Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Speedway Stout (bottled on 1/18/16)-Alesmith Brewing Company

The 750ml bottle that ricks68 didn't want .

Shared this with our son last PM. Poured almost black with a thin, beige head. Tons of coffee from the beginning to the end. Plenty of dark chocolate, dark fruits and burned dark caramel to accompany the espresso flavors. Did I mention this was a dark, dark, coffee-infused, Russian imperial stout ? I'll guess IBUs in the 60-70 range and the ABV was 12% . A slow, slow sipper. No barrel aging. I'm not sure I'd give this a 100 as ratebeer does, but it is an outstanding product, worth the $12-13 for the large format selection but also available in 16 ounce cans for about $6-7, a better per ounce purchase.

[devildeac]

Love Ninja (2016)-Asheville Brewing Company

This started out the devildeac family liquid dessert event last PM. Sadly, I think this bottle had "turned" as I got mostly foam despite slowly decanting the bomber into (almost) 4 equal portions. The other 3 sippers were impressed with the milk chocolate and raspberry flavors with a hint of coffee. I saw foam and tasted fruited cardboard. Lesson learned=drink soon after delivery. This is a wonderful beer when fresh.

[devildeac]

Rubus Cacao-Madtree Brewing Company

Two cans (12 ounces each) of dessert beer last PM, shared among 4 sippers.

It's a chocolate raspberry stout that poured a ruby-tinged, dark brown with a modest head. No foam! Aromas and tastes of chocolate-dipped, raspberry jellies with a drip or two of freshly roasted coffee. I'll guess IBUs of about 50, accompanied by an ABV of 7%. Still no appearances of any fresh fruits and/or baked goods.

[devildeac]

Raspberry Stout (2015?)-Hardywood Craft Brewery

Thanks, duketaylor!


One of the 750 ml corked and caged bottles that never got delivered during FB or MBB finally arrived in my back hallway after our younger daughter and a couple her friends met up with duketaylor a couple weekends ago for the exchange.

Pour was a dark, dark brown with lots of ruby highlights. Modest head and the expected aromas of chocolate and berries. Tastes tantalized with more of the same with a little bit of sour but a lot of red raspberry and dark chocolate flavors. There's some dark roasted grains and a drop or two of coffee here, too. Think a raspberry-chocolate torte or layer cake. IBUs of 50 and a deceiving ABV of 9.2%. This was divided 4 ways and we still haven't seen or tasted any baked goods with our liquid pleasures.

There is a second bottle and I think I see faint lettering on the label that looks like "fuse" but the printing is getting very, very difficult to discern...

[devildeac]

If Matches hadn't posted this, I'm not sure I'd have tried this. Thanks for the idea/suggestion!

Thick Mint-Southern Tier Brewing

We ran out of raspberry porters and stouts last PM () and there just happened to be a bomber of this chilled in the beer fridge so onto the counter it came for 15 minutes to warm up before decanting.

Almost black pour with a small rim of a mocha-colored head. Andes Mints, anyone? Girl Scout cookies? Dark chocolate dipped after dinner mints? They're all there , both on the nose and on the tongue. IBUs of 60 and a potent 10% ABV so this bomber signified an end to our dessert hour, or was it an hour and a half? Looks like it's available in 4 packs, too, as a bomber of just about any of Southern Tier dessert beer is too sweet to consume in a single sitting and are much better shared with friends and/or family, with or without any baked goods.

[devildeac]

Berliner Weisse-Mother Earth Brewing

Pretty typical take on this new old style except for some extra hopping in their souring kettles. Pour from a 12 ounce can included in my April beer club 4 pack was a cloudy, orange-yellow with a small amount of a fizzy head. Scents of light OJ with tastes of the same with mild sourness and some lemon and floral notes from the Citra and Mosaic hops added. I'll guess the IBUs a bit higher than the standard Berliner Weisse style, perhaps in the 20 range with the ABV at 5.1% so a kinda/sort refreshing (mostly) wheat ale on a warm spring evening. If you've never tried the style, a can of this would be a nice one to add to a 4 pack or 6er from different brewers and sample them over several nights, or, in the same evening during a tasting with some friends and/or family.

[devildeac]

Ripper-Stone Brewing

The final 12 ounce can-tainer in my April beer club 4 pack.

Poured into a pint glass with a wee bit cloudy, orange-yellow hue and a moderate, foamy head. Mildly pungent nose of grapefruit with some stone fruits and some grapefruit on the palate. Stone call this a San Diego pale ale and it inches fairly close to the IPA border but doesn't quite enter with IBUs of 40, a bit lower than my own personal hop-o-meter perceived, and an ABV of 5.7%. I believe I'd pair this with some mildly spicy Asian entrees. Enjoyable/glad to have tried/worth a single or draft but won't purchase a 6er.

[devildeac]

Cabin Fever-New Glarus Brewing Company

It's new beer time again. Finally!

There are now 4 of these remaining from the 6er our younger daughter and her husband bought in Kenosha at Woodman's a couple weeks ago during a jaunt up there during their house-hunting excursion in Chicago. They took the first one as their "delivery fee." Don't fret, fuse, they'll only be 5 in your 6er, too. They're equal opportunity sippers .

It's a pale bock beer, meaning, it's a lager. Pour was light gold with a 2 finger, eggshell white head. Pleasant aromas of lightly toasted wheat bread and honey (added) with matching tastes, along with very mild, hoppy floral notes, all delicately balanced with bee nectar and some light brown sugar/butterscotch. It's a tad on the sweet side. No IBUs quoted but I'll guess 10-20 (max) as it's quite smooth. Snooping around various beer sites, I discovered the ABV is 6%, so this was a very pleasant prelude last PM to some Road Slush after an on call weekend...

[devildeac]

Road Slush-New Glarus Brewing Company

Another +1 for the NG marketing department in naming this oatmeal stout selection.

Appearance in my pint glass after a semi-aggressive pour was dark brown with a creamy, foamy, almost 2 inch beige head, served slightly chilled as the label suggests. Enticing aromas of medium roast coffee and cocoa. Tasting was even better than the scents with strong, milk chocolate flavors and sidebars of java and molasses. Mouthfeel was quite smooth from the oats in the grain bill. NG rarely lists IBUs or ABV so I'll guess 30 IBUs and 6% ABV, a nice finishing beverage on a cool, rainy spring night. Suggested pairings would be any sort of beef roasts, hard/aged cheeses or chocolate/caramel desserts.

[devildeac]

Walter (draft)-Raleigh Brewing Company

Beer is always better with friends. This was the first of four samples of 4 (or 5) ounces each with fuse after work today.

Pour was a yellow-orange with a smallish head. Tropical nose with pineapple, grapefruit and other assorted tropical flavors along with a bit of orange rind. It's a DIPA and I'll have to venture about 70 IBUs and the ABV on the electronic beer board was 9%. I'd have a pint of this if I saw it again and would certainly purchase a 4 pack or 6er if they started packaging it.

[devildeac]

Procrastinator (draft)-Raleigh Brewing Company

Sample #2.

As one might guess from the name ending in -or, it's a bock beer, or, more specifically, at 8.3% ABV, it's a double bock/doppelbock. Pour was a dark amber/light brown with a thin head. Smelled and tasted like dark, toasted, whole wheat (not *that* wheat ) bread slathered with dark honey and dark caramel sundae topping and a mildly earthy, herbal finish. As bocks/double bocks are lagers, the IBUs "tasted" low, perhaps in the 10-20 range and the ABV in the expected range for the style at 8.3%. This tasting was a "off" as I mistakenly sipped it after the high IBU/high ABV Walter which likely scorched/numbed my taste buds. I'd enthusiastically purchase another sample or pint of this on draft or from a bottle/can as bocks and doppelbocks are a favorite style of mine.

[devildeac]

More evidence :

Barleywine (draft)-Raleigh Brewing Company

No clever name.

Four ounce pour of a medium brown elixir with no head, a sweet nose, almost syrup-y consistency and dark caramel, cloying, earthy flavors. I thought I had abandoned barleywines but the attraction of including this on my state of NC-shaped sample paddle board for $1.75 at 9.3% ABV was too much to resist. Very happy to have tasted it as discovery is often as much fun as the experience, meaning, it turned out that this was an English-style barleywine with a much more malt/grain forward presentation than traditional American-style barleywines which are far more hop forward or, as fuse phrased, "gasoline-like," than the English variety. I'll estimate IBUs about 40, more in the old ale style than the traditional barleywine. Pair this one with a snifter, a good book, a flannel robe, some comfortable slippers and a warm fire on a cold winter/cool spring evening.

[devildeac]

4th Anniversary Ale (draft)-Raleigh Brewing Company

RBC really needs a little bigger budget or some rewards/incentives for their marketing/PR folks.

Final four ounce taster was a wheat wine, a style with which my palate has little experience. Appearance was clean/clear and medium brown with no head. And I thought the barleywine was syrup-y and cloying! This was 14.6% ABV (), no typos, which places it very near the NC state (for you, PackMan97 ) 15% limit for ales and ABV. It more resembled an early/immature sherry than any ales I've ever had. Very warming and boozy and also conjuring up some tasting memories of orange liqueur flavors from the wheat used in the brewing process. There are also some dark fruits and dark caramels perceived in the s-l-o-w sipping of this monster finishing beverage.

Overall, quite the conversation catching up with the esteemed fuse, to accompany the RBC sampling, costing me $7 + gratuity for 16-20 ounces of high gravity ales from a really good local brewery (2.5 miles from my office) to help celebrate NC beer month.

[devildeac]

Lawlessness-Platform Beer Company

Brewed and packaged by The Gypsy Brewery in Cleveland, OH.

I'm not aware of many folks anymore who do contract brewing but I've found one now. Platform has locations in Columbus and Cleveland and this 12 ounce can was delivered last weekend by our son from Columbus and is greatly appreciated. Hope fuse enjoys his 3 (?) cans, too.

Pour was a dark, dark brown with a 1 finger head. The expected porter scents arose from my pint glass and were mirrored byt the tastes. They included heavily roasted grains, cocoa and coffee. The somewhat unexpected flavor was smoked wood and, after reading the ingredients on the can, I now know why. I'll include them at the end of the post. IBUs found on Untapped at 34 and the ABV on the can is 6.25%, both about as anticipated. This would pair nicely with smoked/grilled beef, pork or chicken or with a chocolate caramel brownie. I'd also be intrigued comparing this in a side-by-side with Smoke on the Porter from New Glarus.

Ingredients copied from the can:

Malt: 2 Row, Munich II, Chocolate, Beech Smoked Barley (ah-ha!), Special B and Victory
Hops: Northern Brewer, East Kent Goldings and Fuggle (the last 2 are typically British varieties, IIRC)
Yeast: San Diego (not sure what this actually means )

So, if you're in O-HI-O, grab a can/pint draft of a Platform brew and let us know what you think.

[devildeac]

Rounding Third-Madtree Brewing Company

It's that time of year in MLB cities and Cincinnati is no exception, though I don't follow the big leagues too much now.

Another O-HI-O brew delivered a couple weeks ago by our son. This was a 6er for an alleged $10, half for fuse and half for me.

The style is a bit unusual, a red IPA. Pour was a reddish-orange-amber with a creamy, stick-to-the-pint-glass 2 finger head. Citrus aromas with a bit of conifer. Tastes of mostly ruby red grapefruit juice, some pith and rind and a bit of pine and resin (but not enough to have your beverage declared illegal equipment ). Some caramel malty sweetness is a pleasant balance to the moderate bitterness with IBUs of 51 and the ABV registering 6.5%, both solid IPA advanced stats . I'd sip this with spicy Indian/Asian entrees. Here are the ingredients from their website:

Hops: Nugget, Simcoe, Cascade
Malts: 2-Row, Munich 10, Crystal 60, Chocolate, Melanoidin, Carapils

[devildeac]

Ermal's-Warped Wing Brewing Company

A 4 pack of pint cans delivered 2 weeks ago by our son. Not one of his better efforts/choices but not bad and a rather interesting one with both tastes and story .

A bit of history about Ermal:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_can

The things one learns while drinking beer. I never knew this:

"In 1959, Ermal Fraze devised a can-opening method that would come to dominate the canned beverage market. His invention was the "pull-tab". This eliminated the need for a separate opener tool by attaching an aluminum pull-ring lever with a rivet to a pre-scored wedge-shaped tab section of the can top. The ring was riveted to the center of the top, which created an elongated opening large enough that one hole simultaneously served to let the beverage flow out while air flowed in. In 1959, while on a family picnic, Mr. Fraze had forgotten to bring a can opener and was forced to use a car bumper to open a can of beer. Thinking there must be an easier way, he later stayed up all night until he came up with the pull tab."

It's described as a Belgian style cream ale brewed with spices. Poured a mildly cloudy, but not chunky, yellow-orange into a pint glass. Small head with aromas of orange and other citrus fruits. And, just for fuse (), "I can almost taste the cream in this." Seriously, it's almost like a Creamsicle with a bit of (?) coriander. I'd enjoy this with some sweet and sour chicken or shrimp.

[devildeac]

Shanghai Noon-Platform Beer Company

Brewed (and packaged ) by, wait for it, Platform Beer Company. Why mention this? Because their Lawlessness Stout is brewed/packaged by Gypsy Brewing.

Fuse mentioned he had his 16 ounce can tonight so I thought it'd make a good pairing with a Caesar salad tonight and it did. It's a gose so the pour was light gold with a thin head that disappeared quite quickly. Salty, yet mildly fruity nose. Tastes of salt, a bit of stone fruit, some lemon-lime soda and a hint of spiciness. I'm guessing this was a "one-off" as the can has a 12 kettle series near the top and I think I read somewhere they're brewing 12 different sours over ??? different months. I guess I'd pair this with some grilled salmon or boiled shrimp in addition to my salad pairing above. The ingredients/stats as listed on the can:

Malts: Pilsner, Pale Wheat, Vienna and wheat flakes
Hops: Saaz
Yeast: American Ale
Adjuncts: prickly pear, lychee, natural sea salt
IBU: 4.3 (no typo)
ABV: 4.2% (no typo)

Think about it. The IBU nearly = the ABV. I'm not sure that occurs anywhere else other than the GABF category of "adjunct American lagers."

[devildeac]

Qualified-Taxman Brewing Company

Continued kudos to davec for his Taxman suggestion last year.

Style: Belgian quad
Package: 22 ounces
Hops: not named
Malts: not named
Appearance: dark brown
Head: foamy; light mocha-colored
Nose: brown sugar (how come you taste so good); dark, dried fruits
Mouthfeel: mildly syrup-y; minimal bitterness
Tastes: raisins, dates, figs, dark rum, brown sugar (still tasting good), plums and dark/toasted wheat bread
IBU: 28
ABV: 9.5%

Additional comments: Bomber shared 3 ways but not exactly equally . The high ABV is seductively and dangerously hidden. Liquid dessert. Makes me wish I had bought the last BA Qualified on the shelf, too, for about $5 more. Not sure what that ABV was. Also, makes me long for their Death and Taxes and/or Tax Holiday. Seeing a trend here ? I've got four 4 packs waiting to be divided and conquered .

[devildeac]

Zombie Dust-3 Floyds Brewing Company

Another legendary FFF beer. (Yes, I only typed 3Fs and not 9Fs, but I did consider it. )

It's a pale ale but, by the "advanced stats," it's almost an IPA at 50 IBUs and 6.2% ABV. Pour was an orange-amber and a bit cloudy. Foam was moderate and meringue-like. Scents were citrusy with a bit of conifer. Taste was amazingly juicey with bursts of orange, rind and pineapple, light caramel lacing with a bit of an oily, piney finish. This was a 6er bought for about $10 + tax by our daughter and her husband on their return to NC from Chicago and shared with fuse, so I'll be curious to read his thoughts. I'd be pretty happy with a grilled chicken or pulled pork sammich in one hand and another pint of Zombie Dust in the other. An outstanding American pale ale (APA).

[devildeac]

From 12/11/16:

From 1/16/16:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Midnight Brue 2016-Brueprint Brewing Company

Guess who got this bottle for me last month ?

Excellent summary/description, as usual. I didn't think it was so thick and thought the head was a bit thin as was the body and perhaps tasted a bit of dark chocolate, too. Whiskey notes are very smooth, maybe with a bit of vanilla, too. I'll guess IBUs of about 50 and the ABV is 8.5%, drinking a bit more boozey than that but on the low end for the imperial stout style. I think this was $12 for the capped bomber that I sipped over 2 nights. Likely their first effort at barrel-aging for their Bruetopian Series and a very high quality one, too. So much so that I can't wait for ricks68 to return to the area and slip the BBA cherry version of this back into my clutches where it rightfully belongs .

Thanks again to fuse.

From last PM:

BBA Midnight Brue 2016-Brueprint Brewing

After darn near a year in the fuse not-so-overloaded-anymore beer fridge.

Batting in the 5th spot. Same appearance as above but more whiskey-ish aromas and boozier on the palate, along with the expected dark fruits, a bit of coffee and a dollop of molasses. A bit thinner than Silent Night but still highly enjoyable.

And yes, there was a cornucopia of snacks, treats, desserts to accompany the tastings. They included a thick apple-berry relish, candied/spiced almonds, various cheeses and crackers, pistachio bars, salted caramel/chocolate Moravian cookies along with milk chocolate iced and dark chocolate brownies. I know I missed a few other items-those were just the ones I tasted .

From Sunday and Monday nights:

Midnight Brue (2015)-Brueprint Brewing

Part 3 (or 4? or 5?). With yet another twist.

This is their annual/seasonal Russian imperial stout but this variant has been aged in oak barrels for a year (no mention of bourbon/rum/etc) and released late 2016, or thereabouts. And with Brettanomyces yeast. And blackberries. Oh, my!

Pour was midnight (d'oh). One inch mocha head that disappeared fairly. Aromas of blackberries, wine, coffee and wood. Tastes of dark berries (double d'oh), fruited vinegar (moderately sour), interwoven with espresso, unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, dates, figs, and, I'll swear, finishing with a hint of bourbon. Estimated IBUs of 30-40 and the ABV on the label is 9.5%, so I divided the 500 ml portion over the last 2 night.

Humble and copious amounts of appreciation to fuse for procuring this at the brewery this winter for $8 for each bottle, IIRC. (Yes, I typed each.) A steal, given the ASSumption that if Wicked Weed had concocted this, it would have likely been $15+ for the 16.9 ounce bottle.