August has been a fantastic beer month so far, and that will continue with the Flour City Brew Fest tonight at the Rochester Public Market. I have tasted 78 distinct beers that I've never had before from Virginia and North Carolina (the Charlotte and Asheville areas mostly) from around 35 breweries, most of which are brand new to me! I attended an amazing beer fest called Whistle Belly in Williamsburg, VA that had all you could eat/drink and some of the best beer I've ever had. I was also privileged enough to tour Sierra Nevada's Mills River Brewery in North Carolina and it was a beauty.
The Beer!
I could give you a rundown on every single brew, but I think I will bring out the highlights instead from let's say 20 brews. I'll try and hit as many breweries as I can but I admit there are some true standouts and some old favorites (in no particular order).
...while in Virginia...
Parkway Brewing Co. Raven's Roost Baltic Porter - I loved this one the first time my older sister let me try it so I got another bottle later on, lots of raisin, prune, ham/smoke, milk chocolate, with a mild roastiness and a slightly sweet balance and pleasant bitterness, pours a dark brown mohagany root beer color. 7.1% ABV, more here.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Gingerbread Stout - one of the things I loved about Whistle Belly was how all the VIP hour specialty brews were still available once general admission started. Other beer festivals I've been to pulled the good brews after GA started. This Gingerbread Stout was more of a spiced ginger than fresh hot but delicious nonetheless. 9.2% ABV, more here.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Virginia Blackberry - a truly delicious white beer with loads of Virginia blackberries, exceptional, ripe, delicate fruity nose, clove, berries galore, medium light body, rose wine characteristics, reddish hue, floral with a hint of spiciness. 6.8% ABV, more here.
AleWerks Brewing Co. Imperial Milk Stout (on cask with white chocolate) - rich, sweet, decadent, very limited release, isn't on their website. 8% ABV, AleWerks here.
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery Batchelor's Delight - this rum barrel-aged Belgian quad was really interesting, with a tea aroma and strong notes of peppermint and a herbaceous nose, it hides the pretty well. 12 % ABV, more here.
Alpine Beer Company Duet (cask with Amarillo hops) - so fresh, delicious pine and citrus notes and great aroma, refreshing, on cask at Whistle Belly. 7% ABV, more here.
Founders Brewing Company Rubaeus - seen this plenty of times never pulled the trigger because beer money is precious but now I know it's definitely worth purchasing, had it on nitro, luscious and smooth raspberry puree, tantalizing and delicious. 5.7% ABV, more here.
Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout - finally had the opportunity to try this at Whistle Belly, got the last bit in the tap lines! an immense stout in flavor and ABV, strong, rich, dark, smooth, not overly boozy, similar to dogfish head palo santo marron but less woody? 14.2% ABV, more here.
Foothills Brewing People's Porter - actually a NC brew, delicious, smooth, balanced with herbal hops, caramel, toffee, chocolate and espresso finish, quite sessionable. 5.8% ABV. More here.
...while in North Carolina...
Birdsong Brewing Company Jalapeno Pale Ale - had this at a fish taco restaurant and it hit the spot with its spiciness and really fresh jalapeno aroma/taste, a very different brew because it doesn't have those phenolic peppery notes but it still has a lot of jalapeno. 5.5% ABV, more here.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Audition Saison - one of five beers I tried at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's tap room, and this one really stuck out with its bubble gum, tart red berry, spicy peppercorn, pear, cider and sweat clove characteristics, it poured a straw color. 5.6% ABV.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Harvest Newly Developed Hops IPA - just out of the fermentation tank two days, this was orange, tropical, pineapple, vanilla, and says it is "cedar, cocoa, coconut, oak, orange zest, vanilla" all with the typical Sierra Nevada bitterness/malt bill. I brought back a 2 pint "Crowler" can for my bro. 6.5% ABV. More here.
Wicked Weed Brewing Berry Pi'd - a fruit beer with red, tart peel, raspberry, strawberry, jam, blackberry fruits, dry, fresh and crisp. 3.14% ABV, more here.
Wicked Weed Brewing Serenity - a golden/straw colored sour ale blended after aging in wine barrels with barnyard funk nose, medium light body, it is cidery, vanilla, oak, a mild sourness and creaminess. The brett funk is restrained and unoffensive and I actually enjoyed the whole experience of this beer. 5.5% ABV, more here.
Wicked Weed Brewing Dark Age Bourbon Stout - a russian imperial stout with strong bourbon molasses nose, a full body, notes of vanilla, bourbon, smooth bitter chocolate, espresso, it's sweet rich and lasting in the mouth. 11.9% ABV.
The Unknown Brewing Company Over the Edge IPA - from Charlotte, this IPA has pineapple, green and fresh, menthol, sappy hops, watermelon, tea, kiwi, caramel malt and smells like a Sierra Nevada brew. 6.9% ABV, more here.
Founders Brewing Company Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) - both heavy hitters in one week, this one was the real treat actually, it has a huge vanilla hit, bold coffee and chocolate, warming bourbon, roasty esspresso beans kick through, extremely rich, earthy, plum, raisin, toffee, caramel, fudge, buttery creaminess, butterscotch. Decadent. 11.2% ABV. More here.
DuClaw Brewing Company Morgazm - a blonde ale from Baltimore with a nice peely grapefruit, orange juice, citrus, balanced pine/earthy hops, floral, crisp, refreshing and sessionable, and a gold color. 5% ABV. More here.
...the after party, back home...
Flying Fish Brewing Company Exit 3: Blueberry Braggot - a delicious honey braggot with tart citrus/blueberry notes, earthy, reddish amber and a medium full mouthfeel. This comes in a big bottle and a big ABV. 15% ABV. More here.
Cambridge Brewing Company Flower Child IPA - my friend brought this from MA for us to try, super fresh, pink grapefruit, apricot, smooth, gorgeous white head that sticks to the sides, orange, pine, very floral, dextrose noticeable. 6.5% ABV. More here.
AleWerks Brewing Company Rapadou Porter - nutty, creamy, it progresses nicely from sweet sugar to smoke to roasty coffee mocha to espresso w/vanilla bean, mohagany color is gorgeous while being poured, raisin/prune, a tad warming/boozy, deep brown/black color in the glass, milkiness, molasses. 9% ABV. More here.
Lonerider Brewing Company Sweet Josie - a brown ale that is loaded with milk chocolate, peanut butter, a perfect balance of noble-esque hops that leave a sweet balanced bready malt, deep brown color with a bit tan head, super smooth and sessionable. 6.1% ABV. More here.
Well, I kept it to 22. Hopefully tonight's fest will keep the trend going.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Beer Tasting and Board Games
Some friends and I had quite an extensive beer tasting last night with some board games toward the end. Here's what we tasted:
1) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Namaste - not the first time I've had this tasty witbier, super balanced and subtle spices make this an excellent brew for all seasons. 4.8% ABV. More here.
2) Black Isle Brewery Organic Oatmeal Stout - Straight from Scotland, this is filled with cocoa notes, bitter roastiness and earthy dark molasses, medium bodied, it has a milky sweetness and malts of oats and cereal with good legs. 7% ABV. More here (this beer is not listed but you can check out their brewery site).
3) Cider Creek Hard Cider Saison Reserve - From NY, sweet but semi-dry with apple peel, pear, applesauce, cinnamon and champagny yeast notes, med body and very drinkable, the alcohol is not apparent at all. 6.9% ABV. More here.
4) Abita Brewing Company & Birrifico Del Ducato Two Boots (Saison/Farmhouse Ale) - a collaboration between Abita and Birrifico Del Ducato from Italy, it has an anise/root beer nose, with clove, over ripe banana, black pepper notes, tart, oily, dry, touch hazy straw colored, almost salty, has a nice white head with a full mouthfeel, overall an interested brew.6.2% ABV. More here.
5) Brouwerij Huyghe Delerium Tremens - a Belgian Strong Light Ale or Belgian Golden/Blonde Ale, probably the former because of the ABV, it has bubble gum, mushy banana, pudding, salt, nose of armpit sweat if you wiff it right, a medium full body with an excellent white head, complex and tastes like a tripel but is slightly tart. 8.5% ABV. More here.
6) Guinness Blonde American Lager - had a brief taste of this before so it was interesting to get a better draught, it has an astringent bitterness, tropical hop nose from the mosaic, earthy, grainy and corn with a golden color. 5% ABV. More here.
7) Troegs Brewing Company DreamWeaver Wheat - nose is really nice, bubble gummy, peppery, tad clove that's quite burnt, sweet banana, red fruit of some sort, it tastes tart and grainy wheat, a tad bitter, pours golden. Says it's unfiltered but it's fairly clear. 4.8% ABV. More here.
8) Breckenridge Brewery Oatmeal Stout - lots of coffee and roastiness, dark and bitter, very dark cocoa notes hidden away with oats underlying. 4.95% ABV. More here.
9) Anderson Valley Brewing Company Brother David's Triple Abby Style Ale - dry, musty, citrus of peach or apricot, earthy hops, white wine, honey, slightly tart/saltiness, pours crystal clear golden/yellow with decent slow dripping legs. 10% ABV. More here.
Board Games:
My friend Sean and I played two games, first Railroad Tycoon (I have the original, not Railways of the World) and Takenoko. Railroad Tycoon started out with me on the east coast and Sean gathering track around Chicago. I managed to grab the early lead and an 8 point gain from laying track from Richmond to Atlanta helped. I decided to go for the long run from New York to Kansas City to get 20 points but just missed it by running out of turns. Sean quickly closed the gap toward the end of the game and it looked like he was going to take honors because of his railroad baron secret objective card (plus I didn't achieve mine) but I managed to eek out a victory by a 4 point margin.
Next, Takenoko, Sean started out grabbing points from objective cards pretty easily. I managed to sort of keep up because I hit some big numbered cards and even came close to getting my ninth objective card and winning the Emperor 2 point bonus but Sean ended the game. My last turn I needed a good weather die roll and got it and ended up getting a 7 point gain on my last turn with the only card I had in hand I could possibly achieve and that was enough to win me the game by 3 points again!
Overall my favorite beer of the night was: Cider Creek Hard CIder Saison Reserve, super drinkable I would quaff that one again anytime.
1) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Namaste - not the first time I've had this tasty witbier, super balanced and subtle spices make this an excellent brew for all seasons. 4.8% ABV. More here.
2) Black Isle Brewery Organic Oatmeal Stout - Straight from Scotland, this is filled with cocoa notes, bitter roastiness and earthy dark molasses, medium bodied, it has a milky sweetness and malts of oats and cereal with good legs. 7% ABV. More here (this beer is not listed but you can check out their brewery site).
3) Cider Creek Hard Cider Saison Reserve - From NY, sweet but semi-dry with apple peel, pear, applesauce, cinnamon and champagny yeast notes, med body and very drinkable, the alcohol is not apparent at all. 6.9% ABV. More here.
4) Abita Brewing Company & Birrifico Del Ducato Two Boots (Saison/Farmhouse Ale) - a collaboration between Abita and Birrifico Del Ducato from Italy, it has an anise/root beer nose, with clove, over ripe banana, black pepper notes, tart, oily, dry, touch hazy straw colored, almost salty, has a nice white head with a full mouthfeel, overall an interested brew.6.2% ABV. More here.
5) Brouwerij Huyghe Delerium Tremens - a Belgian Strong Light Ale or Belgian Golden/Blonde Ale, probably the former because of the ABV, it has bubble gum, mushy banana, pudding, salt, nose of armpit sweat if you wiff it right, a medium full body with an excellent white head, complex and tastes like a tripel but is slightly tart. 8.5% ABV. More here.
6) Guinness Blonde American Lager - had a brief taste of this before so it was interesting to get a better draught, it has an astringent bitterness, tropical hop nose from the mosaic, earthy, grainy and corn with a golden color. 5% ABV. More here.
7) Troegs Brewing Company DreamWeaver Wheat - nose is really nice, bubble gummy, peppery, tad clove that's quite burnt, sweet banana, red fruit of some sort, it tastes tart and grainy wheat, a tad bitter, pours golden. Says it's unfiltered but it's fairly clear. 4.8% ABV. More here.
8) Breckenridge Brewery Oatmeal Stout - lots of coffee and roastiness, dark and bitter, very dark cocoa notes hidden away with oats underlying. 4.95% ABV. More here.
9) Anderson Valley Brewing Company Brother David's Triple Abby Style Ale - dry, musty, citrus of peach or apricot, earthy hops, white wine, honey, slightly tart/saltiness, pours crystal clear golden/yellow with decent slow dripping legs. 10% ABV. More here.
Board Games:
My friend Sean and I played two games, first Railroad Tycoon (I have the original, not Railways of the World) and Takenoko. Railroad Tycoon started out with me on the east coast and Sean gathering track around Chicago. I managed to grab the early lead and an 8 point gain from laying track from Richmond to Atlanta helped. I decided to go for the long run from New York to Kansas City to get 20 points but just missed it by running out of turns. Sean quickly closed the gap toward the end of the game and it looked like he was going to take honors because of his railroad baron secret objective card (plus I didn't achieve mine) but I managed to eek out a victory by a 4 point margin.
Next, Takenoko, Sean started out grabbing points from objective cards pretty easily. I managed to sort of keep up because I hit some big numbered cards and even came close to getting my ninth objective card and winning the Emperor 2 point bonus but Sean ended the game. My last turn I needed a good weather die roll and got it and ended up getting a 7 point gain on my last turn with the only card I had in hand I could possibly achieve and that was enough to win me the game by 3 points again!
Overall my favorite beer of the night was: Cider Creek Hard CIder Saison Reserve, super drinkable I would quaff that one again anytime.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Year 1 Down, Changes to 5 Year Plan Craft Brewery:
So it's been a year, I'm going to review my goals and let you (or me, because I'm pretty sure I'm the only reader) know how I did and where I am looking forward. There will definitely be some changes and I hope to put together new goals that will be a little less grand scheme and more tangible this year.
My goals previously:
1) Enlist the help of several friends as partners, co-workers and/or advocates.
This is sort of an ongoing process, I've brewed one beer with my brother and I have several friends that would be interested in brewing with me, but they are probably not ever going to start a brewery with me despite the fact that we would be awesome. That's ok, I've got a new plan.
2) Find a location.
This is still of course up in the air, I am in an apartment that is not conducive to any home brewing beyond kits (not all-grain or barely even partial), but more importantly, my goal here is going to change dramatically.
3) Start home brewing.
Did this, made 2 homebrews, one a kit that was hardly good and another an extract clone recipe from the internet that turned out pretty good until I ran out of time to brew and motivation was sorely deteriorating from lack of all-grain being a "next step" option.
4) Get a job/internship/apprenticeship at a brewery with someone who knows what they are doing.
I didn't make any progress on this front other than find out from a worker at Genesee Brew House that there is a large Home Brewing Association in Rochester.
5) Taste and Study.
I've definitely done the most of this and the posts in this blog reflect that. I've tried 510 distinct beers since last July when I started using Untappd to keep track.
6) Come up with a name.
Shew Brew would be my name.
New Goals:
1) Start a home brewing brewery.
I'm not going pro anymore, it's not an option unfortunately, but I can always make my hobby a reality for myself and my friends/family.
2) Find friends, partners, whom I can collaborate with or who will brew themselves even on their own just so we can learn from each other.
I'm pretty sure I could convince people to join me in home brewing but for many of my friends/family our careers get in the way and time is not always an advantage, this may be a longer term goal. For now, I'll just invite people to brew with me whenever I do.
3) Move out of my apartment to somewhere I can brew outside with propane and a bigger brewpot for all-grain.
This may happen sooner than later as my wife and I have been given the opportunity to move into a house that belonged to a recently deceased family member. Next stop: all-grain and mashing.
4) Continue tasting and studying, especially recipe creating and ingredients.
I started making an excel sheet of different brews and what ingredients they used to see if I could self learn what styles typically use this or that ingredient and how much, but I'm starting to wonder if it's more trial and error than an actual formula? I really wish I could go to brewing school.
5) Learn from more seasoned brewers than myself, take my home brews to a home brewing club.
I need to find someone still who will take me under their wing, maybe ask me to come over when they brew. I could probably find this sort of person if I tried, so I guess I will. My wife will probably not like the idea of me going over to some stranger's house though.
So, you can see, from professional to home brewer this blog will likely remain the same [even in title] but the ultimate goal will be different.
My goals previously:
1) Enlist the help of several friends as partners, co-workers and/or advocates.
This is sort of an ongoing process, I've brewed one beer with my brother and I have several friends that would be interested in brewing with me, but they are probably not ever going to start a brewery with me despite the fact that we would be awesome. That's ok, I've got a new plan.
2) Find a location.
This is still of course up in the air, I am in an apartment that is not conducive to any home brewing beyond kits (not all-grain or barely even partial), but more importantly, my goal here is going to change dramatically.
3) Start home brewing.
Did this, made 2 homebrews, one a kit that was hardly good and another an extract clone recipe from the internet that turned out pretty good until I ran out of time to brew and motivation was sorely deteriorating from lack of all-grain being a "next step" option.
4) Get a job/internship/apprenticeship at a brewery with someone who knows what they are doing.
I didn't make any progress on this front other than find out from a worker at Genesee Brew House that there is a large Home Brewing Association in Rochester.
5) Taste and Study.
I've definitely done the most of this and the posts in this blog reflect that. I've tried 510 distinct beers since last July when I started using Untappd to keep track.
6) Come up with a name.
Shew Brew would be my name.
New Goals:
1) Start a home brewing brewery.
I'm not going pro anymore, it's not an option unfortunately, but I can always make my hobby a reality for myself and my friends/family.
2) Find friends, partners, whom I can collaborate with or who will brew themselves even on their own just so we can learn from each other.
I'm pretty sure I could convince people to join me in home brewing but for many of my friends/family our careers get in the way and time is not always an advantage, this may be a longer term goal. For now, I'll just invite people to brew with me whenever I do.
3) Move out of my apartment to somewhere I can brew outside with propane and a bigger brewpot for all-grain.
This may happen sooner than later as my wife and I have been given the opportunity to move into a house that belonged to a recently deceased family member. Next stop: all-grain and mashing.
4) Continue tasting and studying, especially recipe creating and ingredients.
I started making an excel sheet of different brews and what ingredients they used to see if I could self learn what styles typically use this or that ingredient and how much, but I'm starting to wonder if it's more trial and error than an actual formula? I really wish I could go to brewing school.
5) Learn from more seasoned brewers than myself, take my home brews to a home brewing club.
I need to find someone still who will take me under their wing, maybe ask me to come over when they brew. I could probably find this sort of person if I tried, so I guess I will. My wife will probably not like the idea of me going over to some stranger's house though.
So, you can see, from professional to home brewer this blog will likely remain the same [even in title] but the ultimate goal will be different.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Sean and Me, Last Train to Wensleydale and a Beer Tasting
My good buddy Sean, who lives in Alaska currently, spent the evening tasting some brews we picked up from AJ's Beer Warehouse the other week. We also enjoyed a game of Martin Wallace's Last Train to Wensleydale. I have the First Train to Nuremberg version, which is two games in one, back to back maps, but we decided to play the original.
The game moved along fairly evenly, with perhaps a slight lead by me but Sean kept on my heels and even 1 turn before the last tied me up. The final turn was the deciding, and it looked like Sean had me, by gaining more victory points with his final train delivery. Unfortunately for him, his profit/loss ended up being to his detriment and I ended up winning by 1 point. An extremely tight finish and a game I always enjoy playing.
On the tasting side, here's what we tried:
1) Evil Twin Brewing Low Life - a pilsner that is floral, with light citrus notes, medium light bodied, tastes of green tea, honey, grass/hay, is a tad bitter with sparse white legs and a straw color. 5.5% ABV.
2) Left Hand Sawtooth Nitro - an extra special/bitter with walnut, macadamia/beech nut, black tea, caramel, spice, nutmeg notes, really smooth but understandably (to an American who is not used to nitro) a little flat, sessionable, super earthy, with a light brown color and frothy head. 5.3% ABV. More here.
3) Robinsons Brewing Company Trooper - a true English bitter from over the pond kept fresh I assume by the can that really grew on me, notes of lemon meringue, tad metallic/copper/brass kettle or something, dank but with bright flavor, floral, a full mouthfeel, sessionable, tall off-white head and semi-dry. 4.7% ABV. More here.
4) Allagash Dubbel - for this not being my favorite style this was quite good, complex and malty with intense burnt clove, banana, raisin, chocolate, dark sugars, molasses, tobacco, leather, woodsy with slow droopy legs. 7% ABV. More here.
5) Finch's Beer Company Secret Stache Stout - a black colored milk stout with lactose and vanilla added, notes of bacon, maple/vanilla, coffee, milk chocolate, hazelnut, mocha, roasty and rich with a better taste than nose that slowly improves as the brew warms. 5.3% ABV. More here.
6) Atlantic Brewing Company Mount Desert Island Ginger - an unfiltered wheat ale with notes of exotic ginger, lavender, passion fruit, berries, pumpkin spice, apple crisp, a tad tart, crisp, spicy, refreshing, particulate with a white head. 5.7% ABV. More here.
Some great brews, but only one can win, my favorite of the night was the Atlantic Brewing Co. Mount Desert Island Ginger. My wife and I first discovered this beer in Maine on our honeymoon at the brewery itself and have never stopped singing Atlantic's praises. Having found this little beauty in Vermont up in Burlington just a couple days ago and wondered if it was fresh (the bottles were quite dusty) but were happy enough to give it a go anyway. Seems like it was alright after all.
The game moved along fairly evenly, with perhaps a slight lead by me but Sean kept on my heels and even 1 turn before the last tied me up. The final turn was the deciding, and it looked like Sean had me, by gaining more victory points with his final train delivery. Unfortunately for him, his profit/loss ended up being to his detriment and I ended up winning by 1 point. An extremely tight finish and a game I always enjoy playing.
On the tasting side, here's what we tried:
2) Left Hand Sawtooth Nitro - an extra special/bitter with walnut, macadamia/beech nut, black tea, caramel, spice, nutmeg notes, really smooth but understandably (to an American who is not used to nitro) a little flat, sessionable, super earthy, with a light brown color and frothy head. 5.3% ABV. More here.
3) Robinsons Brewing Company Trooper - a true English bitter from over the pond kept fresh I assume by the can that really grew on me, notes of lemon meringue, tad metallic/copper/brass kettle or something, dank but with bright flavor, floral, a full mouthfeel, sessionable, tall off-white head and semi-dry. 4.7% ABV. More here.
4) Allagash Dubbel - for this not being my favorite style this was quite good, complex and malty with intense burnt clove, banana, raisin, chocolate, dark sugars, molasses, tobacco, leather, woodsy with slow droopy legs. 7% ABV. More here.
5) Finch's Beer Company Secret Stache Stout - a black colored milk stout with lactose and vanilla added, notes of bacon, maple/vanilla, coffee, milk chocolate, hazelnut, mocha, roasty and rich with a better taste than nose that slowly improves as the brew warms. 5.3% ABV. More here.
6) Atlantic Brewing Company Mount Desert Island Ginger - an unfiltered wheat ale with notes of exotic ginger, lavender, passion fruit, berries, pumpkin spice, apple crisp, a tad tart, crisp, spicy, refreshing, particulate with a white head. 5.7% ABV. More here.
Some great brews, but only one can win, my favorite of the night was the Atlantic Brewing Co. Mount Desert Island Ginger. My wife and I first discovered this beer in Maine on our honeymoon at the brewery itself and have never stopped singing Atlantic's praises. Having found this little beauty in Vermont up in Burlington just a couple days ago and wondered if it was fresh (the bottles were quite dusty) but were happy enough to give it a go anyway. Seems like it was alright after all.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
A trip to Burlington, VT
So a group of us went up to Burlington, VT (which is becoming an annual retreat for my wife and I) yesterday and here's what went down:
First, we stopped at Myers Bagel Bakery for a breakfast sandwich, which was voted one of the top 5 bagel places in the country by Epicurious (article here). They serve up true Montreal style bagels and the Montreal spice bagel was unique and delicious. I debated going with the lox or the brisket but in the end triumphed with the brisket that may be the best, most flavorful and tender brisket I've ever had. Balanced with red onion, sprouts, field greens and garlic aoli, it was a delight and my fellow travelers all agreed it was amazing when I graciously let them try the brisket--to the point where my brother-in-law Brad had to go get a 2nd sandwich of brisket for himself! I also had to try their Maple bagel and was rewarded with lovely maple aroma.
Next we stood in line at Winooski Beverage for The Alchemist's Heady Topper! I scored three 4-packs with minimum wait time (those in front who wanted a case were there 2 hours in advance!) and as always they sold right out.
Third stop was Zero Gravity Craft Brewery at American Flatbread, We'd had our fill of food so far and had special plans for later, so we just sipped a couple samples at their bar. It was nice that they offer 1/2 pints too so we weren't going to get sloshed as the samples piled up that day. Anyway, I tried the following:
1) Conehead IPA - a single hop Citra wheat IPA, this had a distinct mango nose, rind, dank. I like. 5/7% ABV, More here.
2) Bob White - a belgian wit that had a nice unfiltered quality, supposedly all organic, notes of burnt clove, coriander, almost a touch of sulfur? 4.7% ABV. More here
3) Black Cat Porter - had a taste of my wife's Black Cat Porter, smelled molasses, smoke, tasted coffee, roastiness. 5.2% ABV. More here.
After Zero Gravity, we took another trip to Winooski Beverage, because earlier there was a huge line for Heady Topper and didn't want to spend too much time there at the time. But, we were on a mission for beer and me in particular (if you read my previous post here) for some I cannot find in NY or outside of the greater Burlington area.
This is what I came away with:
1) Burlington Beer Co. Chasing Rabbits - they had this hoppy wheat ale and a Rye IPA called Light in the Window available and my wife chose this. I'm glad she did, we tried it later that night, which you can read about below.
2) 14th Star Maple Breakfast Stout - was really glad to find this, a 4 pack of 16 ounce cans, we also tried this later.
3) Stone Corral XX Chocolate Maple Porter - I believe I grabbed one of the last three 22 oz. bottles of this for $10.99. Can't wait!
4) Stone Corral Latigo - a Scottish Export style 90/- that placed 2nd at the 2014 Great International Beer and Cider Festival, what's not to love?
5) Bent Hill Brewery Coconut Porter - another 22 ounce bomber, I love porters and coconut, the marriage seems promising.
6) Bent Hill Brewery Vanilla Chai Porter - 22 ounce, it was between this and Crop Brewery's Vanilla Porter, but with the chai spice thrown in and a slightly cheaper price it wasn't a hard choice.
7) Simple Roots Brewing Co. Elderflower Saison - I couldn't find their Hearthside, but settled for my second Simpel Roots choice. My wife also saw this and was interested even without me knowing I had it on my short list.
8) Atlantic Brewing Co. Island Ginger - we were lucky to find a couple 6-packs of this brew from Bar Harbor, Maine, because I didn't think it was distributed out this way. We loved it when we had it in Maine on our honeymoon and hope that the dust on the bottles doesn't mean they are way past fresh. Crossing our fingers.
This should keep us occupied for a while!
Next on the list, The Shopping Bag, with their "Sizzler", awarded best burger in Vermont by the Food Network Magazine and one of the top 50 burgers in the country, see here. I had their Cowboy burger, topped with large onion rings (not straws for a good change), house made BBQ sauce, bacon, chedder and the largest 1/2 pound of beef I've ever seen. So delicious, just yum in every bite. Not kidding.
After The Shopping bag we stopped at Magic Hat Brewing Co. for a quick free tasting and self-guided tour. I've been here before with my wife, and they're honestly not my favorite brewery, but it's a fun place to see and we thought it was only right to provide that experience to others. I also got to try a couple of the new brews they've had on shelves that I've been tempted to try but not enough to pull the trigger on.
1) Art Hop Ale - this pilsner has pink peppercorn, but it really was light bodied, clean and had only the slightest tinge of spice from the peppercorns. This is only available at their Artifactory (brewery tasting room). 4.8% ABV. More here.
2) Stealin' Time - a ginger pale wheat ale with a nice ginger nose, light bodied with clean cereal malt. 5.5% ABV. More here.
3) Electric Peel - an IPA with grapefruit added, this was quite tart like eating a grapefruit for breakfast, no candied essence like all the other grapefruit IPA's I've tried, an again a little light bodied for my wanting, 6% ABV. More here.
4) Blind Faith - an English style IPA apparently, caramel, citrus and some herbal notes, crisp and refreshing, a tad dry, but not a huge aroma. 6.2% ABV. More here.
Overall, just a little light bodied/flavored for my taste.
On the way home we also stopped at Fiddlehead Brewing Co. in Shelburne because I've had their flagship Fiddlehead IPA, but that's all that is available on tap around Vermont. At their small, but impressive tasting room, with pretty views right in to the stainless steel brewery through the glass behind the bar, we had three free samples.
1) The new NEW Amarillo Getaway - this was a pale ale with Amarillo hops that were so fresh I was astounded by the dill, lemon, herbal and oily hop characteristics, yellow in color and did I say fresh? It was the last of the keg is what we were told and I thought Amarillo had more of a grapefruit characteristic, but to me it was more dillish. 5.8% ABV. More here.
2) Fiddlehead IPA - standard and a nicely drinking IPA that isn't too offensively bitter at 53 IBU, piney, citrus, crisp, resin, oily, hop bitter balanced. 6.2% ABV. More at same link as above scroll all the way to the bottom.
3) Rarified Air - an hoppy wheat ale (Untappd incorrectly labels this a DIPA) loaded with lemon, dill, juicy, chewy, herbal, pine and more pine that is so fresh like the Amarillo Getaway. I've seen hoppy wheat ales making a splash lately as a hype style. 7.7% ABV. More at the same link as above but 3rd down from the top.
Back at home, later at night, we tried a couple of the brews we bought at Winooski Beverage, here's my tasting notes;
1) Burlington Beer Co. Chasing Rabbits - just released on the 20th in cans, a hoppy wheat ale, smooth, not bitter, hoppy in the sense of a great orange, resin, grassy, grapefruit, mango pulpy nose, white head/good legs, tea, hazy orange color, slightly less body than I wish it was, but the full aroma was excellent. 5.7% ABV. More here (scroll right to the blue screen that says "Bottles & Cans").
2) 14th Star Maple Breakfast Stout - this was full of coffee roasty goodness, a touch of cocoa bittersweet perhaps, but it was the maple though subtle that shines, hitting last and just bringing a slight edge of sweetness throughout, like pancakes in your mouth, the nose was a bit disappointingly just roasty and flat though. 5.5% ABV. More here.
My favorite of the day: Fiddlehead The new NEW Amarillo Getaway - just cannot get over the freshness and uniqueness of this brew. I hope Fiddlehead starts making its way around Vermont more so I can try some other offerings from them in the future. I'm glad it was one of the few places open on a Tuesday so I made it became a priority to visit their brewery.
First, we stopped at Myers Bagel Bakery for a breakfast sandwich, which was voted one of the top 5 bagel places in the country by Epicurious (article here). They serve up true Montreal style bagels and the Montreal spice bagel was unique and delicious. I debated going with the lox or the brisket but in the end triumphed with the brisket that may be the best, most flavorful and tender brisket I've ever had. Balanced with red onion, sprouts, field greens and garlic aoli, it was a delight and my fellow travelers all agreed it was amazing when I graciously let them try the brisket--to the point where my brother-in-law Brad had to go get a 2nd sandwich of brisket for himself! I also had to try their Maple bagel and was rewarded with lovely maple aroma.
Next we stood in line at Winooski Beverage for The Alchemist's Heady Topper! I scored three 4-packs with minimum wait time (those in front who wanted a case were there 2 hours in advance!) and as always they sold right out.
Third stop was Zero Gravity Craft Brewery at American Flatbread, We'd had our fill of food so far and had special plans for later, so we just sipped a couple samples at their bar. It was nice that they offer 1/2 pints too so we weren't going to get sloshed as the samples piled up that day. Anyway, I tried the following:
1) Conehead IPA - a single hop Citra wheat IPA, this had a distinct mango nose, rind, dank. I like. 5/7% ABV, More here.
2) Bob White - a belgian wit that had a nice unfiltered quality, supposedly all organic, notes of burnt clove, coriander, almost a touch of sulfur? 4.7% ABV. More here
3) Black Cat Porter - had a taste of my wife's Black Cat Porter, smelled molasses, smoke, tasted coffee, roastiness. 5.2% ABV. More here.
After Zero Gravity, we took another trip to Winooski Beverage, because earlier there was a huge line for Heady Topper and didn't want to spend too much time there at the time. But, we were on a mission for beer and me in particular (if you read my previous post here) for some I cannot find in NY or outside of the greater Burlington area.
This is what I came away with:
1) Burlington Beer Co. Chasing Rabbits - they had this hoppy wheat ale and a Rye IPA called Light in the Window available and my wife chose this. I'm glad she did, we tried it later that night, which you can read about below.
2) 14th Star Maple Breakfast Stout - was really glad to find this, a 4 pack of 16 ounce cans, we also tried this later.
3) Stone Corral XX Chocolate Maple Porter - I believe I grabbed one of the last three 22 oz. bottles of this for $10.99. Can't wait!
4) Stone Corral Latigo - a Scottish Export style 90/- that placed 2nd at the 2014 Great International Beer and Cider Festival, what's not to love?
5) Bent Hill Brewery Coconut Porter - another 22 ounce bomber, I love porters and coconut, the marriage seems promising.
6) Bent Hill Brewery Vanilla Chai Porter - 22 ounce, it was between this and Crop Brewery's Vanilla Porter, but with the chai spice thrown in and a slightly cheaper price it wasn't a hard choice.
7) Simple Roots Brewing Co. Elderflower Saison - I couldn't find their Hearthside, but settled for my second Simpel Roots choice. My wife also saw this and was interested even without me knowing I had it on my short list.
8) Atlantic Brewing Co. Island Ginger - we were lucky to find a couple 6-packs of this brew from Bar Harbor, Maine, because I didn't think it was distributed out this way. We loved it when we had it in Maine on our honeymoon and hope that the dust on the bottles doesn't mean they are way past fresh. Crossing our fingers.
This should keep us occupied for a while!
Next on the list, The Shopping Bag, with their "Sizzler", awarded best burger in Vermont by the Food Network Magazine and one of the top 50 burgers in the country, see here. I had their Cowboy burger, topped with large onion rings (not straws for a good change), house made BBQ sauce, bacon, chedder and the largest 1/2 pound of beef I've ever seen. So delicious, just yum in every bite. Not kidding.
After The Shopping bag we stopped at Magic Hat Brewing Co. for a quick free tasting and self-guided tour. I've been here before with my wife, and they're honestly not my favorite brewery, but it's a fun place to see and we thought it was only right to provide that experience to others. I also got to try a couple of the new brews they've had on shelves that I've been tempted to try but not enough to pull the trigger on.
1) Art Hop Ale - this pilsner has pink peppercorn, but it really was light bodied, clean and had only the slightest tinge of spice from the peppercorns. This is only available at their Artifactory (brewery tasting room). 4.8% ABV. More here.
2) Stealin' Time - a ginger pale wheat ale with a nice ginger nose, light bodied with clean cereal malt. 5.5% ABV. More here.
3) Electric Peel - an IPA with grapefruit added, this was quite tart like eating a grapefruit for breakfast, no candied essence like all the other grapefruit IPA's I've tried, an again a little light bodied for my wanting, 6% ABV. More here.
4) Blind Faith - an English style IPA apparently, caramel, citrus and some herbal notes, crisp and refreshing, a tad dry, but not a huge aroma. 6.2% ABV. More here.
Overall, just a little light bodied/flavored for my taste.
On the way home we also stopped at Fiddlehead Brewing Co. in Shelburne because I've had their flagship Fiddlehead IPA, but that's all that is available on tap around Vermont. At their small, but impressive tasting room, with pretty views right in to the stainless steel brewery through the glass behind the bar, we had three free samples.
1) The new NEW Amarillo Getaway - this was a pale ale with Amarillo hops that were so fresh I was astounded by the dill, lemon, herbal and oily hop characteristics, yellow in color and did I say fresh? It was the last of the keg is what we were told and I thought Amarillo had more of a grapefruit characteristic, but to me it was more dillish. 5.8% ABV. More here.
2) Fiddlehead IPA - standard and a nicely drinking IPA that isn't too offensively bitter at 53 IBU, piney, citrus, crisp, resin, oily, hop bitter balanced. 6.2% ABV. More at same link as above scroll all the way to the bottom.
3) Rarified Air - an hoppy wheat ale (Untappd incorrectly labels this a DIPA) loaded with lemon, dill, juicy, chewy, herbal, pine and more pine that is so fresh like the Amarillo Getaway. I've seen hoppy wheat ales making a splash lately as a hype style. 7.7% ABV. More at the same link as above but 3rd down from the top.
Back at home, later at night, we tried a couple of the brews we bought at Winooski Beverage, here's my tasting notes;
1) Burlington Beer Co. Chasing Rabbits - just released on the 20th in cans, a hoppy wheat ale, smooth, not bitter, hoppy in the sense of a great orange, resin, grassy, grapefruit, mango pulpy nose, white head/good legs, tea, hazy orange color, slightly less body than I wish it was, but the full aroma was excellent. 5.7% ABV. More here (scroll right to the blue screen that says "Bottles & Cans").
2) 14th Star Maple Breakfast Stout - this was full of coffee roasty goodness, a touch of cocoa bittersweet perhaps, but it was the maple though subtle that shines, hitting last and just bringing a slight edge of sweetness throughout, like pancakes in your mouth, the nose was a bit disappointingly just roasty and flat though. 5.5% ABV. More here.
My favorite of the day: Fiddlehead The new NEW Amarillo Getaway - just cannot get over the freshness and uniqueness of this brew. I hope Fiddlehead starts making its way around Vermont more so I can try some other offerings from them in the future. I'm glad it was one of the few places open on a Tuesday so I made it became a priority to visit their brewery.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Top 5 "Most Wanted" for Burlington, VT and Charlotte, NC
I'm gonna go ahead and update my Top 5 "Most Wanted" because in the next week and month I'll be taking 2 trips to great beer lands, Burlington, VT and Charlotte, NC. I'm also going to expand each trip into the top 5 brews for each.
Here are the5 6 "Most Wanted" brews for Burlington, VT, in no particular order:
1) 14th Star Maple Breakfast Stout - not from Burlington, but I've heard great things about 14th Star in general as I've done my research in prep for this trip. I also know that the Winooski Beverage has this beer in stock and I'm hoping to snag one. More here.
2) Stone Corral XX Chocolate Maple Porter - also not from Burlington, but available up there and not down here, heard reviews of this on Two Brews, a podcast website (here), that had great things to say about the maple flavor. I'm all about Vermont maple syrup, so bring it on. Don't know if this is available all year round, may end up disappointed. More here.
3) Bent Hill Brewery Maple Brown Ale - I'm seeing a trend here, also not from Burlington, but when in Vermont [get maple syrup]...also heard of this on Two Brews, here. Also don't know if this is available, would settle for their Coconut Porter or Imperial Maple Stout instead. More here.
4) Four Quarters Darkest Heart Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout OR Darkest Heart Maple Liquer Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout - rave reviews of this Winooski/Burlington located Belgian expert brewery, but this one is what I'd be looking to find for sure if it is available. I would also settle for their Great Cookie Bear, The Sirens Song or Whiskey Sour, More here (not sure this link is working it won't show up on my computer).
5) Burlington Beer Company Mason Jar Mild - this one has won awards and I'm so interested in BBC having learned that the brewer came from Dogfish Head, and could likely have a similar brewing philosophy, their labels are cool too. Would settle for their Bumbleberry Porter, Sassamanash, Strawberry Whale Cake, or It's Complicated Being a Wizard. More here.
6) Simple Roots Hearthside - couldn't leave it at 5...an Oatmeal Stout that sounds delicious, also on Two Brews, here, this brewery only sells at stores and brews out of their garage converted to brewery. More here.
(NOTE: I've left Heady Topper out because I've had it before, and while it's good, the beers on this list I've never tried before. I'd probably also include other Alchemist brews, but they're too hard to find and I won't be there on release days)
And now for Charlotte, NC, in no particular order:
1) Aviator Brewing Company Devils Tramping Ground Tripel - not from the Charlotte area, but in the triangle I believe (Rawleigh, Charlotte, Greensborough), was listed as top 5 best craft beers on some website, here. More here.
2) Triple C Up All Night Breakfast Porter - there is a barrel aged version of this too, but I'm pretty sure both are winter seasonals, maybe their Road to Nowhere Porter can compre even a little bit, but I'd settle for their Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout as well if that is available. More here.
3) Ass Clown Vanilla Bean Chocolate Brown - saw this was available on their website and vanilla and chocolate has enough to sell me (I'm noticing a definite trend in this post to resist IPAs). More here.
4) NoDa Hop, Drop 'n Roll IPA - here I finally break the trend, an IPA that has been touted and won gold at the World Beer Cup in 2014, there's a lot of hops in this, I wonder if it competes with Heady Topper? More here.
5) NoDa Coco Loco Porter - the only repeat brewery, sort of, on these lists, I've yet to have a Porter with coconut in it and I'm very intrigued. More here
Hopefully I'll be able to give you an update as to how I did on these trips in the next month or so.
Here are the
1) 14th Star Maple Breakfast Stout - not from Burlington, but I've heard great things about 14th Star in general as I've done my research in prep for this trip. I also know that the Winooski Beverage has this beer in stock and I'm hoping to snag one. More here.
2) Stone Corral XX Chocolate Maple Porter - also not from Burlington, but available up there and not down here, heard reviews of this on Two Brews, a podcast website (here), that had great things to say about the maple flavor. I'm all about Vermont maple syrup, so bring it on. Don't know if this is available all year round, may end up disappointed. More here.
3) Bent Hill Brewery Maple Brown Ale - I'm seeing a trend here, also not from Burlington, but when in Vermont [get maple syrup]...also heard of this on Two Brews, here. Also don't know if this is available, would settle for their Coconut Porter or Imperial Maple Stout instead. More here.
4) Four Quarters Darkest Heart Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout OR Darkest Heart Maple Liquer Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout - rave reviews of this Winooski/Burlington located Belgian expert brewery, but this one is what I'd be looking to find for sure if it is available. I would also settle for their Great Cookie Bear, The Sirens Song or Whiskey Sour, More here (not sure this link is working it won't show up on my computer).
5) Burlington Beer Company Mason Jar Mild - this one has won awards and I'm so interested in BBC having learned that the brewer came from Dogfish Head, and could likely have a similar brewing philosophy, their labels are cool too. Would settle for their Bumbleberry Porter, Sassamanash, Strawberry Whale Cake, or It's Complicated Being a Wizard. More here.
6) Simple Roots Hearthside - couldn't leave it at 5...an Oatmeal Stout that sounds delicious, also on Two Brews, here, this brewery only sells at stores and brews out of their garage converted to brewery. More here.
(NOTE: I've left Heady Topper out because I've had it before, and while it's good, the beers on this list I've never tried before. I'd probably also include other Alchemist brews, but they're too hard to find and I won't be there on release days)
And now for Charlotte, NC, in no particular order:
1) Aviator Brewing Company Devils Tramping Ground Tripel - not from the Charlotte area, but in the triangle I believe (Rawleigh, Charlotte, Greensborough), was listed as top 5 best craft beers on some website, here. More here.
2) Triple C Up All Night Breakfast Porter - there is a barrel aged version of this too, but I'm pretty sure both are winter seasonals, maybe their Road to Nowhere Porter can compre even a little bit, but I'd settle for their Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout as well if that is available. More here.
3) Ass Clown Vanilla Bean Chocolate Brown - saw this was available on their website and vanilla and chocolate has enough to sell me (I'm noticing a definite trend in this post to resist IPAs). More here.
4) NoDa Hop, Drop 'n Roll IPA - here I finally break the trend, an IPA that has been touted and won gold at the World Beer Cup in 2014, there's a lot of hops in this, I wonder if it competes with Heady Topper? More here.
5) NoDa Coco Loco Porter - the only repeat brewery, sort of, on these lists, I've yet to have a Porter with coconut in it and I'm very intrigued. More here
Hopefully I'll be able to give you an update as to how I did on these trips in the next month or so.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Beer Group 2nd May Tasting
We had another tasting this May, which ended up being another successful outing as a whole. My bro Aaron and our mutual friend Mark first made pizza and enjoyed a beer each to enjoy with our food: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Magic Hat #9 and Magic Hat Dream Machine IPL. Solid choices and inexpensive bomber sizes too.
Next, before tasting we took a trip to AJ's Beer Warehouse in Henrietta, website here, to get our beer.
We had another two people join us and since we were a small group we decided to enter more than one beer a piece and ended up with 9 brews. The majority of these as you will see were IPA's because I know that when my brother is attending all he pretty much likes is IPA's and since I enjoy them too I don't have a problem choosing a couple at AJ's for all to enjoy.
1) Angry Orchard Cider Co. Hop'n Mad Apple - this is a dry hopped cider (with Strisselspalt and Galaxy hops) and was quite sweet, jolly rancher apple candy, a pale straw color with notes of cinnamon, white grapes. We admittedly had a hard time finding the tropical hop notes in the aroma that are supposed to come from the Galaxy. 5% ABV, more here.
2) Dark Horse Brewing Co. Raspberry Ale - this fruit beer has a very hazy unfiltered reddish yellow color with subtle raspberry notes, almost just the bitter green raspberry flavor to me, citrus notes, was a bit watery perhaps and wheat malt showed itself on the palate. 5% ABV, more here.
3) McNeill's Brewery Dead Horse IPA - from the can, this English style IPA that is golden/amber in color, is slightly dank with note of pine and melon, honey, tea, lemon, and a roasty bitter malt finish that lingers. An off-white/cream foam tops this medium mouthfeel that is somewhat smooth. The Untappd descriptions says "this beer is bottle fermented aged one year in their cellars and can be kraeuzened or carbonated." This is interested because there were still pleasant hop notes present. 5.7% ABV, more here.
4) Otter Creek Brewing Citra Mantra - an India Pale Lager that is loaded with tropical, mango, grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, grassy/hay, resin, candy notes, is just a touch hazy yellow with whitish foam, is juicy but has a solid biscuity malt foundation and has a medium full mouthfeel. 5.8% ABV, more here.
5) Lost Coast Brewery Indica IPA - an american IPA with off-white foam and an hazy amber/orange color, filled with citrus, lemongrass, juicy tangerine/orange notes all over a biscuit malt base that is a touch dry but has good legs and a medium full mouthfeel. 6.5% ABV, more here.
6) Ninkasi Brewing Co. Believer Double Red Ale - a quite red amber with creamy cake batter colored foam, notes of honey, dark cherry, caramel, tea, resin, lemon/lime and sweet citrus, and a roasty finish. It is semi-bitter. 6.9% ABV, more here.
7) Flying Dog Brewery Bloodline Blood Orange IPA - been seeing a lot of blood orange/grapefruit IPA's pop up lately with the wild success of the Grapefruit Sculpin. This is a copper with off-white foam but white legs, notes of orange (not candied but juice), hemp, citrus, tea, champagne, mimosa, seltzer and is well-balanced. 7% ABV, more here.
8) Otter Creek Brewing Backseat Berner - another Otter Creek here, this a bit beefier than the last with creamy off-white foam, notes of citrus, menthol, hemp, pineapple, pine, spicy with a blast of bitterness that restrains itself quickly and the fullest mouthfeel we experienced all night. 7% ABV, more here.
9) Evil Twin Brewing Falco - we topped off the night with another american IPA from a Danish brewery (brewed at Two Roads Brewery in CT) that promised to be good, and it was. It poured yellow with some particulate floating about (doesn't bother me), the aroma was slightly floral, notes of citrus and tea, yet crisp, refreshing and utterly balanced. 7% ABV, more here.
My favorite of the night was: Flying Dog Bloodline Blood Orange IPA! There's a solid reason more IPA's are being brewed with fruits juiced right into them, because they make for exceptionally fruity and tasty beers. When it comes to be, for me, nothing's off limits--just make it taste great.
Next, before tasting we took a trip to AJ's Beer Warehouse in Henrietta, website here, to get our beer.
We had another two people join us and since we were a small group we decided to enter more than one beer a piece and ended up with 9 brews. The majority of these as you will see were IPA's because I know that when my brother is attending all he pretty much likes is IPA's and since I enjoy them too I don't have a problem choosing a couple at AJ's for all to enjoy.
(this is not all we tried, as noted above, but I believe someone else too the bottles home themselves)
Here's my tasting notes:1) Angry Orchard Cider Co. Hop'n Mad Apple - this is a dry hopped cider (with Strisselspalt and Galaxy hops) and was quite sweet, jolly rancher apple candy, a pale straw color with notes of cinnamon, white grapes. We admittedly had a hard time finding the tropical hop notes in the aroma that are supposed to come from the Galaxy. 5% ABV, more here.
2) Dark Horse Brewing Co. Raspberry Ale - this fruit beer has a very hazy unfiltered reddish yellow color with subtle raspberry notes, almost just the bitter green raspberry flavor to me, citrus notes, was a bit watery perhaps and wheat malt showed itself on the palate. 5% ABV, more here.
3) McNeill's Brewery Dead Horse IPA - from the can, this English style IPA that is golden/amber in color, is slightly dank with note of pine and melon, honey, tea, lemon, and a roasty bitter malt finish that lingers. An off-white/cream foam tops this medium mouthfeel that is somewhat smooth. The Untappd descriptions says "this beer is bottle fermented aged one year in their cellars and can be kraeuzened or carbonated." This is interested because there were still pleasant hop notes present. 5.7% ABV, more here.
4) Otter Creek Brewing Citra Mantra - an India Pale Lager that is loaded with tropical, mango, grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, grassy/hay, resin, candy notes, is just a touch hazy yellow with whitish foam, is juicy but has a solid biscuity malt foundation and has a medium full mouthfeel. 5.8% ABV, more here.
5) Lost Coast Brewery Indica IPA - an american IPA with off-white foam and an hazy amber/orange color, filled with citrus, lemongrass, juicy tangerine/orange notes all over a biscuit malt base that is a touch dry but has good legs and a medium full mouthfeel. 6.5% ABV, more here.
6) Ninkasi Brewing Co. Believer Double Red Ale - a quite red amber with creamy cake batter colored foam, notes of honey, dark cherry, caramel, tea, resin, lemon/lime and sweet citrus, and a roasty finish. It is semi-bitter. 6.9% ABV, more here.
7) Flying Dog Brewery Bloodline Blood Orange IPA - been seeing a lot of blood orange/grapefruit IPA's pop up lately with the wild success of the Grapefruit Sculpin. This is a copper with off-white foam but white legs, notes of orange (not candied but juice), hemp, citrus, tea, champagne, mimosa, seltzer and is well-balanced. 7% ABV, more here.
8) Otter Creek Brewing Backseat Berner - another Otter Creek here, this a bit beefier than the last with creamy off-white foam, notes of citrus, menthol, hemp, pineapple, pine, spicy with a blast of bitterness that restrains itself quickly and the fullest mouthfeel we experienced all night. 7% ABV, more here.
9) Evil Twin Brewing Falco - we topped off the night with another american IPA from a Danish brewery (brewed at Two Roads Brewery in CT) that promised to be good, and it was. It poured yellow with some particulate floating about (doesn't bother me), the aroma was slightly floral, notes of citrus and tea, yet crisp, refreshing and utterly balanced. 7% ABV, more here.
My favorite of the night was: Flying Dog Bloodline Blood Orange IPA! There's a solid reason more IPA's are being brewed with fruits juiced right into them, because they make for exceptionally fruity and tasty beers. When it comes to be, for me, nothing's off limits--just make it taste great.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Beer Group May Tasting
We had four people get together yesterday (May 1st) for a great tasting of nine different brews, a good way to start out the month I'd say.
Here's what we tasted:
1) Lost Coast Brewery Tangerine Wheat (fruit wheat beer) - Hazy orange color, tastes a bit of seltzer water, juicy, tangerine peel/rind, drying. This would be a decent summer brew and rings in at 5.5% and 15 IBU. More here.
2) North Coast Brewing Company Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale (red ale) - I just picked this up on a whim because I've heard a lot about NCB and had Old Rasputin before as well. This had a nice tropical fruit hop nose, cereal malty base, was a clear red/copper, maybe overly carbonated, sugary and a touch sweet, medium mouthfeel, and slippy legs. The Red Seal Ale is 5.4% with 42 IBUs. More here.
3) Ellicotville Brewing Company Mow Master (ultra pale ale) - Light golden/yellow color, grassy, dank, hemp notes, almost tastes like it contains adjuncts to thin it out, also smells like oats, has a smooth finish with an earthy bitterness, medium full mouthfeel and sugar taste is noticeable too. 5% with 36 IBU. More here.
4) Belhaven Brewery Twisted Thistle IPA (american ipa) - Belhaven is owned by Greene King, is citrus, dank, with some tropical fruit and pineapple, but it is supposed to be grapefruit and bright so we think that it was old and the hop acids faded, it also had quite the caramel malt presence and was super smooth. At 5.6%, the IBU is not known. More here.
5) Weyerbacher Brewing Company Last Chance IPA - found this one really enjoyable with a complex nose of fruity hops, grapefruit, honeydew, lemon/lime, mango, grassy and herbal, pineapple, it was amber with a malt backbone that trickled in as the beer resided on the palate. A portion of every sale of Last Chance IPA goes to animal shelters. Comes in at 5.9% with 60 IBUs. More here.
6) Omnipollo Fatamorgana (imperial ipa) - this is the second of Omnipollo's brews I've had, a company from Sweden that does brewing all over the world at different breweries, this one at Pub Dog, so it's fresh, hazy unfiltered, dank, citrus, herbal, bitter with resinous sap notes, the lemon grew and grew on my palate, uses belgian sugar perhaps?, iced tea resemblance almost like an arnold palmer (just not so juicy). Love the minimalist artwork by Karl Grandin. This brewery has the potential to become one of my new favorites. Has 8% and 100 IBU. More here.
7) Dark Horse Brewing Company Boffo Brown Ale - this is a rich complex brown ale with distinct flavors, molasses, ham/smoky, has a roasty nose, vanilla, and a pure brown color. Arriving at 7% this is seriously drinkable. More here.
8) Stone Brewing Company Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean (smoked beer) - one sip and I was smiling with delight, so delicious, smooth, smoky/ham notes are not overpowering, the roasted coffee and chocolate notes are balanced, has roasted barley perhaps?, great legs, dry semi-dry and a deep brown color. At only 5.9% a bottle of this could go quickly, it also has 53 IBU. More here, including Mitch Steele's tasting notes.
9) Innis & Gunn Scotch Whiskey Porter (barrel aged porter) - whiskey flavor hits you right off, has a grapey juice notes, oak, raisin, rum, molasses, drinkable but on the sweet side, a slight woody funk, always felt like Innis & Gunn's barrel aging is not a long process, it tastes too fresh or non-complex. Comes in at 7.4%. More here.
My favorite of the night was: Stone Smoke Porter w/Vanilla Bean. Sold from the first sip.
Here's what we tasted:
1) Lost Coast Brewery Tangerine Wheat (fruit wheat beer) - Hazy orange color, tastes a bit of seltzer water, juicy, tangerine peel/rind, drying. This would be a decent summer brew and rings in at 5.5% and 15 IBU. More here.
2) North Coast Brewing Company Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale (red ale) - I just picked this up on a whim because I've heard a lot about NCB and had Old Rasputin before as well. This had a nice tropical fruit hop nose, cereal malty base, was a clear red/copper, maybe overly carbonated, sugary and a touch sweet, medium mouthfeel, and slippy legs. The Red Seal Ale is 5.4% with 42 IBUs. More here.
3) Ellicotville Brewing Company Mow Master (ultra pale ale) - Light golden/yellow color, grassy, dank, hemp notes, almost tastes like it contains adjuncts to thin it out, also smells like oats, has a smooth finish with an earthy bitterness, medium full mouthfeel and sugar taste is noticeable too. 5% with 36 IBU. More here.
4) Belhaven Brewery Twisted Thistle IPA (american ipa) - Belhaven is owned by Greene King, is citrus, dank, with some tropical fruit and pineapple, but it is supposed to be grapefruit and bright so we think that it was old and the hop acids faded, it also had quite the caramel malt presence and was super smooth. At 5.6%, the IBU is not known. More here.
5) Weyerbacher Brewing Company Last Chance IPA - found this one really enjoyable with a complex nose of fruity hops, grapefruit, honeydew, lemon/lime, mango, grassy and herbal, pineapple, it was amber with a malt backbone that trickled in as the beer resided on the palate. A portion of every sale of Last Chance IPA goes to animal shelters. Comes in at 5.9% with 60 IBUs. More here.
6) Omnipollo Fatamorgana (imperial ipa) - this is the second of Omnipollo's brews I've had, a company from Sweden that does brewing all over the world at different breweries, this one at Pub Dog, so it's fresh, hazy unfiltered, dank, citrus, herbal, bitter with resinous sap notes, the lemon grew and grew on my palate, uses belgian sugar perhaps?, iced tea resemblance almost like an arnold palmer (just not so juicy). Love the minimalist artwork by Karl Grandin. This brewery has the potential to become one of my new favorites. Has 8% and 100 IBU. More here.
7) Dark Horse Brewing Company Boffo Brown Ale - this is a rich complex brown ale with distinct flavors, molasses, ham/smoky, has a roasty nose, vanilla, and a pure brown color. Arriving at 7% this is seriously drinkable. More here.
8) Stone Brewing Company Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean (smoked beer) - one sip and I was smiling with delight, so delicious, smooth, smoky/ham notes are not overpowering, the roasted coffee and chocolate notes are balanced, has roasted barley perhaps?, great legs, dry semi-dry and a deep brown color. At only 5.9% a bottle of this could go quickly, it also has 53 IBU. More here, including Mitch Steele's tasting notes.
9) Innis & Gunn Scotch Whiskey Porter (barrel aged porter) - whiskey flavor hits you right off, has a grapey juice notes, oak, raisin, rum, molasses, drinkable but on the sweet side, a slight woody funk, always felt like Innis & Gunn's barrel aging is not a long process, it tastes too fresh or non-complex. Comes in at 7.4%. More here.
My favorite of the night was: Stone Smoke Porter w/Vanilla Bean. Sold from the first sip.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Top 5 "Most Wanted"
These days I've got a huge wishlist on Untappd of brews I'm interested in trying. I'm sure it'll never shrink from here on out but only expand as I discover more enticing brews to add, but I'm sure there are some I'll go out of my way to try at some point in the future.
Here's five brews from my wishlist, in no particular order, on Untappd that I'm seriously interested in trying:
1) Rogue Farms Honey Kolsch - Rogue Ales - after having Daydreamer by Ithaca Beer Co. and potentially falling in love with the Kolsch style, I gotta try some others and see what they have to offer
2) Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean - Stone Brewing Co. - I saw this in Wegmans the other day and almost pulled the trigger, not gonna be able to hold off much longer since this is a limited release/seasonal brew [EDIT 6/29/2015: I've had this 2x now and it has definitely lived up to the hype though the first time I had this it was sublime and the second it was just a fantastic beer]
3) Pliny the Elder - Russian River Brewing Co. - after making a Russian River clone as my second homebrew and becoming more familiar with the west coast style IPA, I've gotta try this one
4) 120 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - the mother of all IPA's? only in some sense, I'm sure its not as hoppy as most IPA's but it sounds amazing nonetheless
5) Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits - I've just heard/read so many good things about this IPA and the price is the only thing holding me back so far for a six-pack
Here's five brews from my wishlist, in no particular order, on Untappd that I'm seriously interested in trying:
1) Rogue Farms Honey Kolsch - Rogue Ales - after having Daydreamer by Ithaca Beer Co. and potentially falling in love with the Kolsch style, I gotta try some others and see what they have to offer
2) Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean - Stone Brewing Co. - I saw this in Wegmans the other day and almost pulled the trigger, not gonna be able to hold off much longer since this is a limited release/seasonal brew [EDIT 6/29/2015: I've had this 2x now and it has definitely lived up to the hype though the first time I had this it was sublime and the second it was just a fantastic beer]
3) Pliny the Elder - Russian River Brewing Co. - after making a Russian River clone as my second homebrew and becoming more familiar with the west coast style IPA, I've gotta try this one
4) 120 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - the mother of all IPA's? only in some sense, I'm sure its not as hoppy as most IPA's but it sounds amazing nonetheless
5) Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits - I've just heard/read so many good things about this IPA and the price is the only thing holding me back so far for a six-pack
Sunday, March 29, 2015
My Go To Top 5 Craft Beers
I've been thinking a lot lately about what my favorite brews are. This may not mean they are the highest rated for me (maybe they should be), but that they are the brews I will faithfully keep returning to when I am not trying a myriad of other new brews along the way. So far I've decided on these five beers in no particular order:
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery: Ubu Ale - I've been coming back to this one for a while, it has always intrigued me as a unique beer that while it fits into the category of American Strong Ale, it has many Stout/Porter characteristics too and even before I knew anything about style I was reaching for Ubu Ale.
Ithaca Beer Co.: Embrr Rye Porter - Discovered this one this year and have loved it since the first drop, complex, dark and rich it is a beautiful and delicious porter.
Ithaca Beer Co.: Daydreamer - I do not know if I ever had a Kolsch style beer prior to Daydreamer this year that I thought much of, let alone one so delicious. Daydreamer is fruity and light without being thin or tasteless, it is refreshing and begs for more, even at a higher than traditional 7%.
Rohrbach's Brewing Co.: Vanilla Porter - probably my first favorite beer and that hasn't changed, the perfect amount of vanilla.
Atlantic Brewing Co.: Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale - this is the perfect blueberry ale with the most Maine blueberry flavor of any beer while not overpowering the essence of the malt. I will always purchase this when I'm near enough to Maine to find some.
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery: Ubu Ale - I've been coming back to this one for a while, it has always intrigued me as a unique beer that while it fits into the category of American Strong Ale, it has many Stout/Porter characteristics too and even before I knew anything about style I was reaching for Ubu Ale.
Ithaca Beer Co.: Embrr Rye Porter - Discovered this one this year and have loved it since the first drop, complex, dark and rich it is a beautiful and delicious porter.
Ithaca Beer Co.: Daydreamer - I do not know if I ever had a Kolsch style beer prior to Daydreamer this year that I thought much of, let alone one so delicious. Daydreamer is fruity and light without being thin or tasteless, it is refreshing and begs for more, even at a higher than traditional 7%.
Rohrbach's Brewing Co.: Vanilla Porter - probably my first favorite beer and that hasn't changed, the perfect amount of vanilla.
Atlantic Brewing Co.: Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale - this is the perfect blueberry ale with the most Maine blueberry flavor of any beer while not overpowering the essence of the malt. I will always purchase this when I'm near enough to Maine to find some.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Roc City BrewFest 2015
This year I had the opportunity to attend the Roc City BrewFest, which is in it's second year I believe. I contacted the person in charge in advance hoping to procure a volunteer spot for me and some friends and it worked out that I was able to wristband entrants as they passed security and then after about an hour or so enter the festival myself. There were two such sessions, 3 hours each, which after wrist-banding I was able go to and taste a lot of different beers. The second session I even had a friend join me in this endeavor and he managed to meet up with a couple Army Reserve buddies, so we went from booth to booth with them geeking out on beer and tasting notes/votes. One of his friends owns a bar in Syracuse so this was sort of an opportunity for her to taste several different beers.
All in all, I was a bit disappointed with the beer and the quality of the beer as well from the kegs. Almost every vendor's beer was being poured by volunteers, they were using kegs that do not do the beer justice, they were pouring from pitchers and did not know much more than the cliff notes about the beer, This was definitely a festival for people who just wanted to get drunk, not for those who desire to have a thoughtful drink.
This is what all I tasted (sorry I do not in all cases have very extensive tasting notes as it is difficult to drink with one hand and put information into an ipod or phone with the other when there are practically no tables, and I forgot my ipod the 2nd session at home):
Session 1:
1) Dogfish Head Namaste - [no notes]
2) Elysian Dragonstooth Stout - astringent, roasty, coffee, espresso, burnt coffee, dark roast notes.
3) Left Hand Sawtooth Ale - candied peach aroma, citrus, seltzer water, bitter.
4) Elysian Loser Pale Ale - tropical fruit, citrus, mango, thick mouthfeel, hop balanced, bitter finish, slight haze, gold/amber color.
5) Westbrook White Thai - lemongrass nose, clove, not much bitter, witte, belgian yeast, slight sourness.
6) Galaxy St Stusan Ale - bubble gum nose, banana, plum, sweetness is nice, reminded me of banana peel astringency.
7) Smuttynose Winter Ale - nose vanilla and fruity, brown ale? confusingly underwhelming, sweet, sugary, some alcohol.
8) Troegs The Master of Pumpkins - clove, nutmeg nose, cinnamon, pumpkin puree, some bittering hops, slight haze, orange/amber, sourness.
9) Sixpoint The Crisp - dry, grassy, fresh, biscuit, nose is citrus and floral, great head, white foam.
10) Sixpoint Bengali - tropical fruit, melon, grassy, fresh, cream, not too bitter, good bitterness, fruit punch.
11) Custom Brewcrafters Twang Belgian Farmhouse Ale - spicy, peppercorns, tasted like a witte with herbal notes, touch bitter.
Session 2:
12) Abandon Nut Brown - not super nutty.
13) St. Lawrence Sugar Plum Winter Lager - too much candy sugar beet aroma, nice plum sweetness.
14) Galaxy Andromeda IPA - nice aroma and hop flavor falls a touch short of great, not overly bitter for 58 IBU's.
15) Three Huskies Howling Simdorado - was not an accurate representation of the actual beer, caramal malt balanced, little hop aroma/flavor.
16) Three Huskies Wooing Wit - decent Belgian, coriander touch of orange peel, not big Belgian yeast notes.
17) Victor Brewing Cherry Dubbel - not sure this was the correct beer, hard to get the name, but it was a tasty dubbel.
18) Victor Chinook IPA, not sure this was the correct beer either, it just said IPA.
19) Beau's All Natural Brewing Co., Bog Water - herbal but not super tasty of a blend.
20) Jack's Abby Hoponious Union - tropical fruit, pine, good aroma, sessionable.
21) Bayou Teche LA 31 Boucanee - super smoky, great cherry flavor.
22) Bayou Teche LA 31 Biere Noire - [no notes]
23) Westbrook IPA - [no notes]
24) Stillwater Artisnal Cellar Door - very lemony citrus.
25) Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA - too warm to give accurate tasting notes.
26) Bronx Rye Pale Ale - spicy.
27) Oskar Blues Old Chub Nitro - not as smooth as I thought it would be, better in the can?
28) Smuttynose Vunderbar Pilsner - good full bodied malt bill.
29) Troegs Perpetual IPA - bitter.
30) Stone Go To IPA - bitter pine, resin.
31) Bell's Smitten Golden Rye Ale - spicy.
I apologize for the lack of depth in the notes department, and to those breweries whose beers I am misrepresenting. That is not my intent. If fault lies somewhere it should lie with the festival organizers. I would not pay $35 to go to this festival in the future unless they can learn to keep the beer fresh and offer more than basic standard offerings from pretty much every non-local/regional brewery. They also promised this one would be big and it was rather small in my opinion. They missed some really good breweries in the Rochester area, namely Rohrbachs, and I think tried to conceal this fact by not showing on their webpage what breweries would be attending until a couple days beforehand--as well as promising that the list was not conclusive. Nor was it accurate when many of the breweries did not show up! See their site here.
My favorite brews of the festival were: Dogfish Head Namaste, Victor Cherry Dubbel, Stillwater Artisanal Cellar Door, Jack's Abby Hoponious Union, Three Huskies Wooing Wit, Galaxy Andromeda IPA, Sixpoint Bengali.
All in all, I was a bit disappointed with the beer and the quality of the beer as well from the kegs. Almost every vendor's beer was being poured by volunteers, they were using kegs that do not do the beer justice, they were pouring from pitchers and did not know much more than the cliff notes about the beer, This was definitely a festival for people who just wanted to get drunk, not for those who desire to have a thoughtful drink.
This is what all I tasted (sorry I do not in all cases have very extensive tasting notes as it is difficult to drink with one hand and put information into an ipod or phone with the other when there are practically no tables, and I forgot my ipod the 2nd session at home):
Session 1:
1) Dogfish Head Namaste - [no notes]
2) Elysian Dragonstooth Stout - astringent, roasty, coffee, espresso, burnt coffee, dark roast notes.
3) Left Hand Sawtooth Ale - candied peach aroma, citrus, seltzer water, bitter.
4) Elysian Loser Pale Ale - tropical fruit, citrus, mango, thick mouthfeel, hop balanced, bitter finish, slight haze, gold/amber color.
5) Westbrook White Thai - lemongrass nose, clove, not much bitter, witte, belgian yeast, slight sourness.
6) Galaxy St Stusan Ale - bubble gum nose, banana, plum, sweetness is nice, reminded me of banana peel astringency.
7) Smuttynose Winter Ale - nose vanilla and fruity, brown ale? confusingly underwhelming, sweet, sugary, some alcohol.
8) Troegs The Master of Pumpkins - clove, nutmeg nose, cinnamon, pumpkin puree, some bittering hops, slight haze, orange/amber, sourness.
9) Sixpoint The Crisp - dry, grassy, fresh, biscuit, nose is citrus and floral, great head, white foam.
10) Sixpoint Bengali - tropical fruit, melon, grassy, fresh, cream, not too bitter, good bitterness, fruit punch.
11) Custom Brewcrafters Twang Belgian Farmhouse Ale - spicy, peppercorns, tasted like a witte with herbal notes, touch bitter.
Session 2:
12) Abandon Nut Brown - not super nutty.
13) St. Lawrence Sugar Plum Winter Lager - too much candy sugar beet aroma, nice plum sweetness.
14) Galaxy Andromeda IPA - nice aroma and hop flavor falls a touch short of great, not overly bitter for 58 IBU's.
15) Three Huskies Howling Simdorado - was not an accurate representation of the actual beer, caramal malt balanced, little hop aroma/flavor.
16) Three Huskies Wooing Wit - decent Belgian, coriander touch of orange peel, not big Belgian yeast notes.
17) Victor Brewing Cherry Dubbel - not sure this was the correct beer, hard to get the name, but it was a tasty dubbel.
18) Victor Chinook IPA, not sure this was the correct beer either, it just said IPA.
19) Beau's All Natural Brewing Co., Bog Water - herbal but not super tasty of a blend.
20) Jack's Abby Hoponious Union - tropical fruit, pine, good aroma, sessionable.
21) Bayou Teche LA 31 Boucanee - super smoky, great cherry flavor.
22) Bayou Teche LA 31 Biere Noire - [no notes]
23) Westbrook IPA - [no notes]
24) Stillwater Artisnal Cellar Door - very lemony citrus.
25) Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA - too warm to give accurate tasting notes.
26) Bronx Rye Pale Ale - spicy.
27) Oskar Blues Old Chub Nitro - not as smooth as I thought it would be, better in the can?
28) Smuttynose Vunderbar Pilsner - good full bodied malt bill.
29) Troegs Perpetual IPA - bitter.
30) Stone Go To IPA - bitter pine, resin.
31) Bell's Smitten Golden Rye Ale - spicy.
I apologize for the lack of depth in the notes department, and to those breweries whose beers I am misrepresenting. That is not my intent. If fault lies somewhere it should lie with the festival organizers. I would not pay $35 to go to this festival in the future unless they can learn to keep the beer fresh and offer more than basic standard offerings from pretty much every non-local/regional brewery. They also promised this one would be big and it was rather small in my opinion. They missed some really good breweries in the Rochester area, namely Rohrbachs, and I think tried to conceal this fact by not showing on their webpage what breweries would be attending until a couple days beforehand--as well as promising that the list was not conclusive. Nor was it accurate when many of the breweries did not show up! See their site here.
My favorite brews of the festival were: Dogfish Head Namaste, Victor Cherry Dubbel, Stillwater Artisanal Cellar Door, Jack's Abby Hoponious Union, Three Huskies Wooing Wit, Galaxy Andromeda IPA, Sixpoint Bengali.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Rohrbach's Imperial/Double Tasting & Lost Borough Brewing Co.
On Thursday I went with a friend to Rohrbach's Brewing Co.'s Railroad Street Tasting Room for an even they call Brews & Bites. They were tapping two new brews, an Imperial Scotch and a Double Patch Porter. Both brews are the big brothers (Imperial/Double) to other Rohrbach's brews of the same name (Scotch Ale and Sam Patch Porter). They also had some absolutely delicious German sausages with sauerkraut and stone ground mustard and offered a free pint or four 4 oz. pours as a flight, all for $8. Good price. The only downside to the evening was the place was packed and they were supposed to have a tour of the next door brewery, but reneged I believe because they weren't expecting so many people and were short staffed.
Tasting notes for both brews and the four flight sampler I had:
1) Imperial Scotch - This had a fruity, jammy nose, bready, sludgy sugary thick with a foamy mouthfeel, a touch of alchohol and a brief warming sensation, sweet with molasses and hazy. 10% ABV. See more here.
2) Double Patch Porter - a light aroma or coffee, a milk chocolate taste, hoppy background, good legs with lingering roasty chocolate, almost too rich for two in a row. 7.5% ABV.
3) Highland Lager - Never had this one before actually, I always thought it would be too light but didn't realize it is a Vienna Lager style, but I found this nicely balanced with a citrus sweetness and a touch of bitter at the end. 5% ABV, 11 IBU, see more here.
4) Extra Special Bitter - a fruity, spicy and sessionable beer, quite tasty and enjoyable but I am not sure it uses an English yeast? Unknown ABV.
5) Railroad Street IPA - tasty, citrus with a strong tropical fruit note, a touch of pine and great legs. 6.5% ABV. 66 IBU.
6) Vanilla Porter - roasty, chocolate, vanilla and richness. 6% ABV.
After we found out the tour was canceled, we left and went to a nearby new brewery (opened in October of 2014), Lost Borough Brewing Co. on Atlantic (behind Sticky Lips on the corner of Culver near East High). There we had a flight also, four beers I've never had before, actually the first Lost Borough brews I've had as well.
Tasting notes:
1) Blonde Belgian Wit - nose of old banana, spicy, citrus and clove, quite hazy with a touch of sugary sweet aftertaste, a full mouthfeel and maybe too much carbonation. 5.8% ABV.
2) Nut Warmer Brown Ale - a full ginger nose, earthy, walnut, I really liked this. 7% ABV.
3) West Coast Red IPA - more bitter than citrusy, a floral aroma, fairly high bitterness with a touch of pine. 6.9% ABV.
4) Scotch Ale - a nice burnt caramel flavor, smooth with cherry, raspberry, toffee notes, overall really tasty. Uknown ABV.
My favorite of the night: Lost Borough Scotch Ale, smooth and tasty, this is the kind of Scotch Ale I love.
Tasting notes for both brews and the four flight sampler I had:
1) Imperial Scotch - This had a fruity, jammy nose, bready, sludgy sugary thick with a foamy mouthfeel, a touch of alchohol and a brief warming sensation, sweet with molasses and hazy. 10% ABV. See more here.
2) Double Patch Porter - a light aroma or coffee, a milk chocolate taste, hoppy background, good legs with lingering roasty chocolate, almost too rich for two in a row. 7.5% ABV.
3) Highland Lager - Never had this one before actually, I always thought it would be too light but didn't realize it is a Vienna Lager style, but I found this nicely balanced with a citrus sweetness and a touch of bitter at the end. 5% ABV, 11 IBU, see more here.
4) Extra Special Bitter - a fruity, spicy and sessionable beer, quite tasty and enjoyable but I am not sure it uses an English yeast? Unknown ABV.
5) Railroad Street IPA - tasty, citrus with a strong tropical fruit note, a touch of pine and great legs. 6.5% ABV. 66 IBU.
6) Vanilla Porter - roasty, chocolate, vanilla and richness. 6% ABV.
After we found out the tour was canceled, we left and went to a nearby new brewery (opened in October of 2014), Lost Borough Brewing Co. on Atlantic (behind Sticky Lips on the corner of Culver near East High). There we had a flight also, four beers I've never had before, actually the first Lost Borough brews I've had as well.
Tasting notes:
1) Blonde Belgian Wit - nose of old banana, spicy, citrus and clove, quite hazy with a touch of sugary sweet aftertaste, a full mouthfeel and maybe too much carbonation. 5.8% ABV.
2) Nut Warmer Brown Ale - a full ginger nose, earthy, walnut, I really liked this. 7% ABV.
3) West Coast Red IPA - more bitter than citrusy, a floral aroma, fairly high bitterness with a touch of pine. 6.9% ABV.
4) Scotch Ale - a nice burnt caramel flavor, smooth with cherry, raspberry, toffee notes, overall really tasty. Uknown ABV.
My favorite of the night: Lost Borough Scotch Ale, smooth and tasty, this is the kind of Scotch Ale I love.
Most memorable IPA's of 2014
Yes, American craft beer lovers are mostly obsessed with IPA's. So, the style I have drank the most since I started this blog has been the IPA. So, I thought it might be fun to write a post about the most memorable IPA's from a long list of 50 plus. This includes 29 American IPA's, 2 Belgian IPA's, 4 Black IPA's, 6 English IPA's, 1 Double/Imperial Black IPA, 7 Double/Imperial IPA's, 2 Triple IPA's and 1 White IPA.
Sorry I'm not going to split the honors between American/English even though the styles are so different.
The most memorable IPA's (including Double/Imperial) to me were:
Heady Topper by The Alchemist - not just because of the journey to even drink Heady Topper, but it is the tastiest and most refreshing IPA I've ever had. So fresh and not overly bitter, just flavorful. This is one IPA that you can define several different hop flavors.
90 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head - this is a bold IPA, tons of flavor, sharp and bitter but in a flavorful way, lots of citrus and aroma to back up the intense hoppiness of this brew.
Two Hearted Ale by Bell's Brewery - one of the first IPA's I had after starting the blog and it has stuck with me as being a super flavorful sessionable IPA. Just a good mix of hops brewed into this one.
Space Dust IPA by Elysian Brewing - I do not know how else to describe this other than it tastes like space dust, there's like an interesting particulate nature to this brew. It also features great citrus/tropical fruit/melon/lime notes with a tinge of spiciness.
Single Hop Series: Falconer's Flight by Dark Horse Brewing Co. - a single hop IPA that contains bold flavors for just one hop. I was really surprised and pleased by how complex one hop could be. I think sometimes brewers add too many different kinds of hops just to make their beer sound complex when all it really does is muddle the true flavor of the hops together. Not true with this one.
Dubhe Imperial Black IPA by Uinta Brewing Co. - so flavorful, complex, dark and rich with chocolate and coffee notes balanced by grapefruit and pine. It's a wonder how this one works, but it does so admirably.
Sorry I'm not going to split the honors between American/English even though the styles are so different.
The most memorable IPA's (including Double/Imperial) to me were:
Heady Topper by The Alchemist - not just because of the journey to even drink Heady Topper, but it is the tastiest and most refreshing IPA I've ever had. So fresh and not overly bitter, just flavorful. This is one IPA that you can define several different hop flavors.
90 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head - this is a bold IPA, tons of flavor, sharp and bitter but in a flavorful way, lots of citrus and aroma to back up the intense hoppiness of this brew.
Two Hearted Ale by Bell's Brewery - one of the first IPA's I had after starting the blog and it has stuck with me as being a super flavorful sessionable IPA. Just a good mix of hops brewed into this one.
Space Dust IPA by Elysian Brewing - I do not know how else to describe this other than it tastes like space dust, there's like an interesting particulate nature to this brew. It also features great citrus/tropical fruit/melon/lime notes with a tinge of spiciness.
Single Hop Series: Falconer's Flight by Dark Horse Brewing Co. - a single hop IPA that contains bold flavors for just one hop. I was really surprised and pleased by how complex one hop could be. I think sometimes brewers add too many different kinds of hops just to make their beer sound complex when all it really does is muddle the true flavor of the hops together. Not true with this one.
Dubhe Imperial Black IPA by Uinta Brewing Co. - so flavorful, complex, dark and rich with chocolate and coffee notes balanced by grapefruit and pine. It's a wonder how this one works, but it does so admirably.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Shew Brew Glasses for X-Mas!
Here's a look at the glasses my aunt and uncle had made for me. This would hopefully be the label for my brewery, if not just my home brewery for now. My aunt did the design and I love it!
This is taken with my Pliny the Toddler (Russian River clone) homebrew in the glass, which shaped up to be a very fine brew!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Best of 2014
This post will highlight the best beers I've tasted in 2014 by style category according to BJCP guidelines. I've included some of the new styles according to the BCJP 2014 guidelines that will be going into effect in 2015. All ratings were made out of 5 stars. I have not differentiated between ratings of the same number of stars, if multiples exist with the same rating they are considered tied and not ranked in the order they are presented.
The hyperlinks on the left will take you to the BJCP.org website so you can see more about each style.
STYLE WINNING BEER BREWERY STARS
The hyperlinks on the left will take you to the BJCP.org website so you can see more about each style.
STYLE WINNING BEER BREWERY STARS
- 1. LIGHT LAGER
- 1A. Lite American Lager NA
- 1B. Standard American Lager NA
- 1C. Premium American Lager NA
- - 2014 style International Pale Lager Saku Originaal Saku Olletehase 3
- 1D. Munich Helles NA
- 1E. Dortmunder Export NA
- 2. PILSNER
- 2A. German Pilsner (Pils) S.O.S. (Save Our Shore) Abita Brewing Co. 2.5
- Bavik Premium Pils Brouwerij de Brabandere 2.5
- 2B. Bohemian Pilsener Mama's Little Yella Pils Oskar Blues Brewery 3.5
- 2C. Classic American Pilsner NA
- 3. EUROPEAN AMBER LAGER
- 3A. Vienna Lager Elliot Ness Great Lakes Brewing Co. 2.5
- Samuel Adams Boston Lager Boston Beer Co. 2.5
- 3B. Oktoberfest OAKtoberfest Firestone Walker Brewing Co. 3
- 4. DARK LAGER
- 4A. Dark American Lager Gunny Mac American Black Lager War Horse Brewing Co. 3
- 4B. Munich Dunkel Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel Brauerei Aying 2
- 4C. Schwarzbier (Black Beer) Guinness Black Lager Guinness 2.5
- 5. BOCK
- 5A. Maibock/Helles Bock NA
- 5B. Traditional Bock Kozlak Browar Amber 2.5
- 5C. Doppelbock Ayinger Celebrator Brauerei Aying 4
- 5D. Eisbock NA
- 6. LIGHT HYBRID BEER
- 6A. Cream Ale Common Sense Ale Upstate Brewing Co. 2.5
- Sweet Action Sixpoint Brewery 2.5
- 6B. Blonde Ale Export Ale Shipyard Brewing Co. 3
- Catt County Cuvee Ellicottville Brewing Co. 3
- 6C. Kölsch Saranac Kolsch The Matt Brewing Co. 2
- 6D. American Wheat or Rye Beer Intrepid Ale Custom Brewcrafters Craft Brewers 3.5
- 7. AMBER HYBRID BEER
- 7A. Northern German Altbier Old Hob Foley Brothers 3
- 7B. California Common Beer Tarnation Baxter Brewing Co. 3
- 7C. Düsseldorf Altbier NA
- 8. ENGLISH PALE ALE
- 8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter The King's English IPA Greene King 2
- 8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter Honker's Ale Goose Island Beer Co. 3
- 8c. Extra Special/Strong Bitter English Double E.S.B. Davidson Brothers 4
- 9. SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE
- 9A. Scottish Light 60/- NA
- 9B. Scottish Heavy 70/- NA
- 9C. Scottish Export 80/- Scottish Ale Belhaven Brewery 2
- 9D. Irish Red Ale Irish Red Davidson Brothers 3.5
- 9E. Strong Scotch Ale Scotch Ale Davidson Brothers 4
- 10. AMERICAN ALE
- 10A. American Pale Ale Bitter American 21st Amendment Brewery 3.5
- Pamola Xtra Pale Ale Baxter Brewing Co. 3
- 10B. American Amber Ale Amber Ale Bell's Brewery, Inc. 3
- 10C. American Brown Ale Sixth Day Goose Island Beer Co. 4
- 11. ENGLISH BROWN ALE
- 11A. Mild Dark Mild Rohrbach's Brewing Co. 2.5
- 11B. Southern English Brown Brown Ale (cask) Davidson Brothers 3.5
- Slow-fermented Brown Ale Switchback Brewing Co. 3.5
- 11C. Northern English Brown NA
- 12. PORTER
- 12A. Brown Porter Brown Porter BSG Handcraft (Homebrew) 0.5
- 12B. Robust Porter Embrr Rye Porter Ithaca Beer Co. 4
- 12C. Baltic Porter Zyviec Porter Grupa Zyviec 4
- 13. STOUT
- 13A. Dry Stout Guinness Extra Stout Guinness 3
- Donneybrook Stout Victory Brewing Co. 3
- 13B. Sweet Stout Organic Chocolate Stout Samuel Smith's Old Brewery 3.5
- 13C. Oatmeal Stout Oatmeal Stout Samuel Smith's Old Brewery 3.5
- Oatmeal Stout Brown's Brewing 3.5
- 13D. Foreign Extra Stout Phantom Punch Winter Stout Baxter Brewing Co. 4
- 13E. American Stout Sam Adams Merry Maker Gingerbread Stout Boston Beer Co. 4.5
- 13F. Russian Imperial Stout Blackout Stout Great Lakes Brewing Co. 4.5
- 14. INDIA PALE ALE (IPA)
- 14A. English IPA India Pale Ale Goose Island Beer Co. 3
- India Ale Samuel Smith's Old Brewery 3
- IPA Davidson Brothers 3
- 14B. American IPA Two Hearted Ale Bell's Brewery, Inc. 3.5
- Hop Nosh IPA Uinta Brewing Co. 3.5
- Space Dust IPA Elysian Brewing 3.5
- 14C. Imperial IPA Heady Topper The Alchemist 4.5
- -2014 styles Specialty IPA (white) White IPA Rohrbach Brewing Co. 2.5
- (black) Great Dismal IPA O'Connor Brewing Co. 3
- Back in Black 21st Amendment Brewery 3
- (belgian) Belgian Style IPA Good Nature Farm Brewery & Tap Room 3
- (rye) Red Rye IPA Founders Brewing Co. 3.5
- (double/imperial) Dubhe Imperial Black IPA Uinta Brewing Co. 4
- 15. GERMAN WHEAT / RYE BEER
- 15A. Weizen/Weissbier Circus Boy Magic Hat Brewing Co. 2.5
- 15B. Dunkelweizen Ayinger Ur-Weisse Brauerei Aying 3
- 15C. Weizenbock Weihenstephaner Vitus Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan 2.5
- 15D. Roggenbier (German Rye Beer) NA
- 16. BELGIAN AND FRENCH ALE
- 16A. Witbier Namaste Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 3.5
- White Allagash Brewing Co. 3.5
- 16B. Belgian Pale Ale Rare Vos Brewery Ommegang 2.5
- 16C. Saison Blood Orange Saison Resurgence 2.5
- Les Raisonniers Wagner Valley Brewing Co. 2.5
- 16D. Bière de Garde Scythe and Sickle Brewery Ommegang 3
- 16E. Belgian Specialty Ale Three Philosopheres Brewery Ommegang 4
- 17. SOUR ALE
- 17A. Berliner Weisse Festina Peche Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 2.5
- 17B. Flanders Red Ale Duchess de Bourgogne Brouwerij Verhaege 3
- 17C. Flanders Brown Ale/Oud Bruin NA
- 17D. Straight (Unblended) Lambic NA
- 17E. Gueuze NA
- 17F. Fruit Lambic NA
- 18. BELGIAN STRONG ALE
- 18A. Belgian Blond Ale NA
- 18B. Belgian Dubbel Chimay Rouge (Premiere) Bieres de Chimay 3.5
- 18C. Belgian Tripel Maredsous 10 Tripel Abbaye de Maredsous 4
- 18D. Belgian Golden Strong Ale Delerium Tremens Brauerei Huyghe 3.5
- 18E. Belgian Dark Strong Ale Monk's Blood 21st Amendment Brewery 4
- Exelsior! Anniversary Sixteen Ithaca Beer Co. 4
- 19. STRONG ALE
- 19A. Old Ale Old Ale Rohrbach Brewing Co. 4
- 19B. English Barleywine NA
- 19C. American Barleywine Vermonster Rock Art Brewery 3.5
- - 2014 style American Strong Ale Arrogant Bastard Ale Stone Brewing Co. 4.5
- 20. FRUIT BEER
- 20. Fruit Beer Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale Atlantic Brewing Co. 4
- 21. SPICE / HERB / VEGETABLE BEER
- 21A. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Sam Adams Fat Jack Boston Beer Co. 4
- He Said (Belgian Tripel) 21st Amendment/Elysian Brewery 4
- Imperial Pumpkin Spice Ale Rohrbach Brewing Co. 4
- 21B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer Winter Ale Davidson Brothers 4
- 22. SMOKE-FLAVORED / WOOD-AGED BEER
- 22A. Classic Rauchbier NA
- 22B. Other Smoked Beer Old Chub Oskar Blues Brewery 3
- 22C. Wood-Aged Beer Royal Kilt Inspector Oak Aged Scotch Ale War Horse Brewing Co.
- 3.5
- 23. SPECIALTY BEER
- 23. Specialty Beer Palo Santo Marron Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 5
- 27. STANDARD CIDER AND PERRY
- 27A. Common Cider Premium Draft Hard Cider Blackbird Cider Works 3.5
- 27B. English Cider NA
- 27C. French Cider NA
- 27D. Common Perry NA
- 27E. Traditional Perry NA
- 28. SPECIALTY CIDER AND PERRY
- 28A. New England Cider NA
- 28B. Fruit Cider NA
- 28C. Applewine Vizcarra Vineyards Spiced Apple Becker Farms 3
- 28D. Other Specialty Cider/Perry The Dirty Mayor Citizen Cider 4
- 2014 Historical Styles:
- Gose: Blood Orange Saison Anderson Valley Brewing Co. 2.5
Homebrew: Pliny the Toddler (Russian River clone) Shew Brew 3.5
The winning brew of 2014 is Palo Santo Marron by Dogfish Head with the only 5 star rating!
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