Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Second batter:

Crown of the Metropolis (draft)-Trophy Brewing Company

NEIPA

Hazy yellow, as expected with a small head. Also expected were the aromas of pineapple, grapefruit and maybe some guava that matched the tastes with mild citrus bitterness. I'll guess IBUs about 50. ABV on the beer sheet was 6.4%. Nothing distinguishing here, barely making a Cat 2 rating. Worth a sample but happy not to have bought a 4 bagger of this at Total Wine on Sunday and hoping the one I chose ends up better.

[devildeac]

Counting down a couple more Trophys/Trophies from last PM:

#3 and probably my favorite from the flight:

Over My Helmet (draft)-Trophy Brewing

I don't have a clue about the name . It's a name I might expect from Crank Arm Brewing.

Black session IPA, a style I've never heard of/tasted before.

Pour was a dark, dark brown with a thin, tan head. Subtle nose of chocolate, coffee and citrus (no adjuncts mentioned). Tasted like a chocolate-covered grapefruit-orange jellied candy dipped in a cup of coffee. A tad more bitter than I'd expect from a session IPA but the heavily roasted grains might be responsible for that. I'll guess 40 IBUs to blend with the 4.5% ABV, about as expected for the style. I'd pair with a coffee-rubbed beef roast or steak and would definitely sample again. A solid Cat 2.

[devildeac]

Batting clean-up:

Software Glitch (draft)-Trophy Brewing Company

(yet another) NEIPA

Hazy? Yep.
Yellow color (variant)? Yep
Pineapple? Yep-not added
Guava? Yep-not added
Bitter? Yep, but not too much-I'll guess 40 again
Moderate ABV? Yep-6.4%
Any special/distinguishing characteristics? Nope
Purchase again? Not likely

Good effort on the style but nothing really stands out with this one. Happy to have tasted. Cat 2 (almost )

[devildeac]

Berlinerweisse Mojito-Mother Earth Brewing

Disclaimer-I've never had a Mojito but, when I do, I'd like it to taste like this with the appropriate dose of light rum added, too.

Twelve ounce can ($2.50) poured into a pint glass. Light yellow-gold with a fizzy, short-lived head. Enticing lime and mint aromas with mildly sour/pungent lime flavors leading into fairly strong, but not unpleasant minty finish. Minimal bitterness except maybe a bit of lime rind. I'll guess IBUs <10 based on the style. ABV was 4.9%. I won't go Cat 1 but it's solidly a Cat 2. I'm happy the above reviews were available and quite pleased with my purchase and would heartily recommend this for a porch sipper/thirst quencher/after dinner ale.

[devildeac]

Collusion-Gizmo Brew Works

Double NEIPA

Drink local! I wish I could find their description on the back of the cans so I could copy/paste here as it's waaay to long to try and type. Best memory is the inclusion/collusion of Vic Secret and Enigma hops in the final product.

Four pack of pint cans originally about $18 less 10% with my Total Wine coupon last weekend, minus another $2 from their "last chance" table.

(from memory)
bottom of can stamp:

06/06/19
bunchanumbers

Pour was a slightly hazy orange-yellow with a generous, foamy head. Nose of pineapple, orange and grapefruit with similar sensations on the palate with maybe some rind, mango and peaches and tangerines. No IBUs quoted so I'll guess 50 and the ABV was 8%. I thought the aromas, mouthfeel and flavors were a bit thin so I'm only giving this a fuse Cat 2 rating-certainly worth about $3.50/16 ounce can and one I'll happily have again and/or trade/share with others.

[devildeac]

Lager-Ballast Point Brewing Company

Kinda local.

BPL 19 11:57
PKG 16MAY 19

Per 12 Fl Oz Serving Average Analysis: Calories 99, Carbs 3.5 Grams, Protein 1.1 Grams, Fat 0.0 Grams

Shared 12 ounce can last PM with younger son-in-law as a palate cleanser after dinner.

Cold, light gold, floral, slight corn syrup (not added), minimally bitter. I'll guess IBUs around 20 and the ABV was 4.2%. Decent lager. Would be happy to pair with some sammiches, chips, raw veggies and a post-lawn trimming thirst. Not quite worthy of a Cat 2.

[devildeac]

Wisconsin Amber-Capital Brewing Company

Drink nearby!

Another shared brew, this one was a 12 ounce bottle bought by above mentioned son-in-law after a golf outing in upstate Wisconsin as he also loaded his shopping cart with New Glarus Products .

Poured a clear, medium amber (d'oh!) with a small, off-white head. Aromas and tastes as expected with some herbal/earthy hops, caramel, toasted bread with a shade more bitterness than expected. Pretty comparable to the standard Fat Tire. IBUs weigh in at 28 and the ABV is 5.2%. Decent offering. Another (almost) Cat 2.

[devildeac]

Kid Kölsch-New Glarus Brewing Company

Drink the stuff bought somewhat local!

What a delicate assortment of aromas and flavors from this shared 12 ounce bottle last PM with our younger son-in-law from his 6er he brought back to Chicago after a recent golf outing in upstate Wisconsin.

Poured a light straw-yellow with an almost meringue-like head which lingered a bit. Enticing pear, apple, hay and honey (none added) aromatherapy, followed by light lemon, fresh apples and pears, light brown sugar and mildly bitter Euro hops. Bottle label claims Spalt Hops (new to me) and (unnamed) German and Czech barley and wheat malts. I'll guess 10 IBUs and about 5% ABV. I'm dreaming of a roasted turkey, Havarti cheese, lettuce and tomato sammich on toasted whole wheat bread with a thin smear of real mayo to pair with this wonderful, new New Glarus beverage. Not quite a Cat 3 beer but I'd have another (and another) of these if offered.

[devildeac]

Here gose (see what I did there ) it with the Lagunitas reviews from Saturday night, kinda/sorta in order of preference:

A Little Sumpin' Hazy (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

"An unfiltered take on Sumpin' classic"

The five ounce pour was yellow-orange and slightly cloudy with a thin head. Orange scents with some pine, followed by rind, OJ, light pineapple, pithy bitterness and a bit of caramel. Guessing IBUs about 50 with the ABV at 7.2%. Fuse Cat 2. Solid though not outstanding, probably best plugged into the wheat IPA category.

[devildeac]

Super Cluster (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

Sample #2 from two 4 beer flights shared among 3 of us along with a pint to be named late, also shared.

"A Citra-hopped mega ale of intergalactic proportions"

Another yellow-gold, slightly cloudy pour with a thin head. Perhaps a bit more pineapple-grapefruit than orange with very little pine/resin, both aromatically and on the palate than the Sumpin' Hazy. IBUs probably 60+ with the ABV of 8% slotting nicely into IIPA country. The Sumpin' Hazy was in their "Hiiighley (sic) Limited Release" category and this one was one of the Unlimited Releases. Another solid though unspectacular beverage that earned a Cat 2 rating.

[devildeac]

Imperial Stout (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

Sample #4

"dark, rich and scary"

This creatively named () brew was a bit disappointing as it was a bit "thin," not particularly viscous and lacked some of the other RIS characteristics of heavy roastiness, dark chocolate, coffee and booziness despite its dark brown hue, tan head and aromas/tastes of java and cacao. I'll guess IBUs about 50 base on the style and the ABV was a deceptive 9.9%. Still a fuse Cat 2 but I like their Cappuccino Stout much better along with our "closer" for the evening which I'll review tomorrow...

[devildeac]

Novel Pulp Ch. 3 (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

Sample #3

"A wheaty-esque double dry-hopped, unfiltered ++ double IPA"

This was a shared pint from a Lagunitas mason jar pint glass.

Another yellow-orange color with a thin head. I think I read somewhere this was a blend of hops, including Simcoe, Amarillo, Galaxy, Cascade and maybe one other but don't quote me on all the correct names. The result was a rather orange-y, pineapple-y, grapefruit-y, piney brew both up front and on the palate. Mild honey-ish sweetness. I'll guess IBUs close to 70 with the ABV at 8.2%. All the above paired well with a buncha shared entrees from a fancy, mixed green salad with a lot of cheese, dried fruits and nuts, to our younger daughter's plant-based burger () which was pretty tasty, to a Margarhita (sp?) flatbread and a huuuuge plate of pulled pork nachos.

This was also in the "Hiiighley Limited Releases" category on the menu.

[devildeac]

Wilco Tango Foxtrot (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

On the beer menu in the Limited Releases section simply as WTF; "Rich, smooth, dangerous and chocolately"

"A malty, robust, jobless recovery ale" on the label.

Another 5 ounce pour shared 3 ways. It's an imperial brown ale so color was mahogany, head was thin and nose was nuts and earth/dirt. Tastes were mixed, over-roasted nuts, milk chocolate, slightly burnt whole wheat toast and moderately bitter, herbal/earthy hops. Their website claims IBUs of 64.2 and that number passes the DBR Ymm, Beer advanced metrics "eye test," which is too hoppy for a brown ale but not unpleasantly. ABV rolls in at 7.85%, hence imperial brown and not plain brown wrapper. This paired best with the pulled pork nachos.

[devildeac]

Dark Swan (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

"An experimentally hopped sour ale fermented with dark red wine grapes (Petite Sirah on their product page)"

Yes, it was dark (deep for you old rockers out there) purple with a thin, lavender head. Quite vinous aromas and tastes, as expected, accompanied by some red wine vinegar () on the palate along with Sour Patch kids grape candy and minimal bitterness, confirmed by the IBUs of 25. ABV was 7.7% so more of an "imperial" sour. Mixed reviews from the family as Mrs. dd liked it (a Cab fan), younger daughter was neutral and her husband almost hurt his face with his single sip. I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was a solid Cat 2. Nice pairing with my salad of mixed weeds, craisins, candied walnuts, bleu cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

[devildeac]

Aunt Sally with Black Currants (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

Beer #7 in our flights

"A dry hopped sweat (sic) tart sour mash ale with added black currants"

Just another pretty purple beer . No head. Dark, dried fruits and red wine vinegar nose with sweet and tart/sour tastes along with lots of berries and mixed Sour Patch kids tongue-tingling sensations. Very mild bitterness with IBUs of 33. ABV in the Limited Releases part of the menu states 7.73% (imperial range) which is up a moderate amount from the original Aunt Sally which the website claims was 5.7%. Another good pairing with the above-mentioned salad.

[devildeac]

We interrupt this Lagunitas lovefest to bring you a Vixen...

Tripel Vixen-Bombshell Beer Company

Drink local!

Belgian-style tripel with peach and hibiscus (from last PM)

Poured from a $3.50 pint can into an oversized Ommegang tulip in two almost equal portions. Light golden color as expected with a generous, fizzy, yet lingering, Belgian lacy head. Cooked peach pie filling aromas entice the nares without any spices. Peach jelly/syrup on the palate, maybe more like Del Monte canned peaches in light syrup. This one is a bit too sweet and has hints of floral bitterness but I'm missing the hibiscus scents/tastes (not that I've ever eaten any hibiscus ). Untapped quotes 28 IBUs and confirms the 10% ABV on the label. Fairly easy sipping over an hour and would pair nicely with a fruit plate or tart, maybe even a mildly spicy salsa atop some grilled tilapia. Knowing very little about Bombshell, I found this an enjoyable surprise and would be happy to share/trade/drink another. Fuse Cat 2.

[devildeac]

Resuming the Lagunitas flight and pint reviews:

Phase Change (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

"Wet hop in spring? A hazy beer? Belive (sic) your eyes"

Another 5 ounce sample that was mostly mine as our younger daughter doesn't like IPAs much and her husband was still sipping his pint. This was slightly hazy and light bronze-colored with a small head. What a a nose full of fresh grapefruit, pineapple, oil and zest, followed by rind and other citrus and tropical flavors that also included peach, tangerine, melon with a mildly oily/viscous mouthfeel from the wet hopping-varieties undisclosed. I'll guess IBUs around 70 with the ABV at 7.2%. Nice pairing with the remaining nachos. I smuggled a 12 ounce bottle of this back in a running shoe and it'll be sipped later this week. Tied for my favorite in-house brew of the night. Not quite a Cat 3 but well above the integer 2 with a decimal point .

[devildeac]

Resuming the Lagunitas flight and pint reviews:

Phase Change (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

"Wet hop in spring? A hazy beer? Belive (sic) your eyes"

Another 5 ounce sample that was mostly mine as our younger daughter doesn't like IPAs much and her husband was still sipping his pint. This was slightly hazy and light bronze-colored with a small head. What a a nose full of fresh grapefruit, pineapple, oil and zest, followed by rind and other citrus and tropical flavors that also included peach, tangerine, melon with a mildly oily/viscous mouthfeel from the wet hopping-varieties undisclosed. I'll guess IBUs around 70 with the ABV at 7.2%. Nice pairing with the remaining nachos. I smuggled a 12 ounce bottle of this back in a running shoe and it'll be sipped later this week. Tied for my favorite in-house brew of the night. Not quite a Cat 3 but well above the integer 2 with a decimal point .

[devildeac]

Last call!

The Hairy Eyeball Rum Barrel Aged (draft)-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

From the Barrel Aged and Hiiighly (sic) Limited Releases section of their beer menu.

An American strong ale

Pour was a dark brown with basically no head. Aromas? Dark, dried fruits and yo-ho-ho and a bottle of _ _ _. Tastes? Raisins, dates, figs, plums, molasses, dark caramel and dark rum. They've made several variants of this that I've never tasted and they list IBUs for the original/base brew as 56.66 (yea, really; two decimal places ). The ABV on this malt monster was a potent and boozey/rummy 11.8%. This tied the fresh/wet hop ale for beast, err, best of show Saturday night (**) because it's well done and I really like the style and the RBA makes it excellent. High Cat 2 rating-not quite Cat 3, but close. I'd buy a bomber of this if I saw it in a heartbeat.

(**) beer of the night until we consumed our to-go bomber for dessert upon arriving home after dinner/brewery visit

[devildeac]

Beer of the night from Saturday:

Willettized Coffee Stout 2018 One Hitter Series-Lagunitas (Heineken) Brewing Company

Their description:

"Our friends over at Kentucky’s own Willett Distillery have one kind of barrel: wood. And they put two things in them: Bourbon and Rye. We were fortunate enough to get some of their Bourbon barrels, and we put our Imperial Stout in them. It’s a chocolatey, coffee-y, smoky, Bourbon-y beast of a barrel-aged thing. Word."

Package: bomber
Serving size: 4 ounces
Cost: $11 (no typo), including about 10% Chicago city tax
Where: at the brewery
Appearance: "it was a dark and stormy night"
Head: modest size; creamy; tan
Aromas: coffee, bourbon, dark chocolate, espresso, booze
Mouthfeel: as smooth and silky as a JJ 25 footer
Tastes: dark chocolate, toasted pumpernickel, coffee, warm, bourbon, molasses, dark fruit, wood
IBU: 32.0 (really? a decimal point?)
ABV: dangerous; 12.9%
Overall impression: world class; Cat 3; if I lived nearby, I'd return and buy a half case (or more) of these

the remaining quantity (18 ounces) was apportioned equally in our beer floats. Really. See next post...