Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Nightcap from Monday:

Crushing Mass-Three Floyds Brewing

From a non-Illinois and non-Wisconsin state, but close enough to call local

“It’s Not Normal”

Credit-intrigue and the need for a share beer, one for me and a couple traders
Style-BBA coffee imperial stout
Format-12 ounce bottle, shared two ways
Hoisting vessels-back to the cocktail glasses!
Appearance-triple espresso brown
Nose-espresso
Mouthfeel-dark roast Guatemalan or Ecuadorian
Tastes-quadruple shot espresso, molasses and a warmy, bourbony finale
Adjuncts-there might be some coffee in this one
IBU-26 (no way an imperial stout is this low)
ABV-15.1%; after my 6 ounce pour, it felt like 20%
Overral impression-another “not normal” FFF brew but if you like really strong espresso and half a shot of bourbon, this one’s for you
Ymm, Beer rating-low/mid cat 3; it’s not often coffee>>bourbon tastes but I dialed the rating back a bit based on only that fact

[devildeac]

Bound by Time-Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company

The old south state ain’t local

Credit-partial dog sitting fee last month
Style-American IPA
Format-pint can
Ink stampings-B1141/1144-114 06/29/21
Glassage-shaker pint
Appearance-white grapefruit juice, moderate foam; slight chunkiness
Nose-grapefruits and resins
Mouthfeel-borderline bracing
Tastes-pine, resin, grapefruit juice and zest with a shot of pineapple
IBU-70
ABV-7%
Overall impression-despite the outdating, this was surprisingly still tasty
Ymm, Beer rating-upper cat 2 but not by much; would like to steal, try a fresher one

[devildeac]

In the glass:

Twitchy-R. Shea Brewing

Local for our son

Credit-trader from our son (he only owes me about 7 more
Style-flavored imperial stout
Format-pint can
Freshie facts-Canned on 11/25/2020 13:47:09 107:20 BBT
Serving glass-16 oz tumbler
Appearance-very dark brown; thin tan head
Nose-chocolate eggnog
Mouthfeel-“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”
Tastes-coffee, dark chocolate and eggnog along with some burnt caramel and molasses
Adjucts-(aged on) eggnog brûlée coffee beans (hey, @fuse, you got any of those? )
IBU-maybe mid 40s
ABV-9.25%
Overall impression-fits the description well
Ymm, Beer rating-low cat 3; not special/barrel aged but a very pleasant blend of flavors

[devildeac]

First beer from tailgate:

Tefnut Apricot Raspberry Margarita Crush-The Veil Brewing in collaboration with Omnipollo

Local for that buying dude

Credit-wbmcards88 contribution to the tasting; thanks!!
Style-obscenely fruited imperial gose, aka beer smoothie
Presentation-pint can, shared 3 ways
Glassware-assorted pint vessels
Appearance-an apricot smoothie; modest foam
Nose-apricot, raspberry and lime
Mouthfeel-smooooth
Tastes-apricot, raspberry, lime and a hint of salt
Adjuncts-apricot, raspberry, lime, agave and lime salt
IBU-who cares
ABV-10% (we all cared about that stat)
Overall impression-once again makes a beer knurd question whether The Veil is really brewing beer; this was terrific
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; matched the name without an overwhelming single flavor cancelling out the others

[devildeac]

Ok, one more before placing my head gently on my pillow:

KBS-Founders Brewing Company

Not nearby

Credit-dpslaw’s contribution to our tasting; thanks!!
Style-if ya know, ya know…
Format-12 ounce bottle, shared 3 ways as I took wbmcards88’s serving as he hates coffee in beer
Glassware-assorted
Appearance-dark brown with a smallish head
Mouthfeel-viscous
Tastes-bourbon, dark roast coffee and semisweet morsels
Adjuncts-coffee and chocolate in some form
IBU-probably low 40s (didn’t read label closely)
ABV-12% (read label reeaal closely for that advanced stat )
Overall impression-standard KBS excellence
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; might make me go to Tripping Wine and snag a 4 bagger of this along with a variant or two if still available

[devildeac]

Third up from tailgate:

Brian’s Barrel Blend 2022 Blend No. 15-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Honorary local

Credit-wbmcards88 second brew for tailgate; thanks for sharing a Family Tree exclusive
Style-^^^^
Format-12 ounce bottle, shared 3 ways
Glasses-yep, same ones
Appearance-medium to dark brown, clean; thin tan head
Nose-bourbon and gin
Mouthfeel-Oh. So. Soft.
Tastes-bourbon, gin/juniper, orange liqueur, faintest hint of smoke
Base beers-wheatwine and rauchbier
Barrels-Old Fitzgerald bourbon for the wheatwine and Tom Cat gin for the rauchbier
IBU-maybe 40s
ABV-10.6% (Hardywood lite )
Overall impression-coulda been a mess but this was another fantastic Hardywood blend
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; I coulda sipped three of these

[devildeac]

Delirium Barrel Aged-The Huyghe Brewery

Melle/Ghent, Belgium in not local

Credit-younger son in law share last PM; thanks
Style-BBA black ale
Format-75 cl bottle with cork and muselet
Stemware-snifters
Appearance-dark, dark amber with a modest fizzy, lacy head
Nose-bourbon and dark caramel
Mouthfeel-seductive
Tastes-bourbon, dark caramel, vanilla , oak, coconut (not added), char
IBU-22
ABV-11.8%
Overall impression-fabulous pairing with a 12 hour smoked brisket, kale salad with apples and blueberries and 2 cheese homemade mac 'n cheese
Ymm, Beer rating-easy low cat 3 but not quite "full" full enough flavors for the mid level but I'm picking a nit or two here; also a bit spendy at $30 for the bottle

Above from 4/17/21.

From tailgate; same beer, cellared another 17 months:

Delirium Barrel Aged 2020-The Huyghe Brewery

Not. Local.

Credit-^^^^
Format-same; shared 3 ways
Style BBA black ale
Glasses-more of the same
Appearance-very dark brown; moderate beige head
Nose-dark dried fruits, caramel and bourbon
Mouthfeel-sultry
Tastes-perhaps a bit more bourbon, dark caramel, a bit less vanilla, no coconut, wood
IBU-22
ABV-11.8%
Overall impression-this was a shade better after another almost 1.5 years of storage
Ymm, Beer rating-I’ll upgrade this to a mid cat 3; neither wbmcards88 nor fuse (in absentia ) had ever heard of this before; still spendy but a wonderful beverage to wrap up the tailgate tasting

[devildeac]

Delirium Barrel Aged-The Huyghe Brewery

Melle/Ghent, Belgium in not local

Credit-younger son in law share last PM; thanks
Style-BBA black ale
Format-75 cl bottle with cork and muselet
Stemware-snifters
Appearance-dark, dark amber with a modest fizzy, lacy head
Nose-bourbon and dark caramel
Mouthfeel-seductive
Tastes-bourbon, dark caramel, vanilla , oak, coconut (not added), char
IBU-22
ABV-11.8%
Overall impression-fabulous pairing with a 12 hour smoked brisket, kale salad with apples and blueberries and 2 cheese homemade mac 'n cheese
Ymm, Beer rating-easy low cat 3 but not quite "full" full enough flavors for the mid level but I'm picking a nit or two here; also a bit spendy at $30 for the bottle

Above from 4/17/21.

From tailgate; same beer, cellared another 17 months:

Delirium Barrel Aged 2020-The Huyghe Brewery

Not. Local.

Credit-^^^^
Format-same; shared 3 ways
Style BBA black ale
Glasses-more of the same
Appearance-very dark brown; moderate beige head
Nose-dark dried fruits, caramel and bourbon
Mouthfeel-sultry
Tastes-perhaps a bit more bourbon, dark caramel, a bit less vanilla, no coconut, wood
IBU-22
ABV-11.8%
Overall impression-this was a shade better after another almost 1.5 years of storage
Ymm, Beer rating-I’ll upgrade this to a mid cat 3; neither wbmcards88 nor fuse (in absentia ) had ever heard of this before; still spendy but a wonderful beverage to wrap up the tailgate tasting

[Bob Green]

For the Virginia tailgate, I will bring Trader Jose Dark Lager to taste.

[devildeac]

Make up calls

God Complex-Resident Culture Brewing Company

Queen City? Close enough.

Credit-dog sitting fee; pilfered
Style-hazy, DIPA
Format-pint can
Inkage-SWEET JESUS PKG 05/19/20smudgesmudge
Glassage-large wine glass
Appearance-yellow haze; modest foam
Nose-grapefruit juice
Mouthfeel-slightly pulpy and juicy
Tastes-grapefruit squeezings, mango splashes, tangerine drippage and peachiness
Hops-Citra, Mosaic Cryo pellets and Galaxy
Grains-none revealed but I’d bet (no) pie there are some oats and wheat on the bill
IBU-“no IBU” ( ) but likely high 30s
ABV-9%
Overall impression-high quality stuff despite being a few months old
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; would pilfer again

[devildeac]

It’s Saturday am and a bit more than 2 hours until kickoff and I’ve got 6 empty beer containers sitting next to me from the last 3 nights, nudging me to make them part of Ymm, Beer, so here we go:

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Basically Lemonade-Hopfly Brewing Company

Brewed and canned in Charlotte. “Born in the Mount.”

Credit-trader from older daughter, not pilfered; thanks!!
Style-fruited sour
Storage vessel-pint can, shared 3 ways
Stemware-5 ounce tasting glasses
Appearance-pinkish amberish lemonade; no head
Nose-strawberry lemonade
Mouthfeel-a little sweet, a little pucker
Tastes-strawberry lemonade; really, that’s it, two flavors
Adjuncts-lactose and strawberries
IBU-“no IBU” on Untappd but in reality is 5 to 10 range
ABV-5%
Overall impression-a fun beer after dinner on a hot summer eve on Wednesday
Ymm, Beer rating-high cat 2; generally not a strawberry beer fan but this was quite enjoyable

[devildeac]

Communion Juice-Hopfly Brewing Company

Rocky Mount Brewery that took over a closed brewery in Charlotte a year or two ago. @fuse, remind me which one, was it Unknown Brewing?

Credit-another dog sitting fee, pilfered once again; thanks!
Style-smoothie style fruited sour ale
Format-pint can, shared 3 ways
Glassage-5 ounce tasting vessels
Appearance-brilliant dark purple; smallish light purple/pink head
Nose-am I at communion/mass?
Mouthfeel-more sour style than smoothie but still fairly soft and juicy
Tastes-100% on target with the name and adjuncts with super juicy purple grapes, slightly tart cranberries and slightly sweet apples in a damn near perfect blend
Adjuncts-apple, grape, cranberry and lactose
IBU-“no IBU” but again, likely <10
ABV-7% (imperial smoothie sour?)
Overall impression-better than the Basically Lemonade (more vibrant/fresher/jucier flavors) but not quite Veil level but damn close
Ymm, Beer rating-sneakily close to mid cat 3 but not quite; maybe the slightly chunky sediment (not consumed) downgrades this a bit; would buy a 4 pack of this one to share/trade/slurp myself

[devildeac]

Hardy Barrel Blend-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Yep, RVA is local

Credit-trader or warehouse sale goodie from wbmcards88; either way, thanks!!
Style-4 styles/barrels blended
Format-corked and caged 750 ml bottle, shared 3 ways
Stemware-cutie 5 ounce snifters
Appearance-relatively clean dark brown; wispy tan head
Nose-lotsa dried fruits and booze
Mouthfeel-surprisingly soft and gentle
Tastes-quite complex with the Cru being forefront with a ton of dark, dried fruits, followed by bourbon, orange liqueur, toffee/caramel and a faint hint of smoke
Styles and Barrels-Cru from Old Fitzgerald bourbon barrels, wheatwine from Laird’s apple brandy casks, long boil barleywine from Heaven Hill bourbon storage units and a small amount imperial milk stout housed in Laphroaig Scotch barrels
IBU-“no IBU” ( ) but probably low 30s
ABV-13% (sneaky, sneaky, sneaky)
Overall impression-coulda been a mess but Brian, the brewery at Hardywood, executes another outstanding blending
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; superb for sipping; can’t wait to see what he concocts in 2022 and beyond

[devildeac]

Bourbon Raspberry Truffle Stout-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

RVA again registering as local.

Credit-another warehouse sale item, IIRC, from Mr. Family Tree, wbmcards88; thanks and thanks!!
Style-^^^^
Format-corked and caged 750 ml bottle, shared 3 ways
Stemware-same cutsie mini snifters
Appearance-really, really dark brown with brilliant burgundy edges; very thin tan head
Nose-luxurious
Mouthfeel-high viscosity
Tastes-dark chocolate fudge cake and icing, vanilla, raspberry jam and bourbon
Adjuncts-lactose, raspberry puree, bourbon Madagascar vanilla beans and toasted coconut
Barrels-18 and 22 month Basil Hayden bourbon
IBU-18 (shenanigans duly recorded)
ABV-12.7% (it’s a damn candy/cake, it can’t have any alcohol)
Overall impression-pure decadence; could sip this for hours
Ymm Beer rating-mid cat 3 but with another snifter, I could be bribede into a higher rating

[devildeac]

KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge (draft)-Founders Brewing Company

Not. Local.

Credit-BYOG to Bottle Rev on Saturdays and get $4 off a fill up
Style-^^^^
Format-mini growler ($12 ), shared almost equally 3 ways
Sipping vessels-mini snifters
Appearance-exceedingly dark brown; thin tan head
Nose-dark chocolate fudge, coffee and bourbon
Mouthfeel-pillowy but a tad thin
Tastes-CBS on 'roids; incredible dark chocolate fudge and espresso with mildly muted bourbon, burnt caramel
Adjuncts-Michigan Mackinac fudge coffee and maple syrup
IBU-40
ABV-11% ( )
Overall impression-loses a point for its “thinness” but a terrific sipper/nightcap/dessert
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 3; post complete so go get yerself a 4 pack of this one!!

[devildeac]

From last PM:

Biere de Neuse (draft)-Neuse River Brewing Company

Within the city limits

Credit-device rep; thanks!
Style-farmhouse/saison ale
Format-from the spigot
Cupware-ye[p, 8 oz plastic
Appearance-slightly cloudy straw hue; thin, egg white head
Nose-pear and apple juice light
Mouthfeel-a little tingle
Tastes-light pears and apples, wet hay and a very small dash of black pepper
IBU-probably mid 20s
ABV-4% (whaaaaaa?)
Overall impression-good pairing with a New Yorker pizza
Ymm, Beer rating-mid/upper cat 2; nice sipper on the patio with friends and pizza

[devildeac]

Beer 2:

Cackalacky ® (draft)-Tobacco Wood Brewing Company

About 25 miles northwest of local

Credit-device rep; thanks!!
Style-“Southern Pale Ale”
Format-pull the handle and dispense
Cupware-same; I’m still at Bottle Rev
Appearance-yellowish amber, clean; small offwhite head
Nose-hints of pine, resin and caramel
Mouthfeel-slight bite
Tastes-a little orange rind, some resin and pine with a drizzle of caramel
Hops-“variety of American”
Grains-“locally sourced specialty”
IBU-maybe low 30s
ABV-5%
Overall impression-another good pairing with pizza
Ymm, Beer rating-mid cat 2; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is still the “standard” for me with this style and this one falls short; still enjoyable with friends and food

[devildeac]

Beer 3:

El Tiburon Del Pacifico (draft)-Vicious Fishes

This one is about 25 miles southwest of local

Credit-device rep treat; thanks!
Style-American IPA
Cupathy-yep, rinsed and reused
Appearance-light amber orange; thinnish eggwhite head
Nose-pine, resin, orange
Mouthfeel-mo’ bitter
Tastes-orange rind, pine and resin with a splash of caramel
IBU-perhaps 60
ABV-7.1%
Overall impression-another good match for the pizza
Ymm, Beer rating-mid/upper cat 2; gotta do better than this to please my palate with a westie; I’d rather have a DFH 60 Minute

[devildeac]

More crazietalk; from 9/28/20:

"Shade-New Anthem Beer Project

Close enough for local.

Credit-RJ199 and the beergoddess; thanks!!
Style-DDH (NE)IPA
Format-pint can
Stemware-Founders snifter
Appearance-white grapefruit juice on nitro
Nose-grapefruit from halfway across the room
Mouthfeel-pithy
Tasty stuff-lots and lots of grapefruit juice with some lemon, rind and a splash of orange
Adjuncts-oats and wheat
Hops-Citra!!
IBU-probably 50
ABV-6.9% but felt like >8% 30 minutes later
Overall impression-another round tripper from NA; good pairing with a spicy/grilled southwest salad
Ymm, Beer rating-easily waltzes into a low cat 3 seat for me; damn, NA brews some fine, fine IPAs/NEIPAs/DIPAs"

From last PM:

Shade w/Nelson (draft)-New Anthem Beer Project

An honorary neighbor

Credit-Bottle Rev owner for a 2 oz taster; thanks!
Style-IPA, NE style
Format-^^^^
Cup-yep, taster size
Appearance-orange yellow amber; half a head
Nose-grapefruit and white wine
Mouthfeel-juuiicy!
Tastes-white grapefruit juice and white wine cocktail/cooler
Hops-probably Citra, the original, plus Nelson Sauvin
IBU-mid 40s?
ABV-6.9%
Overall impression-delightful taste; can’t wait to pour my gifted can, likely tonight
Ymm, Beer rating-low/mid cat 3, anticipating a bit higher score tonight after a full pint serving

#fanboi

[devildeac]

Shade-New Anthem Beer Project

Always local

Credit-can 1 from mixed 4 pack delivered by patient last week whose son is NA sales manager; many, many thanks!!
Style-NEIPA
Format-pint can
Numbers-22 230 (aka August 18, 2022)
Sipping vessel-large wine glass
Appearance-^^^^
Nose-papaya and mango swimming in grapefruit pineapple juice
Mouthfeel-fresh squeezed stuff
Tastes-a bit more grapefruit than pineapple, generously dosed with mango, papaya and some peach
Hops-Citra. More Citra
Grains-English Pale Malt, oats, wheat
Adjunct-lactose
IBU-“no IBU” (SOS) but in reality guessing mid 30s
ABV-6.9%
Overall impression-maybe better than I remembered from 2021 or even 2020 but maybe recency bias is in play
Ymm, Beer rating-easy mid cat 3; worthy of fearless and handsome

I’ll sip and review the Shade with Nelson tomorrow night