Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

From dinner time:

Don’t Talk Sh*t About Norwood-Listermann Brewing Company

Close to local when purchased.

Credit-needed some traders and I’ve liked what I’ve sipped from this brewery, so why not?
Style-American Pale Ale
Format-pint can
Stemware-nonic pint
Appearance-light amber, clear; generous foam
Nose-resin and caramel
Mouthfeel-hint of bitter
Tastes-pine, resin, caramel
Hops-Falconer’s Flight 7Cs and Cascade
IBU-31
ABV-4.2%
Overall impression-I like the US standard, SN Pale Ale better but this was good
Ymm, Beer rating-mid/upper cat 2

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Dire Wolf-Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

Local for the purchasing agent.

Credit-trader from our son; thanks!!
Style-oatmeal imperial stout
Format-12 ounce bottle
Packaged on-JAN/12/2021
Stemware-snifter
Appearance-Texas crude (and not from the Swear Jar)
Nose-molasses; char
Mouthfeel-slick
Tastes-dark chocolate, molasses, charred grain, hint of coffee
Adjuncts-“massive amounts of oats” and dark brown sugar
Hops-English Maris Otter
IBU-50 (I mighta guessed >60)
ABV-10.8%
Overall impression-a wonderful oatmeal imperial stout used as a “base” beer for many, many variants
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3 but could be swayed to mid cat 3; yea, it’s that well brewed to even consider that rating; very smooth/not harsh with great flavors

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Infinite Variables-Jackie O’s Brewery

Bought somewhat local

Credit-needed traders for various beer personages
Style-hazy DIPA
Format-12 ounce can
Canned X-09/28/21
Stemware-large wine glass
Appearance-^^^^
Nose-citrus
Mouthfeel-juicy
Tastes-pineapple, orange, strawberry and cataloupe
Hops-El Dorado, Citra and Amarillo
IBU-“no IBU” but I’ll guess 50
ABV-8.5%
Overall impression-darn good; still fruity and fresh
Ymm, Beer rating-I’m sneaking this into low cat 3; not Veil/Burial quality but interesting hop combination yielded a very palate pleasing DIPA

[devildeac]

From last PM:

Ritual Destruction-Jackie O’s Brewery (no, this was not a collaboration with Burial Beer)

About 74 miles from “local” when bought.

Credit-needed another trader
Style-hazy DIPA
Format-12 ounce can
Canned A-07/29/21 09:44 (uh-oh)
Stemware-(really enjoying sipping from a) large wine glass
Appearance-hazy orange yellow; good and foamy
Nose-pineapple OJ
Mouthfeel-juicy
Tastes-pineapple, OJ, peach and a hint of resin
Hop-Citra and Citra Cryo
Grains-2 Row, Carapils, flaked and malted oats (hey, mattman, whaddaya think?)
IBU-under 50 is my WAG
ABV-9%
Overall impression-despite the canning date and some trepidation, this tasted almost fresh
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3; I’d speculate it mighta been a mid cat 3 if bought fresherer

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Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Old Rasputin XXIII-North Coast Brewing Company

California ain’t local for me.

Credit-a whim
Style-^^^^
Format-12 ounce bottle (not cheap but far more reasonable than the 500 ml bottles at ~$25 each
Stemware-snifter
Appearance-very dark brown; creamy tan, persistent head
Nose-bourbon and dark chocolate
Mouthfeel-salacious
Tastes-whiskey, musty, dark chocolate, molasses, wood char
IBU-38
ABV-11.4% (“contains alcohol” is actually printed on the label )
Overall impression-not as good as the 2009 BBA Old Stock Ale but still very, very good
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; if you wander through your local Total William, you might find a 4 bagger of this and, if you do, buy it!!

Waiting to see/read if August West has tasted one of his bottles yet…

[devildeac]

On Cassette (Citra Triple Dry Hop) draft-New Anthem Beer Project

Fairly local

Credit-it was FrIPAday at Bottle Rev when all IPAs are $4 off a mini growler and I was thirsty and it’s really difficult to resist NA brews
Style-hazy NEDIPA
Format-oozing from the spigot
Stemware-large wine glass
Appearance-white grapefruit juice topped with merengue (oops, meringue; had Sunday Latin dancing on my mind); if this was more hazy, it’d need a Weather Channel alert but we don’t talk like that here
Nose-fresh from the juicer
Mouthfeel-pureed grapefruit
Tastes-straight up white grapefruit juice with splashes of pineapple, tangerine and peach
Hops-from Untappd: "Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic in the kettle:

Dry Hopped Once with Citra and Amarillo, a second time with Citra and Eldorado, and a third time with just our yummy select Citra"
IBU-“no IBU” but my palate says 40 something
ABV-8.3%
Overall impression-an absolute juice bomb; on the almighty deeber Swear Jar, if I was blindfolded and someone put half pints of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and this beer under my nostrils and then allowed me to have a few sips of each one, I’m not sure I could tell the difference
Ymm, Beer rating-easy mid cat 3 and I think we’ve all become strict judges here but this one is that good; if you see it on draft or in cans, buy it!!

[devildeac]

One of the Hardywood Misfits. I’d say more about a collection of misfits, but only RJ199 and weezie might understand so I’ll …

Trickery (2020, I think)-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

A mere 150 miles away.

Credit-a trader from wbmcards88; mucho thanks!!
Style-please read label
Format-corked and caged 750 ml bottle conquered over two nights
Stemware-cute 2018 Hardywood GBS tumbler
Appearance-Texas crude; microscopic tan head
Nose-brandy and dark chocolate
Mouthfeel-alluring
Tastes-apple brandy, dark chocolate, burnt caramel/blackstrap molasses, wood
Adjuncts-lactose
IBU-65
ABV-13.5% (warming, boozy sensations)
Overall impression-liked this better than I thought after the 2020 GBS that was barrel aged that I had last week; this was excellent
Ymm, Beer rating-another mid cat 3 from the Hardywood barrel aging experts; I’d drink this again, and again and again and…

[devildeac]

Late review from live VP. I heard this was someone’s favorite Christmas beer, or maybe top 2.

Delirium Noël / Christmas-Huyghe Brewery (Delirium - Huyghe Brewery - Melle, Vlaanderen - Untappd)

Vlaanderen ain’t nearby.

Style-strong dark and handsome, err, Belgian ale
Format-corked and caged 750 ml bottle share 6 ways
Stemware-Mother Earth snifter
Appearance-slightly muddy dark brown; fizzy and lacy head
Nose-brown sugar and spice and everything nice
Mouthfeel-tickly
Tastes-dark brown sugar, dried/dark fruits, earth, pinch of black pepper
Adjuncts-{shrugs}
IBU-20
ABV-10%
Overall impression-high quality Belgian dark, strong ale
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3; woulda been interesting to side by side with a N’ice Chouffe and/or a Corsendonk Christmas ale, two old time faves

[devildeac]

From last PM:

Bound by Time-Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company

Next state south.

Credit-shamelesslhy pilfered from older daughter as a dogsitting fee
Style-IPA
Format-pint can
Ink on bottom-B1141/1144 1146 06/29/21
Glassware-large wine glass
Appearance-orange tinted pineapple yellow with a lotta froth
Nose-pineapple grapefruit juice
Mouthfeel-pithy
Tastes-pineapple, grapefruit, peach and tangerine with a drop or two of pine
IBU-70
ABV-7%
Overall impression-still very drinkable even after almost 6 months in its aluminum prison
Ymm, Beer rating-upper cat 2; if stolen, err, sipped fresh, mighta been a low cat 3

[devildeac]

Apparently, the sequel to Defensive Pancakes

Dessert before dinner tonight. Or should that be breakfast before dinner?

Defensive French Toast (draft)-Divine Barrel Brewing

150 miles away? Yep, still local.

Credit-it was on the electronic beer board as I prepared to purchase a couple sours to replace a couple stouts; no resistance
Style-flavored porter (what an understatement)
Format-from the spigot
Cupware-half pint plastic holder
Appearance-really dark brown; thin tan head
Nose-is it really breakfast time at 500 PM?
Mouthfeel-sweet, soft
Tastes-maple, coffee, cinnamon and brown sugar
Adjuncts-Madagascar vanilla, Vermont maple syrup, Saigon cinnamon and coffee of unstated origin
IBU-33
ABV-6.8%
Overall impression-quite nicely constructed/proportioned
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3; not cloying, no overpowering flavor/s; might be better than Yeah, Toast from Gizmo but probably a shelf below Funky Buddha’s BBA French Toast; worth a 4 bagger to share/trade

[devildeac]

The Abyss 2017 Reserve-Deschutes Brewery

Not even close.

Credit-bought a case about 4 years ago; have one left
Style-flavored and barrel aged imperial stout
Format-bomber
Stemware-snifter
Appearance-very dark brown; first night had a thick, tan head and second night was thin
Nose-dark chocolate and red wind
Mouthfeel-soft
Tastes-red wine, bourbon, dark chocolate, mild licorice, wood char
Adjuncts-licorice, black strap molasses, cherry bark and vanilla bean
Aging-“50% aged in bourbon, wine and new Oregon oak barrels”
IBU-80
ABV-11.4%
Overall impression-more mellow than last sipping, likely well over a year ago
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3; the licorice keeps it from being a mid cat 3 for me

[devildeac]

In the glass now:

GBS 2020-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Officially adopted as local.

Credit-original pickup and delivery by wbmcards88 but this stocking stuffer for our older daughter last year was not consumed so I volunteered to trade her a sour for it; Deal!!
Style-not gonna insult y’all
Format-pint can
Stemware-Hardywood teku
Appearance-deep, deep brown; thin head with a gentle pour
Nose-chocolate covered gingerbread cookies
Mouthfeel-ginger zing, otherwise smooth
Tastes-ginger, dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla
Adjuncts-above plus Madagascar vanilla beans and lactose
IBU-55
ABV-9.2%
Overall impression-still “freagin Christmas in a bottle” as beeradvocate said about a decade ago
Ymm, Beer rating-remains a mid cat 3 beer as it’s soooo well constructed, even after a year of aging

[devildeac]

From the second half last PM; IOW, a good luck beer

Frosty GBS 2020-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

RVA, a mere 150 miles away.

Credit-stocking stuffer gifted to older daughter Christmas, 2020 and returned this week for another trader; another wbmcards88 Family tree pick up and delivery; thanks!!
Style-flavored imperial white milk stout
Format-pint can
Canned on-1 1 1920 (spacing on bottom of can might be a bit off)
Stemware-Hardywood teku from 2019 Complete Set
Appearance-cloudy, very light gold; thin tannish head after a gentle pour
Nose-ginger, cocoa and coffee
Mouthfeel-alluring
Tastes-ginger, as expected, with cocoa, java and a swirl of caramel
Adjuncts-“heaps of coffee, cacao nibs,” ginger and honey
Not included-“dark roasted malts”
IBU-55
ABV-9.2%
Overall impression-a very enticing GBS variant that I think is in the 2021 Complete Set, aka my beer Advent package
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; very enjoyable, even after 13 months in captivity

[devildeac]

Forgotten Assassin-DSSOLVR-Collaboration with Bhramari Brewing Company

In the glass now.

Two “locals”

Credit-needed a couple sours to trade for the 2020 bounceback GBS stocking stuffers last year and Bottle Rev now has 10% off their “unmixed” 4 and 6 packs; this was one of them
Style-imperial fruited sour ale
Format-pint can
Stemware-large wine glass
Appearance-murky peachy cherry with a 10 second fizzy head
Nose-tangerine and cantaloupe
Mouthfeel-sexy mother pucker
Tastes-tangerine, peach and cantaloupe with a vanilla milkshakey finish (and I’m wrong on many counts)
Adjuncts-passionfruit, raspberry, Madagascar vanilla beans, cream of coconut, dessicated macaroon coconut and lactose (see how wrong I was?)
Grains-Riverbend 2 Row, wheat and oats
Yeast-house IPA
IBU-“no IBU” might be true for this kettle sour
ABV-8%
Overall impression-this is near Veil level fruit sour smoothieness
Ymm, Beer rating-low/mid cat 3; reminds me of The Weapon Exhibit D but with different fruits

[devildeac]

Sour Cherry Turnover-Haw River Farmhouse Ales

50ish miles away is indeed local.

Credit-needed a sour trader for our older daughter
Style-from their one off Cultural Divide series, this one’s a kettle soured saison but it’s really a milkshake, too
Format-pint can
Stemware-very large Ommegang tulip, one of my favorite beer glasses
Appearance-cloudy ruby with a fizzy, 10 second head
Nose-sour cherry pie (Ymm, Pie)
Mouthfeel-some sweet, some sour
Tastes-sour and sweet cherries, lemon and vanilla
Adjuncts-live yogurt cultures, lactose, hundreds of pounds of Montmorency and Balaton cherries and Tahitian vanilla beans
IBU-likely <10
ABV-6.2% (like wild cherry puree/jam/juice with a shot of vodka from TW’s cupboard)
Overall impression-it sure sounded tasty reading the ingredients and it easily exceeded expectations
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; wouldn’t do anything different in construction this beer; the other Cultural Divide one off I remember was Myer Lemon Meringue (? name) and that was delicious, too; if you see this, buy a 4 pack for the holidays!!

[devildeac]

Dark and Vast Barrel Aged-Crazy Rooster Brewing Company

Kinda local, I guess.

Credit-trader from nrrrrvous; thanks!
Style-“2020 Dark and Vast American Imperial Stout aged for 11months in a Three Crosses Distillery American Whiskey barrel then blended with 2021 Dark and Vast”
Format-pint can
Canned fresh on-12/17/21 (had to drink as fresh as possible if nrrrrvous is gonna go the etra mile to buy fresh)
Stemware-snifter
Appearance-very, very dark chestnut; 8 bubbles of head (I’ll let nrrrrvous 'splain the low carbonation)
Nose-heavily roasted grains
Mouthfeel-roasty
Tastes-java, burnt Hershey’s chocolate sauce/dark fudge, molasses, licorice, char, bourbon
IBU-75
ABV-9.5%
Overall impression-the low carbonation didn’t bother me as much as the social media post nrrrrvous sent apologizing for the low bubble content seemed to indicate it might; still a good beer
Ymm, Beer rating-a bit too much roast/coffee/char for me; some flaked or malted oats woulda helped the mouthfeel and tastes; makes me think about what a BBA Storm King from Victory Brewing might taste like; low cat 3 on this one

[devildeac]

Dragons with Matches-Incendiary Brewing Company

Twin Cities=local

Credit-a trader from RJ at live VP last weekend; thanks!!
Style-Belgian style quad ale
Format-pint can
Stemware-Ommegang tulip
Appearance-dark, dark brown; light tan, lacy, modest head
Nose-dried, dark fruit juice blend
Mouthfeel-soft and mildly sweet
Tastes-raisins, dates, figs, plums, dark cherries and dark, candi sugar syrup
Grains-Pilsner, Caramunich I, Caramunich II, Chocolate, wheat and Special B
Yeast-Lachouffe (this might be the key to this beer)
IBU-perhaps 25
ABV-10.3% but soooo sippable
Overall impression-rivals any authentic Belgian quad I’ve ever had
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; I’m thinking I’ve got some barrel aged variants of this and they might be even better; fabulous beer, alone or paired with our beef tenderloin this evening

[devildeac]

Space Dust-Elysian Brewing Company (a division of InBev; stop laughing)

Neither Seattle or Fort Collins are local. The snickering can stop now.

Credit-left in beer fridge last PM by older daughter and husband; thanks! (they’re still family)
Style-can says IPA, ABV says DIPA
Format-12 ounce aluminum prison
See bottom of can for experience by date-06FEB22 DB0011
Glassware-nonic pint
Appearance-slightly hazy yellow gold; modest, foamy topping
Nose-pine and orange
Mouthfeel-about 10 IBU short of bracing
Tastes-a lotta pine and resin with generous helpings of candied orange and grapefruit slices and orange rind with hints of caramel (I can see those smirks)
Grains-Two row, c 15 and Dextri Pils
Hops-Chinook to bitter with late and dry additions of Citra and Amarillo
IBU-62; sounds about right
ABV-8.2%(I’d have thought <7)
Overall impression-better than my memory allowed; maybe this was fresher than the last can
Ymm, Beer rating-a surprising upper tier cat 2 old style west coast DIPA (no more giggles, please) happy to have another in the fridge

[devildeac]

Silent Night Tequila Barrel Aged 2019-Mother Earth Brewing

About 70 miles away

Credit-trader from fuse shortly after release; thanks!!
Style-(on the regular label) “imperial stout ale aged in oak bourbon barrels;” (on the sticker on the regular label) Tequila Barrel Aged with cinnamon sticks" {shrugs}
Format-caged and corked 750 ml bottle, divided over 2 nights
Stemware-snifter
Appearance-deep, dark brown; very thin, tan head
Nose-oak and reposado (or would/should that be anejo?)
Mouthfeel-smooooth
Tastes-aged tequila (not an expert here) and not the cheap/blanco stuff; dark chocolate, molasses, wood char, dark brown sugar/caramel; hint of cinnamon
Adjuncts-cinnamon sticks
IBU-probably 50ish
ABV-9%
Overall impression-can’t recall exactly what fuse said when he traded but something similar I think to what RJ just texted about his tasting from 2019 Rare and Voracious (?) and along the lines of “this doesn’t work,” but I think it does as the tequila is not harsh and is mitigated to some degree by the cinnamon and oak barrels
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3; it’s a small notch below all the other Silent Nights I’ve sipped since about 2012 as I like the BBA better, with and without variants, but this was quite easy on the palate both nights

[devildeac]

Tefnut (Creamsicle Berry Swirl)
The Veil Brewing Co.

Collaboration with Omnipollo

Yep, RVA still local.

Credit-a fabulous trader from nrrrrvous; thanks and more thanks!!
Style-heavily fruited and flavored imperial gose ale, aka a beer smoothie
Format-pint can, shared 4 ways
Bottom of can ink-11/09/21
Stemware-mini Ditkas, err, snifters
Appearance-see photo
Nose-many many berries and vanilla
Mouthfeel-beyond seductive
Tastes-an explosion of berries, vanilla and ice cream
Adjuncts-blackberries, raspberries, orange, non dairy vanilla ice cream, Madagascar vanilla and vanilla salt
IBU-“no IBU” is almost believable
ABV-10%; not believable
Overall impression-not sure whether I like the orange pineapple creamsicle Tefnut from this summer or this one better; amazingly delicious
Ymm, Beer rating-easy upper cat 3; the other “judges” liked The Exhibit Weapon D a bit better, even though my wife and younger daughter do not like IPAs/DIPAs but the vanilla convinced me I liked this a shade better