Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

From last evening:

Mezcal Barrel Exemption-Taxman Brewing Company

A wonderful way to end the "audit" yesterday, sharing a 12 ounce can of this with our son.

I don't think much has changed since hiding in a metal container for almost 3 more months. Lots of caramel, butterscotch and tequila here. Our son liked the Apropos better than any other of the Taxman brews we shared. I still found this to be the best of the batch.

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Q1-Taxman Brewing Company (Bargersville, IN)

I don't think I'm capable of adding much to this review except maybe some ingredients and advanced metrics:

Malt: Pilsner, Munich (IN), Wh*at, Vienna (IN), Carafoam, Candi Sugar

Hops: Jarrylo, Loral, Challenger

Yeast: Farmhouse Saison

IBU: 25

ABV: 5.8%

Cost: $7 (I think-coulda been $9)

Format: 500 ml

Brewed on: 01.05.18

Starter beer shared with our son last PM. This was an excellent example of a white wine barrel-aged saison that happened to be our "least" favorite of the evening. Think about that.

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Q2-Taxman Brewing Company

Two things to add: 1) wine barrel aging; I'd guess mostly red based on the lovely reddish-brown hue
2) prominent vinous tastes (zinfandel? cabernet sauvignon?)

Stat sheet:

Malt: Pilsner, Munich, Caramel, Oat, Honey (Watermelon Blossom and Meadowfoam)

Hops: Pacific Gem, CTZ, S. Cross

Yeast: Belgian Saison and Brettanomyces

Aged On: Blended Wine Barrels

Brewed On: 04.06.18 (fresh!)

IBU: 23

ABV: 6%

Format: 500 ml

Shared with our son last PM with each of us sipping 250 ml from my cute, little Allagash tulip and his small Gouden Carolus chalice.

Pretty amazing saison.

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Cache Flow Blackberry-Taxman Brewing Company

What fuse said. A blackberry vinaigrette concoction would be a good analogy here, too. I shared my 500 ml bottle with our son last PM. We had very little chunk from our bottle except the last 5-10 ml had a mild amount of fine sediment. IBUs were 6 so the hop quantities here were minimal. ABV was 6%. This bottle had none of the other vital stats/in gredients like Q1 and Q2 did. Quite the evening. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to take another 10 mile round trip detour off Indiana State Road 37 on the way from Bloomington to In The Annapolis to this joint. Highly recommended.

The Taxman giveth and the Taxman taketh. Happily, he didn't touch my Golden Parachute, the last remaining beverage from our excursion to the brewery in April.

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A Tiny Beautiful Something-Maine Beer Company

I'm disappointed but will take partial credit/blame here as the 500 ml bottle purchased at a new bottle shop nearby was dated 4/28/18 and clearly stated on the label that "hoppy beers do not age well" and "please consume withing 90 days of the brewed on date on the label." However, it is a bottle-conditioned beer which should add some shelf life to the product.

Shared pour with our son tonight was a mildly cloudy, straw color with a moderate head. Modest nose of citrus and pine and tastes of the same. Not spoiled but not fresh either. I'll guess IBUs about 40 and the ABV was 5.5%. I'll not spend $10 on a bottle of this again but it is nice to have MBC brews available in the area now, given my fond recollections of our August, 2014 beer-cation in the northeast US, especially with MBC as our first stop with a flight on draft and then a case of fresh stuff to import back to NC.

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Lunch-Maine Beer Company

Another disappointment for me. My fault as this is another beer I likely should have sipped 6 weeks ago.

A shared 500 ml bottle tonight ($10ish) with our son poured a hazy, straw-amber color with a foamy head. Stone fruits and pine at first sniff, followed by some resin, peach and grapefruit on the palate. I'll guess IBUs about 60 based on the style (IPA) with ABV at 7%. Their recommendations on the label of "hoppy beers do not age well" and "best enjoyed within 90 days of date stamped on label (5/8/18)" should have been heeded better. This is their flagship beer and I remember better on draft from the brewery visit and transported/smuggled/imported case of 500 ml bottles 4 years ago.

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Peach Tripel-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Hardywood spotting and purchase in NC! Thanks fuse!

(No worries to/for accfanfrom 1970-I'm still good for the Curieux-Hardywood trades next month or any other other Hardywood Pilot or Barrel Series that you might bring. .)

500 ml bottles x2 from a recent trading session.

Pour was a cloudy peach hue (D'oh!) into my cute, little Allagash tulip and my small Gouden Carolus chalice shared with our son last PM. Fairly generous and fizzy head with a thin coating of Belgian lace last through most of the sipping. Expected aromas of peaches (added) and maybe some oranges (not added). Mildly sweet, peachy tastes with a pinch of white pepper from the Belgian yeasts and some light brown sugar. The label claims apricots are added but I'm not sure I'd have claimed that. Very pleasing on the palate at 25 IBUs and dangerously sippable at 8.2% ABV which is a bit "thin" for the style. It's not a "cobbler" like Mamaw's Mean Cobbler but still a very refreshing dessert beer that would also pair with soft cheeses, sweet and sour chicken or shrimp or a fruit tart.

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Caldementum Benedictus-Brüeprint Brewing Company

"Fermentation of Benedict" is their translation on the can.

I don't have much else here, folks, as fuse covered just about everything above. Many thanks for including this in my recent Brüeprint 4 pack trader!!

I did pour mine aggressively last PM, sharing with our son, and managed a thin rim of a head and some really fine sediment at the bottom of my chalice.

Maybe a bit of dark rum flavor? Lots of warming, boozy flavors, too, without barrel aging. Almost syrupy. IBUs were 42, a bit high for the style but really not discernible.

This was an outstanding Belgian-style ale.

QFE: 14% ABV, a record for me for a NC-brewed beer. Until we had our night cap 30 minutes later...

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From 5/18/14:

Sculpin-Ballast Point Brewing Company

Consistently listed as one of the best IPAs in the world, last nights 12 ounce bottle, my first ever, made me long for what I've been missing. I think I found a 6er of this in Lexington, Kentucky last fall and this was yet another garage discovery. I've had a couple other Ballast Point brews but don't think I had ever seen this in any of my beer hunting expeditions.

Poured a light orange-yellow with a small head, this had scents of citrus and stone fruits and tastes of mango, grapefruit, orange and a bit of bready, caramel-y sweetness, too. Extremely well-balanced beverage with IBUs of 70 and an ABV of 7%, this was fine for sipping and tasting and would also accompany any mild to moderately spicy foods such as curry or Szechuan dishes. I'm not sure I'd age this so I have 3 bottles remaining that I'm not quite sure what I'll do with yet, having already given my son the first two bottles from the collection. Hmm...

From tonight:

Sculpin (canned on 5/18/18)-Ballast Point Brewing Company of Constellation Brands

Nope, not purchased, but "collected" from our older daughter and her husband for my weekend dog-sitting fee. Yes, shameless, but still thirsty .

I don't think they've change this much in 4+ years with plenty of citrusy, tropical juiciness still present and a bit of a sting at the finish.

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The Law-Durty Bull Brewing Company

Drink local!

This 500 ml bottle was my December, 2017 Beer Club offering and Friday evening was a "perfect" time to share this 15% ABV monster with our son after we divided the 14% ABV Brüeprint Caldementum Benedictus, the top two ABV brews we've ever had that were NC brewed.

Labeled as a "strong ale" (D'oh!), this one was really difficult to fit into a "defined" beer style. Poured into two snifters, the color was a minimally hazy, yellow-orange with a very thin head. The nose was orange-y, booze-y and vinous. The alcohol burn was prominent early and with each ensuing sip. There were "elements" of sherry, DFH 120 Minute IPA and orange liqueurs throughout our 45 minute sipping. A pairing with some strong/pungent cheeses might work but I think nursing an aliquot of this for a nightcap was the best choice. I briefly (and somewhat foolishly) considered splitting a 12 ounce bottle of the DFH 120 to close out the evening tastings but we both quickly decided we'd rather sleep in our respective beds than on the floor or kitchen table . Untappd lists IBUs at 68, so not a hop bomb and probably a bit low to achieve a better balanced beverage. I think this may have been on the shelf for about $15 but was my ~$7.50 monthly Beer Club allotment to close out 2017. Here's the Untappd story/explanation:

"This beer, brewed as a collaboration between Durty Bull and The Glass Jug, was originally brewed by Matt and Chris as a 20+% ABV homebrew long before either worked in the beer industry. They decided that, if they were ever able to open beer businesses, they'd knock the ABV down to a barely legal level and call it, "The Law." Here we are folks, witnessing a dream made reality. Cheers!

Sip this one slowly."

[devildeac]

From 9/6/17:

Green Zebra-Founders Brewing Company

The 2017 beverage brewed for the annual ArtPrize competition in another town that calls itself Beer City, USA. Other artful brews have included Mosaic Promise, Pale Joe, Spectra Trifecta and Inspired Artist Black IPA.

This year, they brewed a gose and flavored it with the expected sea salt and (perhaps) the unexpected watermelon. Three words: liquid Jolly Rancher. Pour was a faintly pink-tinged straw color with a brief, thin head. Yep, there are mild watermelon aromas and even more prominent watermelon tastes, along with a pinch of salt and sugary Jolly Rancher candy. IBUs pretty low and standard at 10 and the ABV also about as expected at 4.6%. This would be good with a fruit tray. I haven't had an Anderson Valley Briney Melon for over a year and I think I'd prefer that one but I'd be willing to participate in a side-by-side to refresh my memory. ;)

From minutes ago:

Green Zebra-Founders (Mahou San Miguel) Brewing Company

Well, Bottle Revolution included a 12 ounce can of this in my July 4 pack so I had to drink another one. Darn shame I didn't have a Briney Melon for a comparison.

I don't think they changed it any since last year. Pretty pleasant and surprising pairing with a pepper jack/colby blend cheese quesadilla for dinner tonight. Certainly worth a single to try but not one I'd buy several of unless it was a tasting/sharing/trading session.

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Mo (bottled on 7/3/18)-Maine Beer Company

I'm going to try and "unbreak" fuse's heart here.

Fresherer is indeed much betterer.

Now this is what I remember MBC products tasting like.

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a standard pint glass (I realize it's a 16.9 ounce bottle so don't worry folks, there's actually about 2 ounces left downstairs as I type). Appearance was a bit hazy (it's a bottle conditioned American Pale Ale) and yellow-straw in color. Moderate creamy head that lingers and lingers. Grapefruit and mango aromas. Zesty citrus on the palate, including more grapefruit, a bit of rind, some sourdough bread, hints of resin and some papaya. Moderately hoppy, but not harsh, about as expected for the APA style, guessing IBUs around 50 (can't find that stat anywhere). ABV is 6%. Both these are a bit high for a pale ale and closer to IPA territory. I could imagine a lob-stah roll and some slaw with this ale, an outstanding example of the style.

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Trappist Westvleteren 12 (28.10.18 stamped on the bottle cap)-Brouwerij de Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren

I always have difficulty reviewing a world class beer and this proved no exception as it is now almost 48 hours since I sipped this 330 ml bottle, gifted by our US-Belgian friend. I was stunned when he brought over two bottles and told me we were drinking them together. I'll guess it's been about 15 years since I savored one of these.

Decanted gently at cellar temperature into my smallish Gouden Carolus chalice from a capped but unlabeled brown bottle except for the raised letters of "TRAPPISTENBIER" encircling the bottleneck. Our friend brought his own "official" Westvleteren chalice . He thinks the bottles were bought in 2016 or 2017. Appearance was dark brown with a moderate, creamy tan head that formed a wonderful, lingering Belgian lace. There was a very small amount of fine sediment, likely yeast from the bottle conditioning. Aromas were seductive dark fruits (raisins, dates, figs, plums and cherries). Mouthfeel was quite creamy and smooth, almost viscous. Tastes were amazingly complex, mirroring the aromas and with other flavors of Belgian milk chocolate and dark rum (neither added nor barrel-aged). Bitterness almost non-existent. I'll guess IBUs about 30 based on the quadruple style. Very warming (ABV at 10.2%) throughout the hour or more it took us to sip and converse. Food pairing? Call/PM me if you find this in the United States of have any shipped to your home and we can discuss then.

I'm not sure I'll ever taste this again as he told me how difficult it is to obtain, even being a Belgian citizen as it's done via a complex system of phone calls, reservations and Belgian license plates (no matter what links fuse posts here about "gaming" the system ) and brewed in limited quantities as the monks saying is (paraphrasing) that they don't live to brew beer but brew beer to live, only brewing enough annually to "make budget" for their monastery.

This may be the best beer I've ever had. I guess DeuS that I probably reviewed here several years ago comes close but that's an entirely different style being a tripel that is brewed in Belgium and then re-fermented in France via their champagne method. You can look at the Top 250 list that I posted a couple days ago and discuss all the barrel-aged, IIPAs, sours, imperial stouts you've tasted and how there are 34 other beers ranked above this now (it used to be considered the best beer in the world for years), but, if I get my beverage of choice before heading to eternity, this is the one I'd select. Truly an amazing ale.

[devildeac]

From 7/4/18:

Imperial Weizen-New Glarus Brewing

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a 2.5 ounce Ommegang mini-pilsner glass (it was beer cocktail night so I tasted the Wisconsin Belgian Red and this separately, then together as a "cherry-wh*at" cocktail with 2.5 ounces of each).

Light, clear, golden-yellow color with a nice, lacy head. I got more orange than lemon on the nose and more clove than banana, too. The "acid" description is on-target and I picked up some orange rind in addition to the typical weiß flavors of clove and banana. Fuse is indeed correct again mentioning the "assertively" hopped wh*eat beer. I'll guess IBUs 30-40 here and ABV in the 8-9% range (NG quotes neither). It reminds me of some wh*atwines I've bought (as opposed to barleywines).

Intriguing is the correct word. Very, very good and I'm also really looking forward to my 2 remaining bottles (a family member got the 4th one).

From tonight:

Imperial Weizen-New Glarus Brewing Company

Too soon?

This time, I think the lemon was a bit more forward than the orange /zest. Maybe some hints of cinnamon now, too.

One bottle remains. Next month (or this winter), it might be cranberry-weizen night. Tonight, it's beer cocktail night again, this time with a raspberry wh*at theme.

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Beer cocktail (from last PM):

Raspberry Tart/Imperial Weizen-New Glarus Brewing Company

Better than the Wisconsin Belgian Red (cherry)/Imperial Weizen combo from several weeks ago.

I'm still not convinced that mixing 1:1 Raspberry Tart (or any fruit beer, NG or others) with an imperial ale is a great idea but I found the combination of the sweet/tart-ness of the wood aged raspberry ale with the lemon-y/orange-y/moderately hoppy/banana/spicy components of the imperial wh*at ale to be a pleasant combination. Lots of foam when poured together in 2.5 ounce aliquots each which lingered nicely while sipping. If/when Serendipity is released again, this might also prove interesting (or not) with the cherries, cranberries and apples in that brew.

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Hazy&Juicy&Hoppy&Fresh (draft)-HiWire Brewing

Drink nearby!

Eight ounce draft as I waited for a business meeting with one of the cardiology device reps for pizza and beer tonight. He was late. His loss .

Pour was a mildly hazy, orange-yellow with a small head. It's a NE IPA so the scents of tropical fruit juices were not unexpected and pretty "fresh." There was not a dominant taste but a mélange of juices including pineapple, mango, papaya and grapefruit. Bitterness fairly mild with IBUs of 38 and the ABV was 7.5% which is upper normal for the style. Not sure I'd call it #7 on a list of 324 IPAs, but, I didn't sample the other 323 either . Available in pint cans and I'd consider a 4 pack, drinking 1 or 2 myself and trading the others.

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Calico Fields (draft)-Haw River Farmhouse Ales

More nearby beer!

Interesting labeling here as it was listed as a pilsner on the electronic chalk board but their description is "blonde ale brewed with Red Tail Farm’s Cateto Orange Flint Corn and aged cold for six weeks..." (but on/in what was not listed ).

This 2 ounce taster was a pale yellow with a small, foamy head. Floral bouquet of aromas and tastes with some lightly toasted sourdough breadiness and a bit of caramel sweetness. I'll guess IBUs about 20 here and ABV claimed to be 4.8%. A nice "palate cleanser" and a very good example of the style (whether it's a blonde ale or a pilsner) but not your typical Haw River offering.

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Dance of the Absurd (draft)-Southern Pines Brewing Company

Drink more nearby beers!

Another solid offering from the Moore County brewery, this one a NE-DIPA (no typo!)

Half pint pour was super hazy and almost as juicy-fruity in both aromas and tastes. No dominant fruit but lots of pineapple, mango, papaya, orange and grapefruit. I'll guess IBUs in the 40s and the ABV was 8.5% so certainly more boozy than hoppy. I didn't check the availability in cans but would certainly buy/trade for another serving or two. Paired nicely with a high quality deluxe pizza on the patio on a very warm evening yesterday, sipping more water than beer.

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Wide Awake It's Morning (draft)-Funky Buddha (Constellation) Brewing

A half pint of the "imperial version of our infamous Maple Bacon Coffee Porter" was quite the dessert beer last evening after a NE-IPA, a NE-DIPA and a taste of a Haw River pilsner (or blonde ale). I couldn't decide if I wanted to order a stack of flapjacks to lay under a couple ounces of this or top my 8 ounce portion with some whipped cream .

Pour was a dark, dark brown with a small, tan head. Oh, my, what tantalizing aromas of Vermont (or New Hamster or Canadian) dark amber maple syrup wafted from my glass. Coffee scents were pretty potent, too. There were hints of smokiness. First taste was dark maple syrup, then java, then milk chocolate with a pinch of salt (I really can't say there's any bacon flavor here) and perhaps a bit of peat. IBUs? Maybe 30. ABV? 9.5%. I ordered this despite the Constellation purchase of FB last August because I've had very few of their concoctions, it sounded very enticing and someone else picked up my beer tab yesterday .

[devildeac]

Death Before Disco-Left Hand Brewing

Last beer from my July beer club 4 pack. Another quality brew from Left Hand

Poured a 12 ounce can into a standard pint glass. Dark brown color with a moderate, creamy tan head. Nose? Milk chocolate, mildly roasted coffee and toasted pumpernickel bread. Mouthfeel? Smooth and silky. Tastes? Matched the aromas with heavily roasted grain/dark bread, some java and a bit of chocolate (not added). IBUs? Not too many at 24. ABV? Pretty standard at 6%. Pairing? Grilled black bean, cheese and corn quesadilla with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa and a couple splashes of hot sauce. Overall impression? Very good-would sip again. Ingredients:

MALT: Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate, Carafa
HOPS: Centennial, Cascade