Ymm, Beer!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Trader review: Clipper City McHenry Old Baltimore Style Beer-A disappointment from these folks that make the High Seas and Mutiny Fleet series. This is a lager (I shoulda figgered) and had a very small head and a faint aroma of floral hops (single variety and probably not very plentiful in the brewing process). The pale and caramel malts (I'm guessing here) were pleasant and slightly bready and caramel-like. I'd guess the IBU in the 20-30 range and the ABV is 4.5%, so not a bad session beer. I'd bet this one came from , but no bad feelings, big guy, as the next one redeemed the evening ;) .

I agree with the above. I had mine the night after I came back from brunchgate, and was bummed as well. Wasn't surprised since it was a lager, but being a craft brew I was hoping for more. Not that I would turn down one in the future, but I wouldn't pick one out of a fridge on purpose. For me it was the flavor factor, which was lacking. As stated...lager=very little, with some rare and enjoyable exceptions.

[devildeac]

Flying Dog (Doggie Style) Classic Pale Ale-Another pleasant surprise from these folks. Contract brewed in Frederick, MD and not in Colorado. If it had a few more IBU (35), I'd swear this was an IPA as it had nice piney and cannabis bites and aroma. It poured a nice golden color with a modest head and had a nice malty balance. The ABV is 5.5% so you could have this with light or mildly spicy grilled fare and still have room for a 2nd brew with your dinner ;) . This one also came from and made the Clipper City brew seem much weaker in comparison, realizing of course, that the CC one is a lager and the Flying Dog is an ale. Ahh, Brunchgate, gone but the memories and tastes still linger.

[bluebeer]

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2009 edition hit the shelves of Total Wine last week and is released this year in 4 packs. Now I'll have to buy 3 of these suckers instead of two 6ers . Still one of my favorite all-time beers going on about 10 years now. A typical imperial stout with 6 malts and lots of roastiness which yields a nearly black beer with a slight hint of oiliness and a medium sized, medium tan head. I'd guess the IBU in the 40-50 range and the ABV this year is 10%. I still like Michael Jackson's (the bearded, hoppy one, not the deceased bleached one) description of it that I read about 10 years ago: a shot of whiskey in a dark chocolate malted (paraphrased). There is little, if any, espresso here. It is dark, semi-sweet chocolate all the way. Have it at cellar temps by itself, with some chocolate dessert (cookie, brownies or cake) or with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream with a straw or spoon. CB&B gave me one of these as a trader in addition to the 4 I bought, but, as it is a perennial favorite, I can never have enough BBCS in the 'fridge or in the cellar . I may have some from as far back as 2006 hidden somewhere and will plan on a vertical session sometime this winter .

I tried this for the first time about a few weeks back and this is easily one of my favorite stouts..What a great beer and a nice alternative to other imperial stouts that have more of a bitter coffee bite...can't wait to hear about your vertical of this..

[bluebeer]

That is a nice find..I've never seen that up here...only their RIS and non-imperial type beers. Sounds great..I'll keep my eye out for this one..

I gathered from their web site that this is a new addition in May, 2009 to their imperial series with the RIS being their 1st. There will be another release this season. In fact, you oughtta make plans to visit their brewery on 10/30 to be one of the first to taste the Quercus Vitis Humulus, a sauvignon grape/barleywine blend, aged in oak ;) .

Quercus is definitely on my radar...sounds incredibly tasty...They've pushed back the release a few times but it sounds from your research that friday is finally the day...a feel a cold coming on that will keep me out of work late in the week ;)

Now that's a grea idea... :roll: ;) [/quote]

Although I didn't make it to Vermont, this beer has fortunately also been released in stores today and I have a nice foil topped bomber cooling in my fridge...I am hoping that it is ready in a hour or so and will share a review tomorrow..

[Miles]

I'm gonna post my reviews soon, I promise. Work has been hell but I just wanted to let everyone know that I had a marvelous time sampling every single brew and taking tasting notes. Looking forward to the next Brunchgate. Cross your fingers so I can make it.

[devildeac]

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2009 edition hit the shelves of Total Wine last week and is released this year in 4 packs. Now I'll have to buy 3 of these suckers instead of two 6ers . Still one of my favorite all-time beers going on about 10 years now. A typical imperial stout with 6 malts and lots of roastiness which yields a nearly black beer with a slight hint of oiliness and a medium sized, medium tan head. I'd guess the IBU in the 40-50 range and the ABV this year is 10%. I still like Michael Jackson's (the bearded, hoppy one, not the deceased bleached one) description of it that I read about 10 years ago: a shot of whiskey in a dark chocolate malted (paraphrased). There is little, if any, espresso here. It is dark, semi-sweet chocolate all the way. Have it at cellar temps by itself, with some chocolate dessert (cookie, brownies or cake) or with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream with a straw or spoon. CB&B gave me one of these as a trader in addition to the 4 I bought, but, as it is a perennial favorite, I can never have enough BBCS in the 'fridge or in the cellar . I may have some from as far back as 2006 hidden somewhere and will plan on a vertical session sometime this winter .

I tried this for the first time about a few weeks back and this is easily one of my favorite stouts..What a great beer and a nice alternative to other imperial stouts that have more of a bitter coffee bite...can't wait to hear about your vertical of this..

The Victory Storm King Imperial Stout is also excellent but with much more in the way of espresso notes than chocolate.

[devildeac]

I'm gonna post my reviews soon, I promise. Work has been hell but I just wanted to let everyone know that I had a marvelous time sampling every single brew and taking tasting notes. Looking forward to the next Brunchgate. Cross your fingers so I can make it.

11/14, 11/28 or both? ;)

[bluebeer]

Otter Creek Quercus Vitis Humulus--The third of their imperial series along with an RIS and DIPA..Apparently, they will be having a box of all three for the holidays..A barleywine with sauvignon blanc grapes and champagne yeast and then aged in oak. Pours a nice amber color, a bit darker than I was expecting. Big barleywine taste up front with lots of heavy sweet malts and a minimal hop bite. The back end is all white wine and champagne with a very strong yeast taste. I didn't really pick up much oak. This is a very nice beer and I really liked the blend between the malts and the champagne. It makes for a very sweet initial taste but a dry finish. 12% ABV. Highly recommended and I think I'll grab another bottle to cellar for a while..

[CameronBornAndBred]

Highly recommended and I think I'll grab another bottle to cellar for a while..

That sounds great, I'll have to keep an eye out in my future travels.

[devildeac]

Highly recommended and I think I'll grab another bottle to cellar for a while..

That sounds great, I'll have to keep an eye out in my future travels.

If you find any of those individually or in a 3 pack like bluebear said, buy it/them and I'll get you the cash, even if they have to age 6 months ;) .

[devildeac]

Kirkland Signature German Lager-New Yorker Brewing Company, Utica-CB&B already knows the origin of this beer so I'll put it at the bottom of the post. A patient brought 4 different brews from this company into the office on Friday, left them with my manager and bet I had never heard of these before and he was correct. A pleasant golden pilsner (did I really type that in the same sentence?) with pilsner, dark-roasted Munich and caramel malts and German Hallertau hops make this a slightly floral and sweet brew. Carbonation was rather light, along with the IBU at 22. ABV was 5.5%. A solid effort that would blend well with lightly grilled fare and snacks. If you go to the store down at the bottom of this page, I'd bet you'd find this at a reasonable price ;) .














Store: Costco

I also think this is a contract brewer as some on-line data I ferreted out said that Gordon Biersch brewed this series. Nonetheless, I was pleased with this offering.

[devildeac]

Kirkland Hefeweizen-Another pleasant surprise. I like this a bit better than the lager for being typical of the style. A bit cloudy and light yellow-golden with lots of foam, a bit of orange/citrus zest and very slightly sour. IBU is 26 and ABV is 5.5%. Good during/after some yard work/mowing or with light appetizers or light grill items. If you have a bit of adventure, head to Costco and see if they have a sampler of their brews. I think the other two brews I was given are a pale ale and a brown ale. But that's another post or two... ;)

[devildeac]

Trader review:

Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat-Fort Collins Brewery-just like the label says, "sweet and tart." A light wheat ale that is surprisingly crisp and clear. They musta filtered this one. A hint of citrus and very mild, guessing the IBU to be about 20. ABV is estimated about 5% or less. Good session or "lawnmower" brew. Also a nice one to have with some fruit salad and better/more appropriate on a summer afternoon/eve than a cool fall night, but enjoyable last PM, nonetheless. A thanks to , I think, for this one. Or was it CB&B ?

[devildeac]

another trader review:

Hop Head Red Ale-Green Flash Brewing-Quite an interesting ale. Pours a reddish-gold with pungent piney and cannabis notes with aroma and taste with the Amarillo hops but a nice balance with the maltiness and an IBU of 45 and an ABV of 6.4%. Modest head, gold color and, with a bit higher IBU, this would be a really solid IPA. It's still closer to the IPA style than the red ale and I found this to be very distinctive. Would pair nicely with mild to spicy grilled fare. A hearty to Miles for bringing a 6er to Brunchgate with his boatload of chili. I think I'll save one for CB&B, one for , a couple more for me and one for our son who will be visiting this weekend.

[devildeac]

Orange Blossom Pilsner 2
I picked up 3 at TW for this past weekend. One for DD, one for , and one for me. I have two..so one of those two got shafted. No worries, I'll have this one as a trader again because it is excellent. I've only had a couple pilsners stand out enough to revisit, Heavy Seas Uber Pils is one, the other is from Old Dominion I believe. The OBP2 is something entirely different, the honey is the overwhelming flavor, it is just copious in its presence. The beer is a nice golden color, light head, low IBU's...10-30 range I'm guessing. It's very sweet, and the honey is so prescient that it is really remeniscent of a meade. It's also a sipper. As good as it tastes, you have to moderate at 11%ABV. You read that right, 11%. A really highly recommended dessert beer; it would be perfect to split a 12oz bottle with a cobbler. If you have seen it and haven't tried it, get it. To whomever didn't get it in their trader pack, I'll have more at the next brunchgate.
http://www.orangeblossompilsner.com

I guess great palates taste alike ;) . In addition to a mead, I thought about an imperial pilsner, with a low amount of hops, being blended with chardonnay or sauvignon blanc grapes to further enhance the fruitiness of this brew. Damn sneaky stuff at 11% ABV-not boozy at all. This would also be good with a fruit plate for dessert. I'd almost serve this in a wine or cordial glass. Also tastes a bit like a very light orange liqueur. A fine selection. Sorry missed this one.

[bluebeer]

Bump bump..

Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper--2008 vintage..I managed to hold off trying this until the 2009 came out (though it helped that I bought this in the spring after primary stout season)..This is another excellent imperial stout. Pours thick like black mud. No head at all. A nice blend of more bitter coffee and sweeter chocolate malts. There is a nice bourbon booziness as well which makes this an excellent dessert beer. Seemed to be a very subtle mint hint in the finish though I tasted this less on the second day of the bomber. I grabbed a few of 2009 vintage and hope to compare later this week. ABV of 10%

Lagunitas A little Sumpin Extra...The bigger brother to "A Little Sumpin Sumpin" (which I had mixed feelings on)...The original is a bit of a hoppy pale ale while the Extra is more of a DIPA or Strong Ale..Pours a nice golden color with a modest head. Fairly sweet tasting up front with more of fruity notes than maltiness. The backside adds a fair amount of both citrusy and piney hops. There is a bitter bite but it's not overwhelming and balanced pretty well with the sweetness. A bit thick and slightly boozy for such a light colored beer. Very crisp and refreshing. ABV-8.7%

[devildeac]

Bump bump..

Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper--2008 vintage..I managed to hold off trying this until the 2009 came out (though it helped that I bought this in the spring after primary stout season)..This is another excellent imperial stout. Pours thick like black mud. No head at all. A nice blend of more bitter coffee and sweeter chocolate malts. There is a nice bourbon booziness as well which makes this an excellent dessert beer. Seemed to be a very subtle mint hint in the finish though I tasted this less on the second day of the bomber. I grabbed a few of 2009 vintage and hope to compare later this week. ABV of 10%

Lagunitas A little Sumpin Extra...The bigger brother to "A Little Sumpin Sumpin" (which I had mixed feelings on)...The original is a bit of a hoppy pale ale while the Extra is more of a DIPA or Strong Ale..Pours a nice golden color with a modest head. Fairly sweet tasting up front with more of fruity notes than maltiness. The backside adds a fair amount of both citrusy and piney hops. There is a bitter bite but it's not overwhelming and balanced pretty well with the sweetness. A bit thick and slightly boozy for such a light colored beer. Very crisp and refreshing. ABV-8.7%

Never heard of the 1st one. I know Lagunitas but not that brew.

gift beer-from a patient:

Kirkland Amber Lager-solid session beer with crystal malt and I'd bet some caramel malt. Think Fat Tire here with a little bisquity/bready nose and taste. Some Yakima Valley hops but not too much as the IBUs are 25 and the ABV is 5.7%. Good match with snacks or light grilled fare. Reminder: "Costco" beer from the New York Brewing Company in Utica or Gordon Biersch, depending on who you read/believe.

[devildeac]

Post Road Pumpkin Ale-a trader from either or CB&B. Good fall offering with a bit of pumpkin taste and aroma in an amber ale with modest doses of cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a bit of allspice. I'd guess an IBU about 30 and it is an ABV of 5%. Another good session beer with some pumpkin bread/cake or oatmeal raisin cookies.

I gotta stop here and plan something for #4000.

I know what I'd like to post about and it just may wait until Saturday evening...

[CameronBornAndBred]

I gotta stop here and plan something for #4000.

Wherever it happens...eagerly waiting.

[CathyCA]

I gotta stop here and plan something for #4000.

I know what I'd like to post about and it just may wait until Saturday evening...

Gee, I wonder which beer DD's gonna review for #4000. . .