Pretty evenly balanced with an IBU of 85 and an ABV of 8.5%. There is a bit of sweetness to the taste and the use of pale malt does not surprise me but the black malt does, as does the light yellow-golden pour with a slightly foamy, creamy head. The bomber was $5 which I thought was quite reasonable and I split it over 2 nights. Would match well with spicy fare.

From last PM:

Now available in 12 ounce bottles as part of a NB 12 pack sampler, CB&B was kind enough to give me a bottle at Matthewgate and I forgot to give him a trader so I'll hold one in reserve for him for 11/5 or 11/10.

Pretty similar to my impressions from over 3 years ago but last night I perceived more stone fruits than those of the citrus/tropical persuasions and would add sweet and sour dishes to my list of suggested pairings. A really good IIPA.

[devildeac]

Man of Law-Southern Pines Brewing Company

Drink kinda local!

My first ever brew from this brewery and first of my 4 pack September beer club litter from Bottle Revolution. Not a bad start, but not really a palate grabber either. Pour was light gold with a small head. Nose over the glass tells me a little pine/resin and a bit of rind. Tastes mirror the scents. IBUs of 60 and ABV at 6.4% so a reasonable balance, just like the scales of Justise (had to work a reference to the beer's name and some MBB into the post somehow ). I'd pair this with grilled bovine fare or some deli sammiches and spicy brown mustard. But, then again, it's an average brew and I doubt I'd partake of it again, so forget the pairings . Worth a single to try a new brew but not a 6er.

[devildeac]

Duck Hook Cream Ale-Southern Pines Brewing Company

Second 12 ounce can from my Bottle Revolution September beer club. Pour was a pale straw with a wispy, thin head. Nose of light corn syrup and fresh flowers. Tastes of the same with minimal bitterness. Labeled as a lager/ale hybrid with both yeast types and Czech hops. IBUs of 16 and ABV of 4.3%. To quote fuse (), "You can almost taste the cream in this one." I'd pair this with a light seafood entree or soft cheeses. This was a pleasant, easy sipping surprise compared to the Man of Law IPA. Looking forward to Vitamin Sea tonight and Malty by Nature tomorrow or over the weekend.

[devildeac]

Vitamin Sea-Southern Pines Brewing Company

Australian sparkling ale?!?! WTH?!?! I must confess I've never seen/heard of this style but, again, was pleasantly surprised. Pour was a copper-tinged yellow with a small head. Pears and apples greet me first, followed by light grapey/winey and lightly toasted bready tastes. Topaz, Monteuka and Hallertau Blanc hops are listed with IBUs at 20. I'll guess some Pale, Crystal and Carapils malts for a very sippable ABV of 4.5%. I'd grill some scallops or light fish with a mango/pineapple salsa to serve with this. Won't go out and buy a litter of these but would smile at finding one in a cooler on a warm fall afternoon.

[devildeac]

From 4/24/14:

Breakfast Stout-Founders Brewing

Pass the cream and sugar!

This was another leftover from an office meeting I missed last week. Found it in the back of the 'fridge behind the budlite no one wants.

Poured darn near black with a creamy beige head. Coffee, coffee and more coffee up front with semi-sweet chocolate and espresso throughout the tasting with a modestly bitter backbone due to the heavily roasted grains and moderate hop presence. IBUs are 60 and the ABV is 8.3% so this is in the imperial stout family. It's labeled as a double chocolate oatmeal stout and the flaked oats lend some smoothness to the typical bitter flavors you ascertain from the darkly roasted coffee. This is a liquid dessert you could enjoy by itself or sip briefly chilled with almost any chocolate or even cinnamon pastry/cake. Always a treat to enjoy one of these.

From tonight:

Thanks to August West (or was it dpslaw?) for this trader a couple or three weeks ago.

Not much different than 2.5 years ago and not quite as good as the draft from last month but still an excellent "morning" beer.

[devildeac]

Haute Route (crowler)-New Holland Brewing Pub on 8th Street

Last one-dated 9/22/16-still fresh!

Beer is (almost always) better with friends.

Budwom (and his lovely female accomplice) were kind enough to invite Mrs. dd and me to cocktail hour at their host/hostess' 70 year old oceanfront home (dolphin viewing not included with this particular admission ) this afternoon so, as my mama told me many decades ago, "Never show up empty-handed," I transported the above beverage and proceeded to share the 32 ounces with budwom. The ladies sipped wine and our host sipped some Ketel. I think budwom and I were the winners but we'll never tell anyone else .

It's a Belgian-style golden ale that was a bit coppery and bronzey (like my weekend tan ) with a modest, half inch foamy head. Tantalizing aromas as expected with some banana, clove, orange and some booze. In this case, gin, from their barrel-aging. Tastes even better than expected with a bit of a dry finish and more gin at the end, too. Paired well with our pimento cheese/crab spread and pita points/toasted mini-bagels. Would have been fine with a bowl of berries, too. Or by itself. I'm happy to have purchased and shared with fuse but quite sad that it's gone as I doubt I'll ever taste this again. Tough call between this and the BBA Tripel Overhead from Mother Earth Brewing as to choosing a favorite. But, I/we can always search for other comparable drafts.

[devildeac]

Malty by Nature-Southern Pines Brewing Company

The last of the September beer club litter of cans, labeled a Scottish-style export ale ( ), wasn't much of a kilt-lifter for me. Pour was a dark amber with some dark caramel and over-toasted wheat bread as lead-off hitters, followed by the same with a bit of peat/smoke and earthy/herbal hops. IBUs of 18 and ABV was 5.1%. Burgers, ribs, brisket or stew would make nice pairings with this but overall, I thought it a bit thin/weak for the style, much as Tripping William suggests above or, as fuse has mentioned in the past, more of a "meh, beer."

[devildeac]

Blame Tripping William-he started the pumpkin onslaught.

Or blame fuse for my selection of a cleverly named brew.

Gordgeous-NoDa Brewing

I found a 4 pack of this at Bottle Revolution about 6 weeks ago, contacted fuse who remembered having this a year or three ago on draft and liking it so I bought it. NoDa does not distribute in the Triangle area so any sightings are because that particular bottle shop went to Charlotte and picked up a load of NoDa offerings.

Pour was a dark amber from a 16 ounce can shared with my beer buddy (aka younger daughter) for the next 4 weeks. Small head with aromas from the spice rack on Thanksgiving day. The brewers make a point on the can that they do not use cinnamon or nutmeg and that all their additives (allspice, cardamon, clove and ginger) are fresh-cracked on brew day. Still tastes like grandmama's pumpkin pie (a good thing) with all the spices and prominent pumpkin flavors. IBUs weigh in at 29 and the ABV is 6.4% so not imperial level. I'll have to add this to my very short list of drinkable pumpkin ales along with the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin as reviewed above and the DFH Punk'n Ale. Happy to have bought the small litter for about $12-13 and shared 2 of them with fuse.

[devildeac]

Hoppelbock-Heavy Seas and Troegs Brewing

Doppelbock meets IPA. Collabeeration!

I think I got this for about $8 at Total Wine last month, intending to share at a tailgate or Matthewgate, but alas, our younger daughter is in town and we're working our way through singles and/or bombers for the next 4 weeks.

Pour was a light amber with a modest head. Aromas of pine/resin, tropical fruits, caramel, brown sugar and butterscotch. Tastes lined up with the aromas with a little pineapple, some cherries and toasted wheat bread with a modest bitterness. Some investigation yields IBUs of 50, fairly typical for an IPA (as I would have guessed), and the label claims 8% ABV, right in the ballpark for a doppelbock. Very nice hybrid brew. Here are some ingredients:

Hops: blend of German and American Hops
Malts: Floor malted German Pilsen malt, Local Vienna malt (MD), Local Munich Malt (PA)

Prosit!

Gesundheit!

[devildeac]

From 5/1/14:

Sweet Josie-Lonerider Brewing

Is there an outlaw in you? Pretty standard fare as brown ales go with a medium brown pour, small head and aromas of toffee and roasted mixed nuts and tastes to match. I'd guess IBU around 30 and the ABV is a bit high for the style at 6.1%. This was a leftover from an office meeting I missed a couple weeks ago and wouldn't mind missing again and gathering up one again if this was one of the remnants .

From tonight:

To ricks68: Yes, this is one of the beers you "left" at Matthewgate on 10/8 and will be considered your "storage" fee until the cheaters game in a few weeks . I promise you that the Solstice and the Boojum brews will remain refrigerated and untouched by human lips until that night. Thanks!

I thought there was a bit of a ruby hue to tonight's pour and a bit more mild chocolate than a couple years ago. Otherwise, a solid brown ale that would accompany grilled bovine and/or porcine fare quite nicely.

[devildeac]

Graveyard Fields-Boojum Brewing Company

Drink local/regional!

Ricks68 left 3 of these at Matthewgate and now there are 2 and fuse gets one tomorrow (if I can find his @#$ in the pumpkin patch). Guess I'll have to find a replacement for this for ricks68's trip for the cheaters game.

Pour was a dark brown with a thick, creamy tan head. Coffee up front, in the middle and in the finish. Medium roast. Not subtle but not overwhelming unless you're a blueberry trying to find its way into the flavors of this beer. I'm missing the fruitiness. Lots of dark, roasted malts and some milk chocolate but no blueberries. I think their website quotes the IBUs at 28, a bit lower than expected, and the ABV is on the 12 ounce can at 5%. Very good example for a coffee porter that I think would be delicious with a half a rack of 12 Bones ribs with their blueberry chipotle sauce, baked beans and slaw.

Thanks!

[devildeac]

Avant Garde (draft)-Port City Brewing/The Lost Abbey

As fuse posted a few lines above this one, an excellent beer made even better with good food, and, more importantly, good friends.


It's been about 2 years since I had a Port City/Lost Abbey ale and when I noted it on the menu at Tyler's last PM, the choice (out of their 80 taps) became an easy one. Best described as a biere de garde (there's supposed to be a short line over the first "e" in biere ), it mostly mirrors the traditional northern France farmhouse ale. The pour, in a 16 ounce Founder's snifter, was a slightly cloudy amber, a bit darker than standard. A bouquet of apples and pears, interwoven with a tad over-baked loaf of wheat bread greets me first. Tasted like browned biscuits topped with apple-pear butter and some herbal/earthy spices. A bit more bitter than I'd expect from the style but not unpleasant at all. I'll guess IBUs of 30. The ABV is 7%. This made an excellent pairing with blackened/grilled/chilled/shredded salmon on a bed of mixed greens, some raw, red onions and some parmesan cheese shavings. As mentioned above, even better with friends. This is available in corked and caged 750 ml bottles and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment before grabbing one (or three) off your favorite retailer's shelf.

[August West]

Eagerly awaiting a report about the FullSteam release party for LEMURIA:
http://www.fullsteam.ag/events/
No lemurs were harmed and no lasers were used in the making of this brew.

Picked up a bottle of "Return to Lemuria". Come to Durham and review it with DD and me. Two tailgates left this season. AW.

[devildeac]

Chocolate Ale (2015?)-Boulevard Brewing Company

A corked and caged 750 ml two buck off special closeout from Total Wine last month that'll not make its anticipated journey to a tailgate this year .

This was their 14th offering in the Smokestack Series. Generous, foamy head atop a moderately cloudy, medium amber color elixir. Bready, milk chocolate-y nose and caramel, toasted wheat bread, earthy/herbal and chocolate-y tastes from the "rare variety from the Dominican Republic, prized for its robust flavor and aroma, and a personal favorite. More than a mere flavoring, the chocolate — in the form of nibs, or crushed, roasted beans – was incorporated into the brewing process itself." Other ingredients:

Malt: Pale Malt, Caracrystal Wheat, Simpsons Honey Naked Oats
Adjuncts: Dextrose
Hops:Perle
Other: Cacao Nibs

I know it was an ale but it most closely resembled Sam Adams' old Chocolate Bock though significantly higher ABV at 9.1%. IBUs were 24 so this was mild on the tongue's bitterness sensors. My wife's cousin visiting got about 8 ounces of this and said she liked it, wouldn't go out of her way for it again and when offered another aliquot, politely declined so I was the consummate, gracious host and offered to finish the last few ounces . To be fair, I liked the Bourbon Barrel Quad better from Boulevard that August West brought to a tailgate last month. Made a nice pairing with a double chocolate brownie shortly before lights out early this AM.

[devildeac]

Honey Lavender Saison-Innovation Brewing

Delicate beers can be delicious, too.

I divided this bomber tonight with our younger tenant, err, daughter, provided via the Buncombe County distribution service of ricks68. Thanks!

Pour was a straw-colored hue with a well-retained fizzy head. Smelled like a spice/herb/flower garden and tasted like a liquid bouquet with a drizzle of honey. There's a bit of the typical Belgian yeast pepperiness, too. Rather light on the palate with the IBUs of 20 and the ABV of 5%. I'd match this with shrimp scampi (without too much garlic) or any lighter seafood entree. My daughter thought it'd be good with a lemon/poppy seed pound cake.

[devildeac]

Flowering Citrus Ale-New Belgium and De Koninck Breweries

Another collabeertion!

Lemon-limeade with half a shot of vodka. I divided this 12 ounce bottle (a bit less than equally ) with our younger daughter tonight as she had a small slice of fresh apple-coconut cake with a lemon icing and half a brownie. I had my ale. Pour was a yellow-gold with a modest head. Aromas were floral and citrusy and tastes were from a flower garden with a tart, Sierra Mist-like finish. It most resembles a Belgian style golden ale, but not a tripel. IBUs were 30 and the ABV a bit unexpected at 7.4%. I'd pair with a fruity-salsa topped tilapia, haricot verts and some loaded baked potatoes. Ingredients:



YEAST: Antwerp yeast
HOPS: Mistral
MALTS: Pale malt, rye
FRUITS/SPICES: Hibiscus, rose petals, key lime, whole lemons

Certainly worth the $8-9 paid for the 4 pack at Total Wine last month before my beercation. One may appear in a trader 4 pack at tailgate next weekend.

[devildeac]

Biere de Provence-Dogfish Head Brewing

More evidence that the folks at DFH will add just about anything to a craft beer. I'll let them describe first:

"Inspired by the fields of Provence in southern France, Bière de Provence begins with 2-row wheat and rye malts, and Jarrylo hops. A bounty of herbs, including lavender, bay leaf, marjoram and chervil, gives it a floral and spicy nose. With a hazy golden appearance, Bière de Provence is fermented using a Belgian yeast strain lending to a sweet and malty flavor profile. This summer saison has a smooth finish with a flavor that’s just as complex as it is crisp and refreshing.

“We are proud to release this culinary ingredient-infused beer on the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot,” says Dogfish Head founder and president Sam Calagione. “We have always believed this law is nothing more than a relatively modern form of art censorship.”



I must say, I've never heard the Reinheitsgebot described as censorship.

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle and shared (unequally) with our younger daughter, it appeared as a light copper color with a modest head. Nose was all herb garden and tastes were more herbs, including lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage (no parsley), black pepper and some sourdough bread. I have no idea what aromas/tastes marjoram and chervil have . IBUs are 30 and the ABV is a potent 8.3%, rather high for the saison style. I'd pair with roast lamb/chicken or a vegetarian wrap/panini. Also worth the $8-9 for the 4 pack at Total Wine last month with my buck off coupon. I like the NB/De Koninck collabeeration a bit better but this was a unique and interesting brew.

[devildeac]

I thought this ale sounded familiar when I went through my recent treasure trove from fuse:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale-Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company

(my fingers are tired after typing their name )

Turk's review is better phrased and organized than mine, even though once upon a time, way back when, in the day, his signature was, "Quality is not an option," IIRC.

Pour was a clean/clear light amber with a nose of bourbon and tastes of bourbon, caramel, bourbon, light caramel, bourbon, some oak, bourbon, hints of vanilla and, you guessed it, more bourbon. Little bitterness at an estimated 20 IBUs, guessing this is an amber ale. ABV is 8.2% so it's probably technically an imperial amber ale. I may have some reviews of this from 2008 that I'll try to search for, too.