Matt's Beer Blog

Photo Dump

2011-12-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

The End of Matt's Beer Blog

2009-02-21T16:52:00.003-05:00

As you can tell my posting has slowed down significantly, and almost has become non-existent. I won't be posting to this website anymore, and all of my posting will be housed over at Hoosier Beer Geek. We've got some amazing things going on over there right now, and with me going back to grad school, and little feet running around the house I just don't have the time for everything I normally had going on. I am going to contribute only to Hoosier Beer Geek. I started this website to help me catalog the many different beers that I tried, and really try to train my palate as best I could. Thanks to the very few people that read this and commented over the last year and some change.

Cheers!
Matt

Trappist Westvleteren 8

2009-02-05T18:45:00.000-05:00

Beer: Westvleteren 8
Brewery Location: Westvleteren, Belgium
Beer Style: Dubbel
ABV: 8%

This is the much sought after Westvleteren 8. I've been wanting more of the Westie 12, but I've never had the 8 before. The numbers (there is debate over this) usually correspond to the alcohol getting stronger in strength, but not the ABV content. This Abbey makes a 6, 8, and a 12. Each one gets stronger in alcohol content as you go up, but doesn't mean they are 6%, 8% or 12% ABV. I've read it is a tradition from long before beer bottles had labels the number would indicate the certain type of beer you were looking for. I've also read that it means they refer to an old measuring unit of the density, the Belgian law at the time, which corresponds to the density of the wort before fermentation. The second idea makes more sense to me, but I can see both happening, and perhaps it was a hybrid of both.

This brewery is the rarest of the seven Trappist breweries. Most of the other Trappist breweries are easily found here in America, and Koningshoeven and Rochefort are my personal favorites. Let's see if this beer lives up to the hype.

Appearance: Pours a deep mahogany color with a decent sized tan head on it. This beer didn't leave any lacing either on my glass.
Smell: I get a good dose of dark fruit dominated by raisins on the nose. I am also getting caramel, sugar, and a little bit of alcohol.
Taste: I am getting plenty of malt character upfront with molasses and caramel, and a prominent grape flavor, a hint of spice, and just a touch of chocolate as well.
Mouthfeel: The prickly carbonation leaves a fairly dry sensation at the back of my palate.
Drinkability: A very nice sipper, and if there beer were readily available I would purchase it often.

I thought this was a very good beer, but is not head and shoulders above the competition that we can get here in Indiana. I've been coming around so much more to the Belgian style beers, and the dubbel is one of my favorites.

My favorite dubbel's that are available locally: La Trappe Dubbel from Konigshoeven, Rochefort 8 from Rochefort, and a stellar domestic dubble is Pere Jacques from Goose Island, and Abbey Belgian Style Ale from New Belgium.

Cheers!
Matt

Photo Dump

2009-01-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

Pannepøt Old Fisherman's Ale

2009-01-20T23:00:00.002-05:00

Beer: Pannepøt Old Fisherman's Ale
Brewery Location: De Panne, Belgium
Beer Style: Quadruple
ABV: 10%

I just got this bottle around Christmas time and have been wanting an occasion to try it, and I watched In Bruges the other night, so I figured that was as good a time as any. I love the Quad style, and it is perfect for a cold winter's evening I think.

Appearance: This beer pours a dark mahogany with amber highlights around the edges with a decent sized two fingers worth of head that had fairly good staying power.
Smell: The nose is full of cloves, nutmeg, dark fruits, and a slight acidic vinegar twist to it as well.
Taste: The flavor profile is full of dark fruits including cherries, raisins, and plums. I also get some concord grape jelly in there in as well. I get a bit of coffee and a bready malt that works well here.
Mouthfeel: This beer is full bodied with lots of fine carbonation that renders itself quite smooth and creamy.
Drinkability: Even at the high ABV the alcohol is hidden and this was a great and relaxing drinking experience.

I really enjoyed this beer, and will be picking up a few more of these in the very near future if I can find this version. If you have seen In Bruges I highly doubt that Colin Farrell's character would call this beer his nickname for Belgian Beer. This was a great beer and an even better drinking experience.

Cheers!
Matt

Alaskan Baltic Porter

2009-01-14T07:48:00.006-05:00

Beer: Alaskan Baltic Porter
Brewing Location: Juneau, AK
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
ABV: 9.8%

One of my favorite styles that I've only really began to love over the past year is the Baltic porter. It gets its influence from English porters and Russian imperial stouts. What is unique about a Baltic porter is that it can be made using either cold fermenting lager yeast or warmer ale yeast and still fit BJCP guidelines. I am not really sure what brewers are and are not using lager yeast, but I am going to assume that this one was made using an ale yeast.

I got this beer in trade recently, but you can order it from Liquid Solutions as well right now.

Appearance: Pours an obsidian black color, but when held up to the light pecan shell highlights show themselves around the edges. There wasn't much of a head on this beer, and it left minimal lacing on my glass.
Smell: There is plenty of molasses, vanilla, oak, dark cherries, and other dark fruit coming to life. As the beer warms I get port wine and chocolate as well.
Taste: The chocolate comes to life upfront with the dark fruits (dominated by cherry) round initial flavors out. In mid-drink I get more grassy hops and vanilla finished by a dry roasted malt flavor.
Mouthfeel: This beer is thick and smooth with a decent amount of carbonation, and the alcohol was well hidden.
Drinkability: This beer is quite delicious, but is quite heavy and is really only a sipper. I would certainly buy this beer again.

I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. It isn't the best of the style that I've had, but is a very solid offering from Alaskan Brewing. I've got another bottle to age, and I am curious about the cherry and vanilla flavors that this beer has fresh, and I hope with some age the malt will come out a bit more. Either way I think this was damn good fresh, and could be even better with a bit of age on it.

Cheers!
Matt

Founder's Porter

2009-01-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

Beer: Founder's Porter
Brewing Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.5%

It appears as if I've been reviewing a large number of Founder's beers lately, but I just happened to buy a sixer of this beer when I bought the imperial stout. I've heard this is going to be in their regular rotation and not a seasonal beer. Founder's has not bottled this offering in several years I don't think.

Appearance: Pours a dark black color with two finders worth of dark tan head. The head collapsed fairly quickly, but left decent spotty lacing on the walls of my pint glass.
Smell: Dark roasted malt and black malt dominate with chocolate, sorghum, and coffee present as well.
Taste: The flavor profile is a rich combination of the things in the nose with plenty of roasted grain, a touch of grassy hops, dark chocolate, and coffee combine into a wonderful drinking experience.
Mouthfeel: Good carbonation with coats the mouth nicely, with the alcohol hidden quite well.
Drinkability: I will certainly be buying this beer again. This is pretty much everything I am looking for in a porter.

Until now my favorite American porter was Edmund Fitzgerald from Great Lakes, but this beer eclipses that for me. Both are tremendous beer in their own rights, but this beer gets the nudge over the Great Lakes. I love how robust and rich this beer is, and will have a permanent spot in my cellar.

Cheers!
Matt

Founder's Imperial Stout

2009-01-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

Beer: Founder's Imperial Stout
Brewery Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%

I've been lazy during the holidays and was not really writing much. I am back though with a really amazing beer that I've been looking forward to for a very long time. I had this on tap last year when I went to Founder's for the weekend, and have wanted some in the bottle since that time. Last night seemed to be the best opportunity to open one of these up. Indiana got a very limited supply of this beer, and if you can still find it around town you will most likely only be allowed to buy one or two bottles. I am hoping that more will hit town in the coming weeks, and it will be much like breakfast stout. Breakfast stout was limited when it first came to town, but now you can still easily find four packs of it all over town right now.

Appearance: This beer glugs into my pint glass and settles into a jet black body with a small mocha colored head that quickly dissipated, but it did leave some spotty lacing on my pint glass.
Smell: The nose is a rich combination of roasted malt and coffee with an almost grassy hop scent as well. There is a hint of alcohol and chocolate at the back end of this offering as well.
Taste: The flavor profile is amazing complex with flavors that outshine the nose on this beer. The main flavors are of the rich and roasted malt, but as the beer warmed past cellar temp I began to get currants, plums, dates, espresso beans, caramel, chocolate, and anise. There are many flavors, but all combine so well on the palate to make a very pleasurable workout for your taste buds.
Mouthfeel: This beer is smooth as silk with the alcohol only barely noticeable on the mouth. It has good carbonation for a RIS, and it leaves an overall dry sensation in my mouth.
Drinkability: This beer is dangerously good, and I wish I had the opportunity to purchase much more of this amazing beer.

Overall I love just about everything about this offering, and this is one of my favorite Russian imperial stouts. I let this beer warm past cellar temperature and I am very glad that I did. One of the most complex, yet easiest to drink imperial stouts that I've had recently. Founder's has yet to do me wrong on any of their beers. Well done again to the team at Founder's.

Cheers!
Matt

De Struise Brouwers Black Albert

2008-12-23T20:27:00.001-05:00

Beer: De Struise Brouwers Black Albert
Brewery Location: De Panne, Belgium
Beer Style: Belgian Royal Stout (Russian Imperial Stout)
ABV: 13%

I certainly hear about all of the new beer that is coming to town, and the hype behind this beer was fairly intense among the beer geeks/blogs/beer forums. I try my best not to read anything about a new beer until after I've had it. I've found that inevitably a beer will never live up to the hype that it is given if you really get yourself wrapped around how good a beer may or may not be. De Struise makes some great beer, and one of my favorites is their Old Fisherman's Ale. If you make a great Quad, I will pretty taste anything you make after that.

This beer was brewed especially for the Ebanezer's Pub in Lovell Maine. The beer was actually brewed in Maine under the specifications of De Struise. They call it a new style: a Belgian Royal Stout, but it was brewed in the Russian Imperial stout style and where it is classified.

Appearance: This pours a deep brown color that is very close to black with a thin swirl of brown froth that quickly dissipated. The beer coats the glass extremely well, but left minimal lacing.
Smell: I let this beer warm for 45 minutes outside of the fridge, and the nose was still subtle with scents of chocolate and dark fruits, and it showed its Belgian roots with the unmistakable scent of Belgian style yeast.
Taste: The flavor profile is heavy on the front of the tongue with coffee and dark bitter chocolate. The middle of the beer gives flavors of dark cherries, plums, and figs before being ending on a bitter note.
Mouthfeel: The warming alcohol quickly catches up with you, but for a RIS this beer has a thinner mouthfeel than I would have expected and has the mouthfeel of a good Quad, but not a RIS.
Drinkability: The alcohol is well hidden for a 13% beer, but the price would keep me away from this beer.

I am certainly glad that I got to try this beer, and overall is was a pretty good beer, but not worth a dollar and ounce though is what is equates to. If this beer were in a four pack around 15-20$ I would buy it often, but 12 bucks for a 11.2 oz bottle it needs to either be one of the best RIS's that I've tried or one of the best Quad's that I've tried, and it doesn't make it into either category for me.

Cheers!
Matt

Port Brewing Old Viscocity

2008-12-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

Beer: Port Brewing Old Viscosity
Brewery Location: San Marcos, CA
Beer Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 10%

I've had several offerings from Port/Lost Abbey brewing and this is one that I've not been able to get a hold of from them. The good news is that they are now distributing a large selection of their line-up to Chicago now, so if you are in the area their beers are well worth checking out. I just got this one in trade this past week.

The "American Strong Ale" is just a catch all category here and it doesn't really fit into any particular style. The beer used 20% of the blend has been aged in bourbon barrels.

Appearance: This beer pours a very deep and dark brown color with a very small dark brown head on it.
Smell: The nose starts out with plenty of sweet molasses, licorice, chocolate, and smokey charred oak. The aroma is quite sweet and as the beer warmed toffee and caramel are very present.
Taste: The flavor profile starts out with a blast roasted malt and dark cherries. The finish has plenty of bourbon, anise, and even some coffee lingering in the background.
Mouthfeel: It is very thick and chewy with the alcohol very apparent in the mouthfeel, but at 10% that is to be expected.
Drinkability: I wouldn't reach for this very often, but this sipper is nice if you like bourbon barrel aged type beers.

I personally wasn't a big fan of this beer. The alcohol and bourbon overtook most of the other flavors and the complexity of this beer didn't shine through as well as it should have. I am curious if some age on this beer would mellow out those flavors a little bit, and then I think this beer would be a real winner. I tend to vary more on the side of balance when it comes to bourbon barrel aged beers. If that is your thing though you will enjoy this beer a great deal.

Cheers!
Matt

Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

2008-12-11T23:50:00.001-05:00

Beer: Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Brewery Location: Boonville, CA
Beer Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 5.7%

It seems I've only been in the mood for dark beer latley, but I haven't been in a mood to polish off a bomber of anything lately so I've been working through some of the 12 oz bottles that I have, and this is one that I got in trade recently. You can find them in every single state that touches us, but for one reason or another we don't get them in Indiana. I didn't realize how much beer they must brew based on how many states they are in. Here is the link to their distribution map. The represent the West coast, Mid West, and East coast quite nicely.

Appearance: This beer pours a very dark brown, almost black, color with tremendous head and it left amazing lacing on the walls of my pint glass.
Smell: The smell is rather "soft" and I get scents of chocolate, grassy hops, and roasted grain.
Taste: The flavor starts out with the roasted malt coming in very nicely and was quite pleasant. It was followed with a combination of cocoa, caramel, and there is also an orchard fruitiness to it as well, but that flavor is really hidden nicely, but supports the other flavors quite well.
Mouthfeel: This is the only spot this beer loses points with me. The mouthfeel is quite thin, but leaves a good chocolaty flavor on the back of the palate with medium carbonation.
Drinkability: I would certainly purchase more of this beer, and it will be a new six pack that I will be picking up when I go to Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati.

Overall this is a very nice and quite quaff able stout. I liked that it is a beer that won't get in the way of conversation, and this is a great beer to sit around with friends and relax with. I think this would be an excelling entry stout for people, and a good example of the style. The pricing on this beer is also nice with a six pack running around $8.99.

Cheers!
Matt

Tröegs Dead Reckoning Porter

2008-12-08T14:57:00.006-05:00

Beer: Tröegs Dead Reckoning Porter
Brewery Location: Harrisburg, PA
Beer Style: American Porter
ABV: 5.8%

I've enjoyed the beers I've had from Tröegs. It is sad that we don't get it in Indiana as they seem like a really rock solid brewery and brew some great beer across most beer styles. Their Troegenator Doublebock was my favorite a few weeks back when we did a food and beer pairing for Thanksgiving. This is another of their seasonal beers, and it is on its tail end of their most recent run, but you can probably still find it on the shelves if you are in a state that sells them.

Appearance: Pours a very deep brown color with a big two fingers worth of tan head. This beer leaves tremendous lacing and left sheets of it all over my glass until the very end.
Smell: I get loads of caramel and roast grain along with a citrus and piney hop scent that is working well together.
Taste: The sweet caramel rushes to the front of the palate followed quickly by the hop bitterness bite. The hops leave an almost fruity and citrus flavor along with caramel. There is a roasted nut quality as well as the beer warmed. The flavors work well together, and if I hadn't tasted it I wouldn't think that they would.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation is a little high, but it is medium bodied and quite smooth.
Drinkability: This was quite refreshing, and with the ABV I would have another quite easily.

I usually like my porters with the American hop profile left out of them, but this beer combined all the flavors nicely and changed my mind about the American porter if it is brewed like this beer. This is another great beer from Tröegs.

Cheers!
Matt

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

2008-12-02T15:36:00.005-05:00

Beer: Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter
Brewery Location: Denver, CO and Frederick, MD
Beer Style: American Imperial Stout
ABV: 7.8%

I haven't reviewed a single beer from Flying Dog, and until this beer I don't think that I've had a beer from them in about four or five years. They are a very big craft brewer though. I looked through their website and say they are in 46 states. I would imagine that Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams are all fifty states. They must make a ton of beer to open up two brewing locations as well. I picked up a four pack of this recently and this is my first time around with this beer in any vintage.

Appearance: This beer pours an opaque black color with a small mocha colored head that had minimal staying power with no lacing on my glass.
Scent: Black malt and coffee dominate the nose on this beer, but as the beer warmed I also get dark fruit, smoke, and alcohol.
Flavor: The roasted malt comes in full force to start the beer, but is quickly followed by a rather strong hop bitterness. I also get more dark fruit, sugar sweet chocolate, and freeze dried coffee grounds. The flavors seem to be everywhere and nothing is really melding very well for me.
Mouthfeel: The texture is my favorite aspect and is very creamy and full bodied with good carbonation on this offering, but the alcohol was quite present on this offering.
Drinkability: I would most likely only have of these in a sitting, and I wouldn't seek out this beer very often.

I thought the flavors were all over the board and the alcohol twinge on the mouthfeel wasn't very welcomed on this beer. I've read that aging this beer really makes it much better. I hope that it does because I wasn't really that big of a fan of this beer, and I had high hopes for it.

Cheers!
Matt

Ølfabrikken Porter

2008-11-26T08:59:00.004-05:00

Beer: Ølfabrikken Porter
Brewery Location: Denmark
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
ABV: 8.0%

I was looking for something a little different to hopefully watch my Ball State Cardinals go undefeated last night, and I reach for this beer that I've had in the cellar for several months.

I really like the Baltic porter style. It is stronger than a regular porter, but not quite a robust as a Russian Imperial Stout. It is a good go-between those styles. We just started getting this beer in Indiana in 22 oz bombers, but this bottle is from Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati. I haven't seen this sized bottle in Indiana yet, but perhaps we will get two sizes of it eventually. I've been looking forward to trying this beer after hearing a great deal of hype over it.
Appearance: Pours an obsidian black color with a decent sized light tan colored head with very good staying power for the entire beer.
Smell: Impressive scents of roasted grain, coffee, caramel, milk chocolate, and a hint of vanilla in the nose.
Taste: The flavor profile is the perfect continuation of the nose with base flavors of milk chocolate, coffee, caramel, licorice, and plums. The flavors combine brilliantly with no harsh alcohol burn as well.
Mouthfeel: This beer is full bodied and very smooth with the warming alcohol coming in at the back of the palate with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability: This was an awesome Baltic porter, I will be stocking the cellar with a few bottles of this tasty beer.

As you can tell I was quite impressed with this beer. I loved everything about this beer, and wished I had another bottled of it after I was through with this one. If you are a fan of big stouts and porters you should grab a bottle of this and give it a try. This was my first beer from Ølfabrikken, and they knocked it out of the park on this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout

2008-11-18T13:25:00.000-05:00

Beer: Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout
Brewery Location: Akron, OH
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.4%

Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout is what the B.O.R.I.S. stands for if you were wondering. Hoppin' Frog is a really nice regional brewer from Ohio. I've tried about five of their offerings and have only one on this site for review. As far as I know I think they only send out their beer in bombers, and their brewery does sell direct to the public, but they do not have any type of brewpub/bar at the brewery. I really liked their DIPA, Black and Tan, Silk Porter, and the Gulden Fraug from what I remember.

Appearance: BORIS pours a very dark black with brown highlights around the edges, and it is capped off with a very thin head that dissipated quite quickly and left minimal lacing.
Smell: The nose starts off with plenty of roasted grain, coffee, bitter chocolate, and some oat flakes coming in nicely as well.
Taste: The flavor profile is much more pronounced than the smell with big flavors of roasted malt, espresso, bitter chocolate, oats, and a thick dark fruit quality as well.
Mouthfeel: The oats make this RIS one of the smoothest stouts with this much alcohol that you will find. The warming alcohol kicks in after only a few drinks in this thick and chewy sipper.
Drinkability: This beer is delicious and very easy to drink.

This is an excellent and well priced Russian Imperial Stout. The addition of the oats really makes the mouthfeel my favorite aspect of the beer. The flavor profile is complex with the alcohol well hidden that you don't find often in many big stouts. This is certainly one of my new favorite imperial stouts.

Cheers!
Matt

Weihenstephaner Vitus

2008-11-16T19:18:00.002-05:00

Beer: Weihenstephaner Vitus
Brewery Location: Freising, Germany
Beer Style: Weizenbock
ABV: 7.7%

Weizenbock is a more powerful and stronger weizen style wheat beer. They tend to be higher in alcohol and will tend to be darker in color than their other wheat beer brethren. Weihenstephaner makes some amazing beer across board, and they prove what a mega brewer can pump out to the public. I may not like a certain style of beer from them, but the underlying beer has been a great example of the style in every case that I've had a beer from them.

Vitus pours a hazy straw yellow color with a very large bright white head that had good retention for most of the beer. I expected for this beer to a bit darker. The nose smells of a good hefe with plenty of banana, cloves, and apples and pears. The flavor follows the nose to perfection, but it also adds in some bubblegum, lemons, and the classic wheat flavor comes in very nice as well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some gentle alcohol warming on the backend of things. This is very drinkable and drinks like their regular hefe with more alcohol and plenty of flavor.

If you are a fan of their Hefe you will be a big fan of this beer. This wasn't quite what I was expecting out of this beer, but I ended up really enjoying this beer. I can't remember what I paid for this beer, but for some reason 2.89$ sounds about right at the Crown on 31 and Shelby in Indianapolis. You can't trust stock picks right now, but I am going to put a heavy buy call on this beer. This is another great beer from one of the world's best brewers.

Cheers!
Matt

Great Lakes Blackout Stout

2008-11-13T20:30:00.002-05:00

Beer: Great Lakes Blackout Stout
Brewery Location: Cleveland, OH
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 9%

Can you tell from my reviews recently that it is getting colder outside? I truly love this time of year for beer. Don't get me wrong I love a good APA or IPA in the summer, but even more I enjoy a fine stout or porter during the colder months of the year. I've got a few bottles of this beer and this is my first one in a very long time for review. I am enjoying this beer while watching my Alma Mater Ball State keep their win streak alive against Miami of Ohio.

This stout poured a dark opaque black color with pecan brown highlights around the edges. It was capped off by a small dark brown head that left some incredible lacing for the entire beer. The smell is a combination of roasted malt, bitter chocolate, currants, and a certain nutty quality to is as well. The flavor profile follows the nice very nicely with upfront flavors of dark roasted grain, bitter chocolate, dark fruits, coffee, and anise. There is a hint of sweetness and smoke lingering on the back of the palate as well. I don't get any alchohol burn either from the 9%. The mouthfeel is very thick and chewy, but it still manages to render itself very smooth. Someone needs to tell this beer it has 9% ABV in it, because the way it drank I would have had many more of these.

This is another great beer from Great Lakes. If I could get this locally I would certainly stock up on this beer, and it would be a staple for me through the winter. My bottle was just under a year old and tasted great, and I would like to taste this one fresh and see how I enjoy it, because I think there is a hop prescense that I am not really picking up on this one when has a bit of age on it. Once again, well done Great Lakes for making another fantastic beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout

2008-11-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

Beer: Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout
Brewery Location: Noblesville, IN
Beer Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 6%

The Great American Beer Fest was last month and Indianapolis brewers swept the category for wood and barrel-aged beers. Here is the breakdown:

Gold: Old Jack, Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Buffalo Bock, Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Beastie Barrel Stout, Barley Island Brewing Co., Noblesville, IN

That is a pretty awesome job sweeping the category, and as far as I know, this beer is the only one available outside of the respective bar, and I don't know what kind of availability the other offerings have from the Ram. You can probably still find this in four packs around town, and according to Barley Island's website you can get it on tap at the brewpub.

This beer pours a dark black color with a decent sized two fingers worth of creamy tan head. The nose is quite balanced with scents of roasted malt, bitter chocolate, some wood, and a touch of vanilla. The flavor profile is loaded full of roasted grain, chocolate, wood, and some bourbon on the backend of my palate. The flavors work really well here and a really nice balance without being overpowering. The mouthfeel though is a bit thin for my liking, but overall is silky smooth with moderate carbonation. At 6% I think the drinkability is fantastic on this beer and this is a well balanced stout when you are not looking for something really heavy in body or ABV.

This is a nice oatmeal stout from Barley Island. The low ABV on this stout was actually a welcome change for me and this is one of the better drinking stouts I've had in a while. I would like to make it up to Noblesville and try this one on tap while they still have it.

Cheers!
Matt

Founders Backwoods Bastard

2008-11-05T20:14:00.001-05:00

Beer: Founders Backwoods Bastard
Brewery Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
ABV: 10.2%

Founders is just relentless in the amount of new beer coming out from them right now, and it is hard to keep up with everything, and then in the next few months four or five more offerings are coming out as well. I know Kentucky Breakfast Stout will be coming out in February, and I am not sure on the exact dates, but they will be releasing their porter for the first time in a very long time, imperial stout, and I am sure there is something more that I am missing. This beer just hit Indiana a few weeks ago and I just have not had time to review it recently.

I also like that Founder has not gone to bombers, and they continue to make their beer in 12 oz bottles. Many brewers are putting all of their high gravity beer in nothing but bombers. The 12 oz bottle is just a little more convenient for me. That is more of an observation than anything else.

This beer pours a dark rustic hue with a thin tan head. The nose is loaded with vanilla, wood, bourbon, cherry, and a slight hint of peat. The flavor profile is pretty intense with initial flavors of vanilla, oak, and dark cherries. The alcohol burn from the bourbon though really took away from this beer for me. It does not meld with the beer and overtook from most of the flavors that I was tasting. I let the beer warm for about thirty minutes and the flavor profile did sweeten a little bit, but the alcohol burn was still quite harsh I think. I really enjoy dirty bastard (the non-barrel aged version) because of the rich caramel malt base, but I never found that in this beer. The mouthfeel is full bodied with plenty of alcohol on the mouthfeel. The drinkabilility wasn't really there for me. I hope with some age on this beer it will settle down a bit.

I was really looking forward to this beer, but the alcohol and vanilla was just overwhelming and made this beer a miss for me. I am going to age my remaining bottles for a while and see if the flavor backs off a bit. Has anyone aged one of these before?

Cheers!
Matt

Alesmith Yulesmith Holiday Ale (Summer)

2008-11-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

Beer: Yulesmith Summer Holiday Ale
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: American DIPA
ABV: 8.8%

My best friend Kevin got married a few weeks ago, and he gave me about as awesome a groomsman gift as I could have hoped for. He gave a bottle two bottles of Yulesmith (one summer and one winter) and a limited edition bottle of Brewer's Ale from Rogue. Since we can't get Alesmith here in Indiana I was very impressed at the very thoughtful gift. Kevin knows that Alesmith is one of my favorite brewers and that Yulesmith (winter) ranks as one of my very favorite individual beers. This is the first time I've had the summer offering. I've never found this when I've been down to Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati, but usually have found the winter version. I don't know if they brew the same amount of each for distribution.

This beer pours a nice golden hue with a thick cap of fluffy head on it. I could begin smelling all of the hop goodness as soon as I popped the cap on this beer. The hop smell is very pungent with plenty of grapefruit, sticky pine, candied oranges, peaches, apricots, tangerines, and a very soft caramel malt coming at the tail end of all of those citrus fruit scents. Wow, this is a tremendous nose on this beer. Hops are the showcase on the initial flavors with plenty of citrus flavors ranging from tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit, and sticky pine on the back end of those. The slightly sweet caramel base does its best to balance out the hops flavors and after the beer warmed a bit the malt takes on an almost graham cracker type flavor as well. Even with a few months of age on this the hop profile is still tremendous, and if it has diminished at all a fresh bottle of this beer must be quite the hop heads dream. The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, and there is a good dose of warming alcohol in this offering as well. The drinkability is very good and I felt like I could have kept drinking this beer.

If you are a hop head you should seek this beer out. I would gladly take the winter version or the summer version any time I had the chance to have either of them. I said it in my post about Alesmith Speedway stout, but if Alesmith came to Indiana I am pretty sure I would buy enough of it to justify them coming to Indiana.

Cheers!
Matt

Southern Tier Creme Brulee

2008-10-30T12:24:00.004-04:00

Beer: Southern Tier Creme Brulee
Brewery Location: Lakewood, NY
Beer Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10%

This is another stout that I've had quietly aging for a little while. I knew I would need someone else to drink this beer with me as I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to polish off a bomber by myself. I am not really a fan of Creme Brulee as a regular dessert, but put that flavor in a beer and I will at least try it. I found this bottle when I was in Chicago a few months back. I would think that Southern Tier would come to Indiana in the future because they already have distribution to the west of us, but perhaps Indiana isn't on their radar (or any of Indiana's distributors radar).

Creme Brulee pours a very dark brown color with minimal highlights around the edges, and it is capped off by a light brown head that only left some spotty lacing on my glass. I could smell the sweetness coming from this beer as I poured it. It smells like a concentrated creme brulee dessert. There is tons of vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, hazelnut coffee creamer, and a touch of cocoa. I am amazed how they were able to make this really smell like creme brulee. The taste that follows the smell with heavy tastes of vanilla, custard, cocoa, hazelnut cream, butter, and roasted grain to finish it off. The vanilla is the heaviest flavor, but isn't overpowering compared to the other flavors. This is a very sweet beer, but I don't really find it cloyingly sweet. The mouthfeel is full bodied, thick, and creamy going down. The drinkability is up in the air for me. I wouldn't make this a staple by any means, but I would like to have some around when I would be in the mood for something like this beer.

I think Southern Tier did a damn good job with this beer. I guess I thought this was going to be a little "gimmicky" and it is to some extent, but it really isn't a bad beer and should be enjoyed at the right time and place. This is a good beer for the end of the meal with dessert or just by itself if you don't mind the sweetness of it.

Cheers!
Matt

Alesmith Speedway Stout

2008-10-29T12:19:00.006-04:00

Beer: Alesmith Speedway Stout
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 12%

I've had this beer aging quietly for several months and my buddy from work stopped by last night and we enjoyed this offering. I've only ever had a sample of this beer, and this was my first time really getting into it and enjoying it. Alesmith is one of my very favorite brewers and they produce a line up of beer that quite impressive, and I have to say that Winter Yulesmith is probably my favorite beer from them, and probably one of my overall favorite beers. It is hard to rank your favorite beers isn't it? You can get Alesmith in Illinois and in Ohio, but haven't seen them in Indiana as of yet. I would probably drink enough beer from them to justify coming into Indiana. So, if anyone from Alesmith is reading this....hint hint....

Speedway stout pours a deep and dark black with just a touch of murky brown accents around the edges. It is capped off by a small mocha colored head that didn't have much staying power. I could smell all of that delicious stout coming out of the bottle into my glass. I get strong scents of dark roasted malt, espresso, coffee, molasses, and dark cherries. I'm amazed that I don't get much alcohol in the nose at 12% ABV. The flavor profile is a nice melding of coffee, caramel, cocoa, espresso, and roasted grain. I am surprised at how non-dominant the coffee flavor is in this beer. I thought it was going to the main focus point in this beer. The mouthfeel is fairly thick and chewy with moderate carbonation. I still don't really detect any alcohol on this behemoth of a beer. I think the drinkability would hold up nicely for another glass, but I wouldn't push it to much with the ABV.

This is another delicious beer from Alesmith, and one of the best imperial stouts I've had the pleasure of drinking. They make this in a barrel aged version as well, and I would love to get my hands on a bottle of that, but I would be just as happy with another bottle of this well above average stout.

Cheers!
Matt

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

2008-10-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

Beer: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Brewery Location: Cleveland, OH
Beer Style: American Porter
ABV: 5.8%

Are you thinking about Gordon Lightfoot when hear the name Edmund Fitzgerald? I have to say that I think of that song before I think of the ship that went down in Lake Superior in the 1970's.

I've reviewed several offerings from Great Lakes, and I have to say that they must be included in any discussion about great Mid-Western breweries, and really around the US for that matter, and every time I review a beer from them I say the same thing: "I wish we got them in Indianapolis." Their beers are set a good price point, the beer is tasty and consistent, and I like they use a bit of history in the name of all of their beer.

This beer pours a very dark brown color with slight ruby highlights around the edges with an inch of creamy head on it. The lacing on this beer is impressive and stayed for the entire beer. The first scents are of coffee, chocolate, and roasted grain. The smell is comforting on this cool evening. The flavor profile is spot on when I think of a porter. I get loads of dark roasted grain, caramel, coffee, and a slight chocolate taste, and a touch of hop bitterness as well. The mouthfeel though I think has a bit much carbonation, and could be toned down a bit. I am not really bothered by it, but I think it could be toned down a bit. The drinkability is very nice and would be a great session porter.

This is an outstanding example of a porter. I've had plenty of porters, but this beer melds the smell and taste together wonderfully. This was just about as perfect a porter as I've had recently.

Cheers!
Matt

Founder's Curmudgeon

2008-10-21T21:17:00.003-04:00

Beer: Founder's Curmudgeon
Brewery Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: Old Ale
ABV: 9.8%

I picked up a four pack of this the same time I picked up a four pack of the harvest ale. Founder's has not bottled this offering since 2006, and I have been wanting to get my hands on more of this offering pretty much since then. I only bought one bottle of this beer from Parti Pak back in 2006. I was just really getting into craft beer at that time, and I had no idea this beer was that limited. I don't have much experience with old ales, but I've drank Third Coast Old Ale from Bell's on many occasions, and that is about my extent of experience with old ales. I do have to say that I love the label art combined with the name on this beer.

This beer pours a dark amber color with slight ruby accents and a small tan head on it that quickly dissipated into nothing and left no lacing. The smell is dominant of dark fruits (plums and raisins) and caramel malt. I consider this a "malty" nose, and I like it on this cool fall evening. The flavor profile hits heavy with all of the caramel malt in the nose coming full force on the palate with other flavors or dark fruit, banana, and a spot of sweet molasses, but the alcohol in this offering also comes through in the flavor profile. The mouthfeel is full bodied with medium carbonation and a good shot of warming alcohol is present. The drinkability is very good on this beer, and I could have easily drank another one.

I really enjoyed this beer, and I am going to assume this is a good example of the style. I am going to search out more old ales to get more familiar with the style. I can easily see having old ales around this Winter. This is yet another great beer from Founders.

Cheers!
Matt

Founders Harvest Ale

2008-10-16T14:50:00.002-04:00

Beer: Founder's Harvest Ale
Brewery Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: APA
ABV: 6.5%

It is that time of year for wet-hop beers. The hop harvest is usually taken in September, and then the hops are dried and pressed into pellet rabbit food looking form to preserve them for the year. Many brewers are now getting the hops straight from the hops fields and making beer from the fresh hops called "wet hop beer" or "harvest ale." The hop cones will have more fragrant oils and will impart different characteristics than the same dried hop variety will produce. Think about it like cooking a meal. If you make the same meal with fresh basil and made it with dried basil there is a noticeable difference in the end products. I am all for wet hop beers, and I was very excited when I picked up a four pack of this beer from Ben at Crown Liquors.

A very gentle pour produces a massive head that took a good five minutes to settle down before I could pour the rest of the beer into my pint glass. This golden yellow beer left sheets of lacing on the walls of my glass as well with staying power for the entire beer. The nose on this beer is hop oils all the way with varying scents of citrus and pine, and I also get more and more earthy undertones as the beer warmed. The flavor profile starts with a big rush of citrus flavor with bitter pine coming in quite quickly and just a touch of pale malt to balance out the hop flavors. The mouthfeel is slick and oily with medium carbonation with no alcohol present on the mouthfeel. The drinkability is very good on this beer and I probably could have killed my only four pack of this last night, but I am at least going to try to make them last through this month.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. I liked the "fresh" taste from this beer, and provided a different aspect to how hops can taste. There is significant bitterness on this beer, but it isn't like any other hopped beer you will taste and is a bit more gentle on the palate, and I've burned myself out on IPAs, but this was a welcome change. This beer was well balanced and quite a tasty treat. I would hunt this beer down in Indiana if you can find any out there right now.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyd's Moloko Plus

2008-10-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

Beer: Three Floyd's Moloko Plus
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: Milk/Sweet Stout
ABV: 7%

When I first heard about Moloko Plus I thought I had heard that name before, but when I saw the bottle I then realized it is in reference to (at least I am assuming based on bottle and movie) A Clockwork Orange. The slang here means "milk" and is most likely a derivative of the Russian word for milk: молоко. Even though the "milk" they were drinking was chocked full of all kinds of narcotics in the movie.

I got this bottle from Ben at Crown Liquors in Greenwood. I can't say it enough to get down there and see his selection of craft beer if you are on the South side.

This beer pours a dark black with some light brown accents when held up to the light. A very thin brown head appeared only for a few seconds before it dissipated into nothing. The nose on this beer hits pretty well upfront with roasted grain, vanilla, coffee, and bitter chocolate. The flavor profile starts with the lactose sweetness on first sip and quickly balanced out by the chocolate/coffee-like malt. As the beer warmed I got just a touch of dark fruit in the background. The mouthfeel is full bodied and very creamy with plenty of sweetness after the swallow as well. The drinkability at only 7% is really nice, and would be a good entry point for people that may not like stouts.

I really enjoyed this beer, and I would like to see Three Floyds make this beer a staple all year long. Many of FFF's bombers cross the $10 mark, but this beer is $6.99, and I would purchase this beer again after my stash of this is gone if there is any to be had around town.

Cheers!
Matt

Flossmoor Station Lady Columbia IPA

2008-10-07T19:26:00.000-04:00

Beer: Flossmoor Station Lady Columbia IPA
Brewery Location: Flossmoor, IL
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.5%

This is my second bottled offering from Flossmoor. I was a fan of the brown ale that I had, and I've got high hopes for this beer. They actually brew several varieties of IPAs, and you can tell what one you are having based on the wax top on the bottles. They use the same bottle for each of their IPAs. This blue wax topped bomber is the Lady Columbia IPA.

This beer pours a hazy golden color with one finger's worth of off-white head that faded quickly into decent spotty lacing. The nose hits pretty nicely on this beer and is full of pine, grapefruit, and other citrus spice, and only really a touch of caramel malt base on the nose. The flavor starts with plenty of hop bitterness followed by a big rush of citrus fruit and resinous pine flavor. The bitterness upfront settled down a bit about half way down my glass and then the caramel malt really provided a decent balance to the hops. I think this beer was brewed with only Columbus hops, but if anyone knows for sure please let me know. The wasn't much carbonation in this offering and it left an almost astringent bitterness lingering after the swallow. I am fine with that, but I can see how others would not like that in the finish. I think one bomber was just about perfect for me, and I would very much like to try the other IPA styles from Flossmoor.

I've yet to be disappointed in a beer from Flossmoor Station. This beer runs a bit higher on the IPA meter than most. It has a huge heaping of citrus flavor, but also has the bitterness to match, and many people just don't like that, but if you are a hop-head at all this beer is worth getting your hands on. Another great beer from the duo up in Flossmoor.

Cheers!
Matt

Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA

2008-10-01T21:02:00.000-04:00

Beer: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%

I've got a list of beers that is about 110 beers deep right now, and another one that is about 40 deep with beers that I want to try. The list that is 40 deep is separate because that list contains the name, release date, how much is released, and what the limit is for purchase. (Yes, I am this beer geeky!) This beer is one off of that smaller list. I've really liked all of the beer that I've had from Ballast Point, and this is their highly sought after and very limited IPA. A very easy beer from them to find is called Big Eye IPA, and is also one of the better examples of an IPA I've found.

Ballast Point actually started out as a homebrew shop in 1992, and only fours years later they installed major scale brewing equipment. The homebrew shop is still open, and they have opened another brewing location to try and keep up with thirsty consumers. I am pretty happy to finally have acquired a bottle this beer after a very long wait. Their last release was just a few weeks ago, and they only released 30 cases of this beer.

This IPA pours a gorgeous clear bright golden orange color with a good sized bone-white head on it that left spotting lacing on my glass. The nose on this beer is very unique and interesting for an IPA. I think mango is the strongest scent followed by passion fruit, peaches, lemon and orange zest, floral hops, and a slight pine bitterness as well. The smell on this beer is leaping from my glass, and it never left for the entire beer. The flavor profile is loaded with citrus fruits with grapefruit and tangerines being very dominant followed up with only a slight touch of caramel malt. The hops are extremely fresh and vibrant on this offering. The malt is only barely noticeable, but somehow supports the hops beautifully. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation that left a very dry finish on the back of my palate. The drinkability is superb on this beer, and is one of the best IPAs I've have ever had the pleasure of tasting.

This is a top notch IPA, and is a hop-heads dream. The bitterness is there on this beer, but the soft accents of everything else really helped this beer be much more than just a "hop-bomb." Another tasty beer from Ballast Point that I am pretty excited I was able to try.

Cheers!
Matt

Bell's Expedition Stout

2008-09-29T23:58:00.001-04:00

Beer: Bell's Expedition Stout
Brewery Location: Comstock, MI
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%

I've had this beer quietly aging for over two years waiting for the opportunity to drink it. My Alma Mater, Ball State is now 5 -0, and Saturday night was a good opportunity to drink this beer. I will be the first to tell you that I am not a fan of this beer when it is fresh. The alcohol is quite "hot" and the real character of this beer doesn't come out, but when it has been aged for at least six months to a year or more this beer is one of my very favorites, and some of my friends love the taste of this one fresh, but I just personally prefer it aged a bit.

This beer pours an opaque black with no highlights around the edges capped off by a dark mocha head that has surprising staying power on it. The smell is a rich and decadent combination of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, roasted grain, and anise. A top notch and superb nose on this imperial stout. The flavor profile starts with roasted grain and bitter chocolate upfront followed by a myriad of dark fruits, a bit of caramel, cocoa, and only a touch of alcohol in the flavor profile. This is full bodied with low carbonation with the alcohol present on the mouthfeel. The drinkability for this beer is as a sipper at the higher ABV, but I could have had another one of these quite easily.

This is truly one of my favorite stouts that I've ever encountered, but aging this beer has everything to do with it. The complex malt really comes to life once the alcohol mellows out in the flavor from a fresh bottle. That was my first bottle from the six pack I bought over two years, and they will hopefully last me through the Winter. The next batch of this beer should be out around November.

Cheers!
Matt

Tyranena Devil Over A Barrel

2008-09-27T20:54:00.004-04:00

Beer: Devil Over A Barrel Imperial Oatmeal Porter
(That is a hell of a name huh?)
Brewery Location: Lake Mills, WI
Beer Style: Porter
ABV: ???? My guess is around 9 to 10%

I've got the itch for heavier beers right now, and I love this time of year coming up with many seasonal releases and special beers that come out in the fall and winter months. I was lucky enough to get a bottle of this from one of my regular trading people as a huge extra. This was a beer I've wanted to try, but I was pretty sure I was not going to be able to get a bottle of this. I've reviewed several offerings from Tyranena, and they are a really good regional brewer, and as far as I know I think they are only available in Wisconsin.

This beer pours a very dark brown with slight amber highlights when held up to the light. A very thin tan head sat on top of this beer, and it dissipated just after the pour, and I expected it on this one. The nose isn't as overpowering with bourbon as many others, but I like that, and I can tell this has more going on for it than just bourbon. I also get scents of espresso, bitter coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. I am really liking the nose on this beer. The flavor profile takes the nose and brings the coffee flavors in full throttle before melding into a rich and roasted full flavored oatmeal porter with a splash of bourbon and vanilla in the background. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, and is bordering on "chewy", with medium carbonation that is velvety smooth. I only really feel the warming alcohol after the swallow on this beer. The drinkability is really nice on this beer, and I wish I had more for the Winter.

This was a really good beer. The trend of bourbon barrel aged beers is becoming almost comical with most brewers, and so many of them are not done very well, but this beer brings together a delicious porter and provides perfect balance with the bourbon and coffee. I hope they make this beer again, and I hope I am able to get more of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Russian River Brewing's Damnation

2008-09-26T21:16:00.005-04:00

Beer: Russian River Brewing's Damnation
Brewery Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Beer Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 7.75%

I had a bottle of this a few months back, and I was completly enamored with it, and I had to trade for another two bottles of this beer. I am a fan of Russian River, and I've only been let down by one of their beers, and they have lived up to the hype for me personally. I love a good beer from Belgium, but I also like when an American company knocks it out of the park as well, and this beer is no excpetion for Russian River.

This beer pours a beautiful dark yellow/orange color with a decent sized head that dissipated quite quickly and left spotty lacing on my glass. I get a good dose of fruit in the nose including apples, pears, oranges, and some Belgian style yeast in the nose. The fruit is the most dominant flavor in the flavor profile with pears and apple being the main players, and there are also flavors of lemon, pepper, and a slight hint of banana as well. The mouthfeel has medium carbonation with a fairly dry finish with the alcohol only barely noticeable. The drinkability is quite nice even at 7.75%, and I would have never guessed it was that high if I didn't read it on the bottle.

This is a damn tasty strong Belgian pale ale. Here in Indiana you won't find this beer unless you trade for it, but I think a good substitute would be Duvel. I think Duvel is a slightly better beer, but this beer is really good, and if you ever have the chance for a bottle of this I would jump on it.

Cheers!
Matt

Sweetwater IPA

2008-09-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

Beer: Sweetwater IPA
Brewery Location: Atlanta, GA
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.7%

I know I said I was out of my kick for IPAs, but I didn't want to open a bomber of something and just wanted a 12 oz serving of something. I've had this sitting in the fridge for about a month waiting to be consumed. I got three of these in trade recently, and this was my last one of those. I've got several other Sweetwater beers to try, but those will be this winter most likely. They have a couple beers with names like "Happy Ending" and "Donkey Punch." At least they have a sense of humor right?

This beer pours a very deep copper/amber hue with a small head that left spotty lacing on my glass. The smell on this beer is really surprising for a regular IPA, and the notes are very clear while pouring this beer. I get loads of fresh citrus fruit with grapefruit, oranges, passion fruit, and peaches dominating with just a touch of spice and pine in the background. It has quite a bit of punch for a regular IPA. The flavor profile is a bit more subdued with the caramel malt coming in upfront before making way to all those citrus flavors, but along with the other citrus fruits I noted in the nose I am also picking up some lemon zest on the palate. The mouthfeel is very crisp with medium carbonation, and I do not really detect much alcohol on the mouthfeel. This is one of the best balanced IPAs that I've had the pleasure of drinking.

This was a really tasty and well made IPA. The balance was my favorite aspect of this beer in the flavor profile, and is really just a well made example of the style. This beer would certainly have a permanent spot in my beer rotation if I could get it locally. This beer is not to be missed if are in the South and get some of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Weyerbacher Brewering's Thirteen

2008-09-15T19:55:00.000-04:00

Beer: Weyerbacher Brewing Thirteen
Brewery Location: Easton, PA
Beer Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 13.6%

I've fallen out of my trading habit quite bit lately, but there are a few beers that I've tracked down that have come out recently, and this is one that I've wanted to try since I knew it was coming out. According to Weyerbacher this is a beer that was brewed for their thirteenth anniversary and is an imperial stout that is made with a Belgian Abbey yeast strain, and the yeast really comes in strong on this beer.

This beer glugs a very dark black color into my glass with a decent sized dark mocha colored head. The nose on this beer is full of chocolate, roasted grain, and fruity esters are quite apparent from the abbey yeast. The flavor profile starts out with the malt upfront bringing in those dark fruit flavors with rum soaked cherries being quite dominant with figs, raisins, and plums very apparant as well. There is also quite the heavy sweetness present as well on this one, and there is plenty of warming alcohol on this after the swallow. It has both qualities of a good Belgian Quad as well as a Russian Imperial Stout. A really interesting flavor profile that marries all of those flavors quite well. The mouthfeel is quite sticky, but is still incredibly smooth at the same time. The alcohol is quite heavy on this one, but isn't overpowering, and that is quite the feat for the high ABV on this beer. I certainly thought this beer was going to be quite hot, but was pleasantly surprised. The drinkability on this one is quite nice for a beer that clocks in at 13.6% ABV, and was a real treat to drink.

I was quite surprised by this beer. As I said before it is like a Belgian Quad and a good imperial stout have been mixed together quite successfully. This was a little "hot" in terms of the alcohol, but at such a high ABV that is to be expected, and I am really curious how the other bottle I have will age. This was almost like drinking dessert in a glass.

Cheers!
Matt

Flossmoor Station's Pullman Brown Ale

2008-09-10T20:45:00.001-04:00

Beer: Flossmoor Station's Pullman Brown Ale
Brewery Location: Flossmoor, IL
Beer Style: American Brown Ale
ABV: 6%

I was recently at Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery just outside of Chicago in Flossmoor, Illinois. I've been wanting to visit for a very long time, and they even won best brewpub and best small brewer in American at the GABF in 2006. When I heard they were bottling their selections over at the Flossmoor blog I really wanted to visit even more. I really enjoyed the meal I had there, and the people I was with also really enjoyed their meals. I had several selections from the bar that were also very good. I didn't bring my camera, so I didn't write any notes from those beers, but I remember Panama Limited Red Ale being very good as well as the station master wheat were well crafted and above average beers. I had to get a few beers to go with me though and this is my first review of those beers.

I am first struck by how nice of a bottle this beer comes in. I like the screen printed bottles from Alesmith and Stone, but I think this is probably the nicest bomber I've seen in quite some time, and you can tell some quality production went into these, but I am curious if plans are to keep them this nice as the bottling run increases.

Pullman brown pours a very dark brown, almost black, with brown highlights around the edges. It is capped by a small mocha colored head that left some spotty lacing on my pint glass. The nose is quite vibrant for a brown ale and is full of molasses, cocoa, hazelnuts, and chocolate. I am quite impressed with this nose. The flavor profile is equally as robust and pleasant as the nose. Roasted malt character upfront with a bitter chocolate finish with a slight coffee characteristic to it as well. It is almost porter or stout like in the flavor profile, but a little softer. The mouthfeel is really rich with medium carbonation with no alcohol present on the mouthfeel. The drinkability is really nice for this beer, and I certainly wish I could get more of this beer. I would make a session beer out of this in the winter.

I think this is an outstanding brown ale. It has the characteristics of an American brown, but has one of the best noses and flavor profiles I've ever had in a brown ale. If you are in Chicago or traveling there Flossmoor Station is well worth your time, and if you find this beer I would highly recommend it. Anyone want to send me some more of it?

Cheers!
Matt

Trappistes Rochefort 10

2008-09-08T21:43:00.002-04:00

Beer: Trappistes Rochefort 1o
Brewery Location: Rochefort, Belgium
Beer Style: Quadrupel
ABV: 11.3%

As I posted in my last post I've been getting away from IPAs and the like right now, and giving that style a break for a while. I've had a few Rochefort 10's sitting back, and it seemed like a good time to open one up. I usually buy several of these when I find them around town, because it seems like if I see them one week they are sold out the next time I stop by my local craft beer store. This is a beer that is quite respected on the beer rating websites.

This beer pours a hazy dark brown/reddish hue with a small creamy off-white head. The nose is a combination of dark fruits like raisins and figs, candy sugar, slight banana, fruity esters, and you can smell the alcohol in this beer as well. The taste is quite complex with the main players being banana, dark fruit, caramel sweetness, vanilla, and some peppery spices. A really nice combination of flavors and they work really well together in this Quad. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and quite smooth with moderate carbonation, and I certainly get the warming alcohol on the mouthfeel as well. The drinkability is really quite nice for a beer that is 11.3% ABV, but it is a sipper and not your everyday type beer.

A really complex and delicious beer that is well worth having if you find it in stock. The fall of the dollar and transportation costs have raised the price of this beer though. I remember buying this beer two years ago for $3.99 a bottle, but is now $5.99 a bottle at my local beer shop, and I've read they can cost several more dollars than that around the country, but I still think it worth the indulgence every now and then.

Cheers!
Matt

Founder's Breakfast Stout

2008-09-05T19:04:00.005-04:00

Beer: Founders Breakfast Stout
Brewery Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: American Double Stout
ABV: 8.3%

I've been running behind on posts recently. It has been really crazy for me lately and the blog was not all that high on the priority list as of late.

I've been waiting rather impatiently for this beer to come out. I worked through the last of my stock of this beer, and this is one of my favorite beers. I am not sure when or where it happened, but I would tell you that I am a die hard hop-head, but I think those days are gone. If given the choice I would take my favorite stout over my favorite DIPA or IPA given the chance on most occasions. I think I just burned myself out on that style for a bit.

Breakfast stout pours a very dark black with slight brown highlights at the edges with a thin mocha colored head on it. The nose on this beer is an assult of rich and complex bitter coffee, bitter chocolate, roasted grain, oats, and wood. This is truly one of the best noses you will find on a stout. The flavor profile is a perfect match for the nose with a rich wave of bitter coffee at first quickly followed by a rush of bitter chocolate. The roasted grain also makes an appearance as does cherry and vanilla, but those flavors are lingering in the background when compared to the coffee and bitter chocolate. The mouthfeel isn't as thick as one would probably expect, but it is medium to full bodied and velvety smooth. I don't get a great deal of alcohol on the mouth, but I do feel the warming alcohol in my stomach. The drinkability is really fantastic on this brew, but I wouldn't have to many of them in one sitting, and would be best in moderation.

This is a really fantastic brew. I would like to see a bit more viscosity in the mouthfeel, but that isn't really a big deal for me. This is one of the finer uses of coffee in a beer that I've had along with Peche Mortel. This just hit Indianapolis this week, and get it while you can because it won't be around for very long most likely. I really think Founders is one of the best brewers in the country and one of my personal favorites.

Cheers!
Matt

Ballast Point Calico Copper Amber Ale

2008-08-26T21:11:00.005-04:00

Beer: Ballast Point Calico Copper Amber Ale
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: Amber Ale
ABV: 5%

I haven't written about Ballast Point very much, the beers I've had from them have all been excellent, and I really enjoyed their Big Eye IPA. They don't have a very extended distribution, but they are in California, Arizona, and Nevada. I was watching the Cubs game, and decided to finally get around to opening up this beer that I received in trade. It is nice to get away from my normal IPAs and DIPAs. I am ready for the colder months and heavier beers that I will be gravitating towards in the very near future.

This beer pours a nice amber (duh!) hue with three fingers worth of sticky white head that dissipated quickly, but left a very nice collar of lace for the rest of the beer. The nose on this beer is dominated by caramel, toasted grain, and some floral hops coming in to round everything out. The flavor profile starts out with the sweetness of the caramel malt upfront with a citrus bitterness of grapefruit rind that balances out the sweetness quite well. The mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth with moderate carbonation with no alcohol present as well. The drinkability is fantastic on this beer, and is one of the better amber ales I've ever had from any brewer.

I really enjoyed this beer. I think it sticks to the American amber ale style, but with more attitude with the hops in the nose and on the palate. I will certainly be trading for more beers from Ballast Point, and this will be one of them I will be after.

Cheers!
Matt

Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA

2008-08-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

Beer: Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA
Brewery Location: Boonville, CA
Beer Style: DIPA/Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.7%

Yes, another California DIPA.

This beer pours a very dark amber color with a massive three fingers worth of white head on it and it left small and spotty lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The nose was a little strange. It has the usual players in it including: citrus fruit, slight earthiness, and floral hops, but I also smell a certain medicinal smell as well, and it is almost like what a bottle of asprin smells like. After the beer warmed up a bit I get more caramel malt in the nose than hops. The hops do not seem as prominent as I would have expected when the bottle says they used twenty varieties of hops. The flavor profile starts out with a decent amount of bitterness that is offset by the caramel malt. The hop flavors are again muted in the flavor profile when compared to the malt. I really get just two main flavors, and those are citrus fruit and dry pine. The malt though is really nice with plenty of toffee and caramel sweetness to it, but I think the malt is showcased over the hops here. The mouthfeel is slightly chewy that rendered itself to be quite dry with medium carbonation. The drinkability is decent for what it is, but I am not usually a big fan of malt driven DIPAs.

Overall this beer is just alright. I was neither wowed nor unsatisfied by this offering.

Cheers!
Matt

Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA

2008-08-20T06:19:00.000-04:00

Beer: Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA
Brewery Location: Novato, CA
Beer Style: DIPA/Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.2%

I am still on my kick of California IPAs and DIPAs, and this is a beer I had plans of getting on my last trip to Chicago, but Binny's was out of it when I was there, and I ended up trading for it. This brand is available in Chicago, and I am not sure about the rest of Illinois. I've had this beer before, but it was just before I really got into craft beer and it wasn't up my alley at the time, and it is nice to revisit some things now that I didn't like before I really stared with craft beer.

This beer pours an amber hue with three fingers worth of head on it. It left great lacing on my pint glass. The nose is pretty potent on this beer with the the hop cone being the sole focus. There is plenty of citrus fruit, grapefruit peel, earthiness, and sticky pine as well. I am not getting much in the nose in the way of malt though. My first sips of this beer is a fairly intense rush of bitterness followed by a slight bit of syrupy sweetness as well. The hop bitterness is hard to pin down and is all over the place. I get quite a bit of oily hops, citrus fruit, tobacco, pink grapefruit, and lots of sweet caramel trying to balance the flavors out. This beer is just all over the place, and after about eight ounces really became too much for me. I couldn't really pin down any of the flavors and the malt sweetness was completely separate from the over the top hop bitterness. The mouthfeel was slick and oily that was medium bodied with the alcohol quite present. The drinkability is only good for me for about six ounces of this beer, and after that fell off quite quickly.

I think of myself as a hop-head, but this beer was a big miss for me. The flavor profile doesn't do a good job of combining the many flavors coming from the hops, and the malt sweetness doesn't meld together at all with the hop profile. This beer rates pretty well on the beer websites, but I personally didn't enjoy this one.

Cheers!
Matt

Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale

2008-08-14T20:14:00.000-04:00

Beer: Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale
Brewery Location: Farmville, NC
Beer Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.6%

I've written about Duck-Rabbit several times, and have been a fan of the "dark beer specialist" quite a bit since first trying them. I find it quite interesting that their entire lineup of beer is a complete niche of nothing but dark beer. There is a good article in this months issue of Beer Advocate about Paul Philippon, who is the founder and brew master of DR. According to him, DR will never brew a pale ale or an IPA, and that is just the way he likes it. Just out of curiosity do you see a duck's head or a rabbit's head when you first look at their logo? I personally see the duck first, but that is just me, and if you can see both.....well.... look harder. I traded for this beer, and there was some tape on the label and it ripped and you can't really see the logo that well on the bottle anymore.

This beer pours a deep brown maybe chestnut color with a small fingers worth of tan head on it. The scent is dominant of malt and caramel with some background scents of earthy hops and nuts. The flavor profile is full of caramel and nutty chocolate upfront with roasted grain in the middle and a hop bitterness to finish. The flavors are all quite distinct and work well together. This beer has a nice and smooth creamy finish that left no alcohol on the mouth. The drinkability is great on this beer, and temperature be damned, it was very nice to have on an 80 degree day.

Overall this is a pretty solid brown ale with a little bit of hop bitterness to it. Another fine beer from The Duck-Rabbit. They are currently available in North Carolina and eastern Tennessee if you find yourself anywhere near there. I will continue to trade for Duck-Rabbit as often as I can.

Cheers!
Matt

Russian River Pliny the Elder

2008-08-10T18:04:00.000-04:00

Beer: Russian River Pliny the Elder
Brewery Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Beer Style: DIPA
ABV: 8.0%

I've had a pretty good few days. We had a tremendous party at the Brugge Brasserie for the Hoosier Beer Geeks 2nd anniversary party, things are good at home, and I've finally gotten to try my own bottle of Pliny the Elder. The downside to everything is that my refrigerator went out on Friday morning, and I had to wait until today to drink this beer. I didn't want to buy a new fridge, but once your compressor goes out and needs to be replaced and then they tack on labor it just doesn't pay to have something fixed these days.

A huge thank you to my friend Nate for bringing me back a bottle of this beer from his recent trip to California. It is really nice to have friends that know good beer and bring stuff like this back for you. Russian River just started their new bottling line for Pliny, and this doesn't get much fresher than this bottle unless it would have been from the tap.

This beer pours a very hazy orange color with a decent sized solid white head. The head died down a bit, but it left patchy lacing on my tulip glass. The nose on this beer is very fresh and vibrant. The citrus scent is the most dominant with plenty of earthiness and pine scents nipping at the heels of the citrus scent, but no malt to really speak of in the nose. The flavor profile starts out with loads of hop bitterness leaning towards pine bitterness with the citrus fruit and tropical fruits flavors really coming in about mid-drink. The flavors are very pronounced, but they do not overpower you in anyway, but rather combine for a very pleasant flavor profile. The initial rush of hop bitterness if huge, but somehow the finish is soft and clean. I am very surprised as well at how low the malt flavor is, but still supports the hops brilliantly. The drinkability is really amazing for a DIPA with the alcohol well hidden, and I would have gladly had another bottle of this beer.

I wish I had another bottle of this beer for another go around. This was indeed one of the better DIPA's I've encountered, but I need to have a few more to know where to place this beer on my top DIPA list. Either way I really enjoyed this beer a great deal, and hopefully can land some more of it the future. Thanks again Nate.

Cheers!
Matt

Terrapin Rye Squared DIPA

2008-08-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

Beer: Terrapin Rye Squared DIPA
Brewery Location: Athens, GA
Beer Style: DIPA
ABV: 8.5%

I wasn't all that impressed with my last selection from Terrapin, but I have high hopes for this beer. I've enjoyed their special series of beers that they have done seasonally, and I only have one more to try out of the four they do. Their Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal stout has been my favorite thus far. For this beer they took their regular rye pale ale and doubled up all of the ingredients.

This beer pours a nice golden orange color with a small off-white head on it. This beer left a thin blanket of head for most of the beer, and didn't really leave much lacing to speak of. The nose starts out fairly pungent with aromas of the rye malt being quite dominant with the floral/citrus scents of the hops coming in nicely after the initial rush of the malt scent. The flavor profile is quite unique and complex. I initially got mostly malt sweetness upfront, but the rye spice and bitter hops came in about mid-drink. I never got the heavy malt sweetness again though during the beer. There is a good deal of pine and grapefruit in the hop bitterness here, but the spicy rye also helps to keep things in check a little bit. This is quite interesting to say the least. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, but there is a good amount of alcohol kick in the finish as well. The drinkability is good even with the little shot of alcohol in finish.

I enjoyed this seasonal offering from Terrapin, but I still have to say that the Wake-n-Bake is still my personal favorite thus far. I don't know how long this will be on the shelves in the south, but if you can get any I would recommend it.

Cheers!
Matt

Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale

2008-08-04T23:30:00.000-04:00

Beer: Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale
Brewery Location: Paso Robles, CA
Beer Style: English Bitter/Amber
ABV: 5%

I have to talk about the beer pricing again. I am not sure how California brewers keep their prices where they do, and beer prices in Indiana don't seem to be even in the same ballpark as them. This beer was only $2.99, and I received it in trade recently. I can't think of a bomber of beer that I can get in Indiana for only $2.99 that I would drink often if given the chance. Most of the beers I've been drinking from California (except Alesmith and Stone) have all been below $5 for a bomber of beer, and they have been some top notch and above average beer.

I've had several beers from Firestone Walker, and have been at least very satisfied with their offerings. The first beer I had from them was their Union Jack IPA which I really enjoyed and would like to be able to get some more of it. I am also not sure what style this beer is. The beer websites say it is an amber ale, and Firestone says it is an English bitter, and after having this beer I would go with an English bitter, but there must be a reason it isn't. I think it is because the amber style category is a catch-all for many beers that don't quite fit in somewhere. If anyone knows please let me know.

This beer pours a medium amber color, and it started with two fingers worth of head, but it quickly dissipated leaving a thin blanket of head for most of the beer. The nose isn't overpowering, but I did get scents of toasted malt and caramel, and an ever so modest "grain" scent coming in as well. The flavor profile is quite well balanced between the sweet malt and decent touch of bittering hops with secondary notes of oak, vanilla, bitter tea, and maybe even a little pine. The mouthfeel is a little watery for my liking with low carbonation, but the drinkability is really nice and sessionable at only 5% ABV.

This is a very solid session beer from Firestone Walker. I would only like to see a bit more bitterness and heavier mouthfeel. This was a good offering but nothing groundbreaking, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

Cheers!
Matt

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

2008-07-29T15:02:00.004-04:00

Beer: Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: IPA
ABV: 6%

Did I mention that I love west coast IPAs? I've traded for some things from Ballast Point recently, and I've only ever had this beer before and their Big Marlin porter, and I should be working my way through the rest of them in the near future. Ballast Point is another brewery making a nice name for themselves out of San Diego.

Big Eye pours a nice rustic amber color with a good sized and slightly off-white head on it. It left spotty lacing on my pint glass. The smell is packed full citrus fruits with notes of oranges, tangerines, and lemon peel. There is some slight caramel notes coming out of the malt as well, but not well pronounced. I don't think I am giving the nose justice there, but this is complex and wonderful nose on this IPA. The scents leads right into the flavor profile with the bitter hops upfront flooding with flavors of grapefruit, pine needles, lemon zest, and finally the caramel soaked bready malt comes out in the finish. The flavors meld very well together and create a unique and balanced IPA for a hop-lover. I would think a non IPA drinker would find this offering quite harsh though, but not me. The mouthfeel has plenty of carbonation for this medium bodied beer that leaves no detectable alcohol in the finish. The drinkability for a hop lover is excellent and would also be quite session able at only six percent.

This is just a really nice IPA. It certainly isn't a DIPA by any stretch of the imagination, but this also isn't an entry level IPA. It has more bitterness and more malt than your average IPA. I am guessing that is because they only used one type of hops, centennial, for bittering hops and for dry hopping purposes. This beer is well balanced, clean, and quite refreshing. I would go so far as to say that it would be in my normal rotation in my fridge if I could find it locally.

Cheers!
Matt

Terrapin Hop Shortage Ale

2008-07-28T22:10:00.000-04:00

Beer: Terrapin Brewing Hop Shortage Ale
Brewery Location: Athens, GA
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.2%

I've been back to beer trading recently after a nice break from it. I've had some beer from Terrapin, but I've been wanting to give this beer a chance. Despite the name of the beer, according to the bottle they wanted to make a hop-bomb during the hop shortage we are currently in.

This beer pours a clear golden/orange hue with two fingers worth of fluffy white head that dissipated very quickly and left minimal lacing on my pint glass. I get a pretty good aroma of this beer as I am pouring it. The nose is full of citrus fruit being heavy on the orange scents, but the heaviest scents lean towards sweet and bready malt. I wasn't expecting that out of the nose on this IPA. The flavor profile is also strange to me for an IPA. I do get citrus and pine on the palate, but I get more sweet malt upfront with a moderate bitter finish. All of the flavors are there, but they are not really all that prominent. I am not getting much of a hop bite over the malt sweetness. It is not cloyingly sweet, but just sweeter than most IPAs I've drank. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, but finishes a little watery. The drinkability is decent enough for this beer, and would enjoyed if you like your IPAs on the sweet side.

Overall, this beer was a miss for me. The malt sweetness was heavier than I personally enjoy, and I would have liked to see some more body on the mouthfeel. This wasn't really the hop-bomb that the bottle said it was going to be.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyd's Fantabulous Resplendence XI Anniversary

2008-07-23T20:58:00.001-04:00

Beer: Three Floyd's Fantabulous Resplendence XI Anniversary
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%

I can't believe a year has passed already since the first Fantabulous came out last year. I had heard it was out in Chicago, but didn't know it was around Indianapolis already, and got lucky when I went to the store, because a whole case of it was sitting on the floor just waiting to be put on the shelf. I've got one bottle of the X anniversary left, but that was a DIPA and could hold up to aging, but I won't be aging this years offering because of the lower ABV. Everyone who reads this blog knows that I am a fan of FFF's, and was excited to give another one of their beers a try.

I will also preface this by saying that you should try and have this as close to cellar temp as possible. It really opened up at that point and was a much better drinking experience. It was too cold when I served it and everything was quite muted, but it really opened up as it warmed.

This beer pours a light copper color with a small one fingers worth of head, and it didn't really leave any lacing on my glass. The smell is a nice change of pace from FFF's. The hops are still there quite a bit, just not hit you in the face boldness. I get plenty of floral hops in the bouquet, earthyness, pine, and a bit of pineapple and grapefruit. The flavor profile starts off with a good dose of earthy bitterness quickly followed by the citrus fruit upfront. The malt really comes out nicely to balance out the bitterness. The malt has plenty of caramel and soft toffee notes for balance. I do get a bit of a bitter tea like flavor in the finish. This beer was brewed with jasmine, (unconfirmed, but that is the rumor) but I can't really say if that is the flavor I am picking up on. I think it is a nice mix of flavors that compliment each other quite well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just about the perfect amount of carbonation. I do pick up the bitter tea/tannin flavor strongly in the finish, but the alcohol is well hidden. The drinkability is quite nice on this beer and well balanced. I will be having my other bottle in the near future.

I like how this showcased some more range out of FFF's. This isn't an over the top hop-bomb, but a well crafted and balanced beer. The herbs they used in the brew really come out and compliment the hops better than I would have thought they would. My only real complaint about this beer is the price. It was $11.99 for a bomber of this beer. That is pushing my limit for a regular IPA, but since it was a limited brew I gave it a shot. Enjoy it while you can find it around town.

Here is also another write up from a blog-o-sphere friend. Generik's Tap.

Cheers!
Matt

Green Flash West Coast Imperial IPA

2008-07-22T11:43:00.004-04:00

Beer: Green Flash West Coast Imperial I.P.A.
Brewery Location: Vista, CA
Beer Style: American DIPA
ABV: 9%

I am not sure what my blog holds for the future, but I've joined the Hoosier Beer Geeks, and will be doing postings over there as well. My individual beer format doesn't really fit in over there, so I think I will continue to post those here, but any beer news, trips, or events will be housed over there. My whole intention of this blog is simply to help me train my palate and taste some pretty damn good (and sometimes awful) beer. I am happy to hear that some people have gotten something out of this blog at one point or another, and if you haven't, well I can't give you back any minutes of your life.

You know I love my West Coast IPA's and DIPA's, and this one is well respected among West Coast DIPA's. I personally traded for this bottle, but if you find yourself in Ohio it is distributed there, as well as Chicago, and if you really want this beer you can buy it have it shipped to your directly at Liquid Solutions. I've used LS on a number of occasions and they are a great operation.

This is my very first beer from Green Flash.

It pours a wonderful golden hue with a huge billowing three fingered head on it. This had great head retention until almost my last sip, and left decent spotty lacing on my pint glass. The nose is no surprise for a San Diego style DIPA. It has loads of fresh citrus fruit leaning towards mostly grapefruit with pine and a certain earthiness that comes through, but not with much potency, and I think that works well for this offering. This is a very pleasing nose to this hop-head. The flavor profile almost does a 180 though. The pine and earthiness that was more muted in the nose comes out full force upon first sip with plenty of bitterness and pine needles. The citrus flavor comes in about mid-drink with plenty of grapefruit and tropical fruit into the finish. The malt tried to come in, but just didn't have the power to get over the hops. The mouthfeel is bordering on full bodied with low carbonation, and the warming alcohol is quite well hidden. The drinkability is also very good on this beer for one bomber, and I would most likely split this with someone if I had another bottle of it.

This was a pretty good beer overall, but it wouldn't crack my top DIPAs. I would have liked to see a bit more malt on this offering, and slightly more carbonation for my liking. I certainly wouldn't say no to this beer again though, and would purchase more of it most likely if available in Indiana.

Cheers!
Matt

If you loan me the money you drink for free!

2008-07-14T19:11:00.003-04:00

I've got a spot in my backyard that would fit perfectly.

The Backyard Bar.

It's official: This Bud's for Belgium

2008-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

InBev went to $70 bucks a share and now it is official. AB has agreed to be bought by InBev. As I stated before, I am sure most of you don't care, but I've enjoyed watching this unfold.

This stirred up some pretty serious emotions in some people, and a website was even set up for people to sign a petition, and as I write this about 70,000 people have signed up. I hope those people that are angry about this will look to their own backyards to drink local and American again if that is what their main problem was in the first place.

Either way, I won't post about this anymore.

Cheers!
Matt

Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

2008-07-13T10:06:00.006-04:00

Beer: Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Brewery Location: Escondido, CA
Beer Style: Stout
ABV: 9.2%

I just reviewed the 11th anniversary ale, and the 12 anniversary has been in Indiana less than a week now. I read over at Hoosier Beer Geek that Cavalier got a higher quantity from Stone than normal. I stopped at Party Pak yesterday and they had a ton of this beer at $8.99 a bomber. I planned on purchasing some extra for trading and aging purposes, and I checked the internet on my phone (has this change anyone else's shopping habits?) and found this beer for a buck cheaper a bomber a mile away, and I bought my fills worth of this offering. $7.99 a bomber seemed to be a better price, but I read over at RateBeer that this beer is $5.99 in Detroit and other places in Michigan, but at least we get it here right?

Stone's anniversary beers have tended to be towards IPAs and DIPAs that the west coast brewer is known for, but this year they changed things up and went with a chocolate oatmeal stout. I am sure hop prices may have also had something to do with this as well. This is actually the combination of two different beer recipes. The first being an imperial stout and the other being an oatmeal stout. The original formulation called for Oaxacan chocolate, but I am sure the price of that kept it from being brewed for the masses and they still went with unsweetened cocoa added to the boil. It would be really cool to be able to have a vertical of the original home brew recipe and the final product.

This stout pours absolutely jet black with no light penetration. A small dirty brown head sits on top of the beer. This is a gorgeous looking stout. I served just below cellar temp to give this a chance to warm up a bit. The nose is really nice on this offering with plenty of roasted grain, bitter and rich chocolate notes, coffee, and black licorice. Once the beer warmed past cellar temp though plenty of hot alcohol notes quickly came on and overtook everything smelling like fingernail polish. The flavor profile starts out with plenty of bitter chocolate notes, light espresso, dark fruit, oats, and roasted grain. The alcohol I smelled in the nose comes across in flavor profile in the finish. I do have to say the that chocolate flavor tastes like they used good chocolate, and didn't skimp on that aspect like some other chocolate stouts that I've tasted. The mouthfeel is velvety smooth from the oat addition with very low carbonation. It isn't nearly as viscous as some other stouts, but I like that actually. I do start feeling the warming alcohol though as I get near the bottom of this bomber. The drinkability is quite nice with how easy to drink this was both in the flavor profile and on the mouthfeel.

I think this will be a really nice beer in six months to a year, but right now this beer is a little "hot" for my liking. I've got several to age for this winter, and I think this will be a real winner. If you like stouts make sure to get one of these before they are all gone.

Cheers!
Matt

New Holland Red Tulip Ale

2008-07-12T12:13:00.000-04:00

Beer: New Holland Red Tulip Ale
Brewery Location: Holland, MI
Beer Style: Red Ale
ABV: I'm guessing less than 5%

I am sad to say that I am not all that familiar with New Holland as a brewery. We get them here in Indiana, but I've just never had that many offerings from them. Through no fault of there own, I had a Mad Hatter IPA at a local bar that the lines must have been infected or never cleaned properly and it was the worst beer I've ever ordered at a bar before, and I just never really looked for their beer after that. I did enjoy their Dragon's Milk though when I had it last year.

This beer pours as a cloudy deep reddish/amber tone with just a slightly off-white head on it. I get some moderate malt aroma on the nose, but it is very light and I have to work at it a bit. The taste is quite soft and very unoffensive with flavors of apples and pears and a touch of biscuit in the malt. The flavor is very soft here and mostly malty, but it doesn't come through with much punch. The mouthfeel is actually quite creamy and light on the palate, and that helps the easy drinkability on this offering.

This was a good beer for the style, but it wasn't one of my personal favorites. I am looking for bolder flavors coming through than this beer, but that shouldn't deter you from giving it a chance.

Cheers!
Matt

Tyranena Bitter Woman IPA

2008-07-09T21:45:00.000-04:00

Beer: Tyranena Bitter Woman IPA
Brewery Location: Lake Mills, WI
Beer Style: IPA
ABV: 5.75%

I've been a fan of Tyranena since I was able to give them a try last year. I will be certain to pick them up if I make a trip up to Wisconsin. As far as I know, and from what their website states their beer is only available in Wisconsin. I sat down outside a couple nights ago and had this offering that I received in trade recently. I think the label art catches the name of this brew quite nicely.

Bitter woman pours a clear golden copper tint with a small cap of bright white head on it, and it left minimal lacing on my pint glass. I get a mild hop presence in the nose with hints of grass, citrus, and pine needles. I would say that the carmel malt has a bigger precense than the hops do on this offering. The flavor profile is where the hops come to life with plenty of fresh citrus fruit upfront and on the finish with the fairly soft caramel malt flavor coming in. The mouthfeel is good with medium carbonation, but I feel the body is rather thin on this one. The drinkability is pretty good for this offering, and would make a decent session brew.

Overall this was a decent beer, but I wouldn't go to it very often. The thin mouthfeel and toned down body of this beer. I enjoyed Tyranena's brewers gone wild series the most thus far, but this one just didn't do it for me, but I am ready to give some more of their beers a try if I can get my hands on more of them.

Cheers!
Matt

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale

2008-07-07T21:24:00.001-04:00

Beer: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale
Brewery Locacation: Kiln, MS
Beer Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 4.02%

You don't hear much around Indiana about the brewing happening down in Mississippi, but when I've heard anything about brewing companies down there it has always been Lazy Magnolia Brewing. I honestly don't know if Mississippi has any strange blue laws like their neighbors in Alabama do, but most of Lazy Magnolia's offerings are not very heavy on the ABV, and they make a decent assortment of very quaff able brews.

According to the bottle this is the world's first beer brewed with roasted pecans.

This beer pours an amber tinted brown color that is perfectly clear with a small white head on it that dissipated quite quickly and left minimal lacing on my pint glass. I get a pretty good whiff of caramel malt in the nose, and the nuttiness coming from the pecans I assume, but a pecan scent isn't really distinguishable. As the beer warmed I also get some honey and some maple brown sugar syrup in there as well. I now get the pecan nuttiness in the flavor profile upon first sip along with a malt sweetness that tastes like a mixture of caramel and toffee. I am getting quite a bit of bread in the malt as well. I found the nose and flavor profile to be quite complex for such a low ABV beer. The mouthfeel is medium with slightly above average carbonation and a sweet finish. The drinkability is quite nice on this brown ale, and I would purchase this beer if available locally.

I am glad I was able to give this beer a try. This doesn't get much distribution outside of the deep south though, but if you have the chance to give this beer a try I would say it is worth your time.

Cheers!
Matt

InBev stepping up efforts for AB takeover

2008-07-07T11:55:00.002-04:00

I've been following what will happen with InBev and AB for a while now, and got quite a few responses about it in a past post.

It was reported today that InBev has filed with SEC to begin the process of removing the board members from AB in a hostile takeover, and going directly to the shareholders for the takeover bid. InBev seems quite determined to get their hands on AB.

Here is the article.

I have an interest in the markets, and I find this quite interesting, but I am sure most of you don't really care.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyds Blackheart

2008-07-02T12:16:00.008-04:00

Beer: Three Floyds Blackheart
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: English IPA
ABV: 9.0%

Another brew I've been excited to try from the boys up at FFFs is this beer. FFFs is known for some over the top and "extreme" beers, but I am really hoping to be wowed by this offering from them and hopefully have a good change of pace. I had a conversation with someone at a recent beer event and they were slamming FFFs for their beer and stated "Do they make a balanced beer"? Ferrari doesn't make a grocery getter, so why does a brewery have to make something for your tastes? I am not just talking about FFFs there, but it seems like somehow on the beer websites they are always the whipping boy for this argument, but I am also talking about many brewers across the county. Just because brewer X doesn't make a intro APA or light lager or (insert your favorite style here) doesn't mean that is a reason to write them off. It is only beer, and I say you need to drink what you like, and drink a beer that keeps you coming back again and again. If that be a FFFs, Founders, Bells, or if you are cousin Eddie from the vacation movies a cold and frosty Meister brau beer then so be it. (Sadly friends Meister Brau is no longer made, and the best cheap beer and best laxative has been retired permanently)

FFFs always has some amazing label art, but this one is really unique and quite awesome I think and provided by Tim Lehi & Jeff Rassier.

According to the bottle this is FFFs attempt at an English IPA. They used English ingredients including yeast, barley, and hops, and then they aged it in oak barrels to try and give it that authentic real English IPA flavor. I do mean authentic in terms that it traveled from England to India via a wooden barrel. The only thing that is missing is English water.

Blackheart pours a clear slightly bronzed hue with a huge cap of solid white head on it, and it has lots of carbonation bubbles coming to the surface. I am greeted on the nose of this beer by plenty of caramel and toasted malt, but also by plenty of fruit like apples, peaches, and some apricot. I also get some of the notes from the oak aging, but that didn't happen until the beer had warmed up plenty and was nearly gone. The flavor profile has loads of spicy fruit starting it off with dominant flavors of apricot and tangerines upfront. The secondary flavors come in quickly, and I get tastes of caramel, oak, and the toasted malt. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and very smooth, and I noticed very little alcohol on the mouth. I wasn't really expecting that for a 9% English IPA. The drinkability is dangerously easy. I could have polished off another bomber of this beer with ease.

This beer got my conversation going with the person I spoke about above who said "Does FFF's make a balanced beer"? This was the best balanced beer I've had from FFF's. This beer is supposed to be an English IPA, but it really is like that, but with more attitude. To me at least an English IPA tends to be a bit more muted in the flavor profile and more balanced towards the malt, but this beer leans more towards the hops and oak flavor. I really enjoyed this beer, and I certainly hope they make this again, but I am not holding my breath on that one. This beer can still be found around Indy right now, but not many places will have it. You can check here to see if any is still available. The people that read this blog know that Three Floyds is my favorite brewer and they did not disappoint me with this offering.

Cheers!
Matt

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.

2008-06-29T10:10:00.004-04:00

Beer: He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.
Brewery Location: San Francisco, CA
Beer Style: DIPA
ABV: 10%

This is my first beer for review from the Shmaltz Brewing company. I've had several other of their offerings and my particular favorites have been the Genesis 10:10 and Jewbelation 11 anniversary beers. I've been in a bit of a rye kick lately and have been drinking Founders Red Rye and Two Brother's Cane and Ebel quite a bit lately, so I was looking for another rye beer. I found this beer at Party Pak for $6.49 a bomber. I bought two just to be sure. This review is my second bottle of this beer.

This beer has quite the clever name and pays homage to Lenny Bruce with plenty of little quips and other information about Lenny Bruce.

This beer pours a deep and clear ruby color with a decent sized off-white head. The beer sorta glugged out in a syrupy fashion. The first scents bring on the rye mixed in with pine needles and a touch of orange peel. The malt is a beast on the nose on this beer pushing around anything else you could really get a good scent out of. The flavor profile is more of the same with plenty of rye flavor with an almost bready malt being most dominant. The hop profile does a fairly good job though trying to balance out all of the malt, but this beer leans heavier towards the malt and not the hops. The mouthfeel is quite full bodied with plenty of carbonation to go around, but this beer leaves quite a bitter finish. The drinkability is actually quite good, but the 10% ABV will sneak up on your if you have an entire bomber.

I like rye beers, and I thought this beer was a pretty good offering. This beer was quite a bit more maltier than I thought it would be for a DIPA, but it was good that isn't just an over the top hop bomb, but rather a decently crafted beer. If you are a fan of rye and malt I say at least give this beer a try, but you might want to split it with someone.

Cheers!
Matt

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

2008-06-20T12:28:00.003-04:00

Beer: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Brewery Location: Freising, Germany
Beer Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.4%

It is just plain hot outside! My favorite summer beers are American wheat beers, IPA's, DIPA's, and my first summer love drinking experience started with German hefes. My beer progression started with drinking imports (Yes, I was that guy) and I went through a period where I drank nothing but beer from Germany. One of my stayovers from that period that I always come back to is this beer. The German hefe style is always something I gravitate to in the warmer months of the year. This beer is a really great price as well for the sized bottle you get. I think I paid like $2.39 for it or so. Compared to what I pay for bombers and singles this beer is a steal! The brewery also claims they are the oldest brewery in the world, and that they have been brewing beer for over a thousand years. I didn't take time to check that out, but I will take their word for it.

I hardly ever use my weizen glass, but I love how this beer pours exactly from the bottle to the very top of this glass. This beer pours a wonderful golden straw color that is quite hazy with a huge billowing white head on this beer. Perfect hefe scent on this beer with dominant scents of wheat, lemon, banana, and some clove. The flavor takes over with the wheat in the malt, banana, clove, bubblegum, and a touch of lemon. This has a very interesting flavor profile on it, and everything works very well together. The mouthfeel is very creamy and light and slightly effervescent. The alcohol is not noticeable at all in the mouthfeel. The drinkability is superb and about a fine as you will get for a summer beer.

This beer sets the standard for me when it comes to German hefes. This beer is a testament to what kind of product a huge brewery can send to the masses. This beer is available all over the world and is readily available in most US states. This beer is also brewed in the traditional German Rheinheitsgebot (at one time the oldest consumer protection law in the world, but it was repealed a few years back) and what a fantastic job with just four ingredients with no adjuncts or fillers. This beer is available on tap a few places around town, and my favorite place for a pint of this beer is at the Rathskeller in the Kellerbar. This is just a great beer all around.

Cheers!
Matt

Stone 11th Anniversary Ale

2008-06-19T22:50:00.000-04:00

Beer: Stone 11th Anniversary Ale
Brewery Location: Escondido, CA
Beer Style: IPA
ABV: 8.7%

I haven't had that many of Stone's Anniversary beers. I've only had the 9th, 10th, and now 11th anniversary ales. They just announced they will be doing their 12th anniversary beer and it is going to be a stout. I am assuming that hops prices may have something to do with that. Stone is a beer that I feel pretty lucky we get here in Indy because several states around us do not get Stone distribution (how about that? me praising the beer we get here instead of bitching about beer we don't).

This beer is the darkest IPA I've ever seen. Stone calls this an IBA or India black ale. It is a deep and dark brown color with a full slightly dirty tan head on it. This beer left creamy rings of lacing until the very last sip. The scents that dominate this beer lean heavily towards piney hops, loads of tropical fruit like tangerines, mango, and passion fruit with a touch of caramel waving from the back row. My brain is perplexed at something that looks like this beer but smells the way that it does. The flavor profile starts with heavy floral hops notes providing plenty of bitterness, but the malt begins to show its assertiveness with dark roasted malt and dark fruits (plums and raisins) coming to life as the beer warmed. The finish brings back those hops with plenty of citrus and pine and showing you what Stone Brewing is famous for. The mouthfull is a bit chewy and sticky, but yet the finish is actually quite creamy. The drinkability is quite nice on this beer since the alcohol was extremely well hidden on this offering.

This is another tasty beer from Stone. It is certainly hop heavy, but the malt provides some really good balance on this offering. I only have one more of these, and I am curious how this beer will age. Stone 12th Anniversary will come out next month, and will hopefully be in Indy sometime in last July or early August.

Cheers!
Matt

Bell's Big Head San Diego Style Ale

2008-06-15T20:04:00.006-04:00

Beer: Bell's Big Head San Diego Style Ale
Brewery Location: Comstock, MI
Beer Style: DIPA
ABV: 11%

"What is a San Diego Ale? It is an ale that's made with more attitude than hops and, boy, are there a lot of hops." That is according to the bottle on this beer.

This beer was made in a "tounge-in-cheek" manner for the Craft Beer Wholesalers Conference in San Diego. The stories I've read are that some west coast brewers said that no one could make a super hopped San Diego style ale except for the brewers of San Diego, and this is what Bell's came up with.

Sadly, only 72 cases of this beer were made and a chunk of it went to San Diego and the rest was sold in the Bell's general store and eccentric cafe.

I've said before that beer people are good people, and Mike from STLHops sent me this beer for my birthday. Thanks again Mike!

Big Head pours a slightly hazed ruddy amber color with a thin and creamy tan head on it and left decent lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The first scents are classic of a west coast DIPA with loads of hops showcasing citrus rind and sticky pine. A touch of bread soaked caramel is lingering behind a bit. The flavor profile is more malt based than the hops, but make no mistake the hops are still full throttle on this offering. The malt carries the sweet caramel first with an almost unsalted cracker crispness/flavor to it as well. The hops bring in loads of ripe citrus fruit leaning towards grapefruit rind and orange peel with a good dose of pine needles as well (C-hops anyone?) This beer is very assertive, but a bit more balanced with the hops and malt when compared to its San Diego brethren. The mouthfeel is a little "hot" with plenty of alcohol on the palate, but this bigger beer still is quite smooth with a decent amount of carbonation. Besides the beer being a bit "hot" the drinkability is quite nice on this beer, and I certainly would have had another one of these.

Larry Bell has already stated that Bell's will not be making this offering again, and I think that is a bit of a shame. This beer isn't as good as Hopslam, but I think this beer provides quite a different drinking experience than Hopslam, and they both have their own place. I am pretty happy I was able to try this offering though, and a big thank you again to Mike from STLHops for sending me this tasty offering.

Cheers!
Matt

Great Lakes Eliot Ness

2008-06-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

Beer: Great Lakes Eliot Ness
Brewery Location: Cleveland, OH
Beer Style: Vienna Lager
ABV: 6.2%

I've almost worked through most of the Great Lakes beer I've gotten in trade. This was actually a beer I've never had from Great Lakes and I honestly wasn't much of a fun of the Vienna lager style, so that is why I waited so long to drink it.

You might be wondering what a Vienna lager is, and it is obviously named after the city where it originated. The style has fallen off, and not many breweries actually brew this style any more. When its popularity fell off in Europe the German/Austrian immigrants that went to Mexico revived the style, and today many Mexican beers like Negra Modelo and Dos Equis are Vienna lagers. The biggest name in Vienna lagers that you have heard of is Samuel Adam's Boston lager.

Eliot Ness pours a clear ruby color and will change to rustic brown when held up to the light. A frothy small tan head sits upon this estically pleasing beer. Upon first smell I get tons of the malt scent hitting upfront with the earthy hops coming into play right behind it. I normally don't think of a beer style like this having this nice of a nose on it. As the beer warmed I got more scents of sweet caramel with toasted grains. The flavor profile is a perfect match when compared to the nose. The toasted grain comes through first with a bit of caramel sweetness to it as well and ends with a slight touch of hops in the finish. The mouthfeel is very smooth with great balance and the medium carbonation. The drinkable is very good on this offering and I would like to replace some IPA's in my rotation with this beer.

Great Lakes has another well made and delicious beer. This is a tasty lager that I would have around if I was able to get it locally. This beer absolutely blows Sam Adam's Boston lager out of the water though. As Eric Asimov puts it "this is a beer that won't get in the way of conversation." He didn't say that about this beer, but it fits here for me. A great beer for about any occasion that I say again, Great Lakes please come back to Indianapolis!

Cheers!
Matt

Hop shortage is hitting home for this Bells fan

2008-06-09T13:06:00.004-04:00

It was reported today that the European hop grower for Bells Brewing is pulling its contract for Saaz hops, and that next year's batches of Oberon could taste completely different because of it.

I like Oberon, but as I've said before it isn't my favorite summertime beer, but this might also change the recipe of one of my very favorite beers: Two-Hearted. I do really like though that Larry Bell has stated that he will tell his consumers what is going on, and will return to original recipes as soon as possible. I am pretty confident though in what Larry Bell and company will come up with, but I just hate to see this happening, and hopefully the recipe change in Two-Heated will somehow make it better.

I should also clarify that the saaz hops won't make a difference in Two-Hearted since it doesn't use any, but the hop shortage may change the recipe for Two-Hearted.

Here is the article.

Cheers!
Matt

Goose Island Pere Jacques

2008-06-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

Beer: Goose Island Pere Jacques
Brewery Location: Chicago, IL
Beer Style: Dubbel
ABV: 9%

I am not that familiar with the Dubbel style like I am with other beer styles. I do know that it is a style what was popular in the middle ages, but died out, and then came back in the mid to late 1800's. They re-started with the Belgian Abbeys brewing them again. I have enjoyed all of Goose Islands bigger beer series they have been doing. I was extremely impressed by their bourbon county stout I had a few months back.

This beer pours a deep brown with amber accents with a light tan head on it. I get scents of this beer as I pour it and I get scents of sweet toffee, candy sugar, malt, and a yeasty scent coming to life. It borders on being too sweet, but it is just really a nice nose on this beer. The flavor profile is a melting pot of caramel, figs, plums, and some spiced rum. The flavor profile on this beer is delicious and focuses on the sweet and complex malt profile. The mouthfeel is very full with lots of carbonation that makes this offering quite smooth and refreshing, and for 9% ABV I only barely noticed the alcohol warmth in this beer. The drinkability is superb on this beer, and I am thinking about what kind of food can I pair with this beer.

Another tasty big beer from Goose Island. I do have to admit I am on the fence about most of Goose Island's offerings, but the special beers they have been putting out are really superb. I also like the fact that the bottle lets you know that you can age this beer for over five years, but this beer wouldn't make it that long around my house.

Cheers!
Matt

Victory Brewing coming to Indiana

2008-06-04T12:00:00.003-04:00

I've reviewed several of Victory Brewing's offerings (my personal favorite is the Storm King Stout), and word on the street is that Victory should be in Indiana by the end of next week!

I am very excited to hear this news.

Cheers!
Matt

Oskar Blues Gordon

2008-06-03T12:42:00.003-04:00

Beer: Oskar Blues Gordon
Brewery Location: Lyons, CO
Beer Style: DIPA
ABV: 8.7%

My friend from Colorado came into town a few weeks ago, and he was so very gracious and brought me a four pack of Gordon. Thanks Chris! I've had most of the main stream line-up of beers from OB, and this is one that had eluded me for a bit. I did try the Gordon in a bottle that had a few years of age on it, but this is obviously the fresh version out of the can.

Gordon pours a very deep ruddy amber color with a small sized, but well lasting, head that left plenty of sticky lacing on the walls of my pint glass. A big DIPA nose greets me that is very heavy on the pine with a touch of citrus fruit (mostly tangerine) and sweet sugary malt coming in as well. The flavor profile is again dominated by the resinous pine flavor that was in the nose with other hop additions like grapefruit rind and earthy hops. The biscuty malt is big here, but doesn't quite stand up to the hops, but that doesn't bother me here. The mouthfeel is very smooth with medium carbonation that left only a touch of alcohol in the mouth. The drinkability is very nice for what I would consider a bigger beer, and I would drink several of these in one sitting.

Overall I really liked this offering from OB. I would certainly have this beer on hand most times if OB was available in Indiana. OB is expanding to many states to the east of us, and hopefully we will see OB here in Indiana soon.

Cheers!
Matt

Alesmith IPA

2008-05-28T12:26:00.003-04:00

Beer: Alesmith IPA
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: IPA
ABV: 7.75%

It was my birthday this past weekend and I've been keeping a few beers back for the occasion. This is one of those beers that I've been saving. You've read about what I think of Alesmith, and their beer Yulesmith (the winter addition) is in my top five favorite beers of all time. I've read that Stone helps to distribute Alesmith's beers, but we have yet to see them here in Indiana. I've gotten several bottles of this recently at Jungle Jim's and have also traded for a few since I like it that much.

I really would like to make a trip to the west coast just for beer purposes. In San Diego alone there are several breweries that I would like to visit like Alesmith and Ballast Point, and hopefully could finish the trip up in Petaluma visiting Russian River, but that is just a pipe dream at this point, but someone I will make it out there.

This IPA pours a cloudy copper color with a bit of spent yeast floating in my glass topped off with a full three fingers worth of slightly off-white head. This beer left ribbons of lacing around the walls of my pint glass. As a hop-head I love smelling this beer. The hops are very fresh and vibrant with strong scents of citrus fruit and pine underpinned by a subtle soft earthiness as well, and I personally think one of the best American IPA noses you will find. The flavor profile first brings on the rush from all of those hops with flavors of orange rind, pineapple, sticky pine needles, and ripe grapefruit, but as the beer warms a bit I get more of the sweet caramel base to round everything out. I do get a bit of alcohol in the flavor as well, but that is fairly muted compared to the hops and malt. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and super smooth going down with no astringency and the alcohol that was present in the flavor was gone in the mouthfeel. The drinkability is superb on this beer and even at 7.75% I would have multiple offerings of this beer.

This beer is just a superior example of an IPA. The fresh scent of the hops and flavor profile are just about unbeatable here for an IPA. This easily goes in my rotation of IPA's if I could find it locally. The bottle has a few new acronyms for IPA, one being "I Prefer Alesmith" and "It's Pretty Awesome." I have to say that I agree with them.

Cheers!
Matt

InBev possible takeover of Budweiser

2008-05-25T10:18:00.003-04:00

This week there has been some controversy over the possible takeover of Budweiser by InBev. If you don't know who Inbev is they are a huge global presence brewing/distributing company based out of Belgium. They own brands like Becks, Stella Artois, Leffe, and Hoegaarden as well as several hundred others. This buyout makes sense because much of AB's product line and InBev's brands don't really cross the same retail footprint.

I am rather mixed about this possible takeover. Supposedly InBev is willing to go as high as 67$ a share and Budweiser closed on the American markets at $56.51 up from $52 dollars a share on this speculation. I imagine a big part of this is coming on because I would assume that five years ago Bud wasn't able to be bought because of the stronger dollar, but now that the dollar has tanked this is now a much more attractive buy for InBev. The buyout price is only 42 Euros for InBev whereas five years ago it would have been around 56 Euros. That is a big difference for them. There is much more to the story than just that, but that factor is helping.

What would this mean though? It would mean no more macros in America would be owned by American companies. SabMiller out of South Africa owns Miller and MolsonCoors owns Coors out of Canada. Brewing operations would still continue in the States of course and some jobs would be lost, but I would assume those would be at the top though.

Would this mean that outside large multi-national brewing companies would be possible to dictate the price of goods from farmers? Would the three conglomerates be the perpetual 900lb gorillas? What would this mean for our favorite local craft brewer? Would the conglomeration spell bad things for smaller craft brewers? Is it in America's best intention to keep Budweiser an American company? I will admit I am way out of my league on this one in terms of what might happen, but something internally just tells me this isn't a good thing for anyone except for InBev. August Busch says that this "won't happen on his watch," but he runs a public company where cash and shareholders are king. There is a tidy profit to be made by greedy shareholders right now. I am not sure AB can use a poison pill strategy in this situation or other takeover avoidance measures like taking on extreme debt right now, but that is just my guess. I don't know how AB can make itself look significantly less attractive to avoid a takeover. I will wait and see how this will shakes out, but personally even though I am not a regular drinker of AB products I don't want to see AB become a foreign company. What are your thoughts?

Cheers!
Matt

Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale

2008-05-23T12:24:00.004-04:00

Beer: Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale
Brewery Location: Cleveland, OH
Beer Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6%

Great Lakes is another one of my top breweries out there, but unfortunately we can't get any here in Indiana unless you live in South Bend. I've heard some stories on why we don't get Great Lakes beers in Indianapolis anymore, but I don't put much stock in them. Great Lakes brewing was the first micro-brewery in Ohio back in 1988. I've been drinking Great Lakes since my very first trip to Jungle Jim's down in Cincinnati several years back. This beer I am reviewing along with their Dortmunder Gold would have permanent places in my fridge if I could buy them locally. This beer is available in every state that touches us and as far north as Wisconsin and as far east at West Virginia. With gas prices at four dollars a gallon though, it is much easier and cheaper for me to trade for them with people from Ohio. I received this beer along with several other Great Lakes offerings in a recent trade.

This beer is named after the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River that helped to spark environmental change.

This beer pours a slightly hazed orange color with a decent cap of bright white head on it. The scent is really nice for an APA. Loads of fresh citrus, floral notes, and sweet malt in the nose. It is assertive, but it also doesn't cross the lines into other bigger beers like an IPA, and I think it is really nice and refreshing. The flavor profile is a good balance of bitter hops and sweet malt. I get more citrus than pine in the flavor profile that is balanced quite well with the almost bready malt. The mouthfeel is very smooth with maybe slightly above medium carbonation. The drinkability is really nice, and as I said before I would give this beer a permanent home in my fridge if it were available locally.

Obviously you can tell this is one of my favorite APA's. Alpha King is my favorite APA, but Alpha King is classified as an APA, but to me it is more like an IPA. It isn't going to blow your socks off compared to bigger beers, but in terms of style guidelines and how refreshing this beer is makes it a keeper to me. This is one of my go-to beers during the summer months, and when I think of a "lawnmower beer" this beer is my favorite. If it were possible I would really love to see Great Lakes come back Indianapolis.

Cheers!
Matt

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel Péché Mortel

2008-05-21T14:57:00.006-04:00

Beer: Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel's Péché Mortel
Brewery Location: Montreal, Canada
Beer Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.5%

Other beer from Canada besides Molson or Labatt? It is true! Canada has a great brewing culture and many microbrewers and brewpubs all over the country. It is not the beer explosion that America has gone through, but it is a vibrant and growing culture. Did you know that Canada is the second largest country in the world when it comes to landmass? That was on Jeopardy last week.

This beer is rated as one of the top beers in the world according to both ratebeer and beeradvocate. I am a little weary of those sites when it comes to ratings since the top beers are almost always the high gravity and usually quite difficult to get your hands on. In either case I am always trying to get my hands on them to really see if they live up to any type of hype. Péché Mortel is only brewed in about fifty case batches three or four times a year. I received this recently in trade along with another of Dieu Du Ciel's offerings.

Péché Mortel (Mortal Sin) pours an opaque black color with a tan colored head that left decent lacing for a stout. Loads and loads of coffee sometimes leaning towards espresso in the nose with cocoa and bitter chocolate mingling in the nose as well. The flavor profile blends those same flavors together with perfection. I am not usually much of a coffee stout fan, but the coffee/espresso flavor only co-mingles with the chocolate and roasted grain and never dominates. The coffee flavor is just done so very well. I also get secondary flavors of caramel and a slight bitter hop flavor. Coupled with the flavor the mouthfeel for a beer with this high ABV is well done. This beer is very smooth and creamy with only slight carbonation. I liked the drinkability on this beer, but one is about enough for me at time.

I had this beer around 7 p.m. last night and I didn't really think about the caffeine, but I was wide away for the next several hours. I am going to say this is the best use of coffee I've had in a beer. I am still very surprised how smooth this beer was and how well the coffee flavor only mingled and didn't dominate the flavor profile. I've got a few coffee stouts waiting for me, and I will compare them with this beer. Well done all around on this beer, and I think well deserving of the hype it gets.

Cheers!
Matt

HopCat

2008-05-21T08:16:00.010-04:00

Place: HopCat
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Another location that I wanted to visit during my trip to Grand Rapids was HopCat. I've heard about HopCat through the beer websites that I am a member of, and I've also seen them ranked as one of the best beer bars in America. HopCat is right downtown and is only about a mile or so away from Founders.

The bar is right on the corner in an older looking building. As soon as we walked in I already liked it. You quickly take notice of the 48 taps on the front of the bar, and not a single one of them is swill. I really liked the feel of the bar itself. It was nicely laid out in dark wood with comfortable seating. The ceiling of the bar is covered in vintage beer and liquor posters.

We sat down and ordered some food and beer. They have these fries there called "crack fries" and they were about the tastiest fries I've ever had. I don't know what kind of spices they put of them, but they were spicy and delicious.

I was a bit overwhelmed when I was ordering since I wanted to try just about everything on the draft menu. Check out the tap list on the picture I posted.

I settled on trying Short's Huma Lupa Licious. Short's brewing bottles a small amount of their beer right now, and most of the beer is found on tap around Michigan. The beer pours a deep cloudy orange color with a nice white head on it, and it left great lacing on my pint glass. The scent is very fresh with scents of citrus and grassy hops and pale sweet malt coming in as well. The flavor profile is a combination of spicy citrus fruit and the bready malt. A better than average IPA that was fresh and well made. I do hope I can get more of this beer in the future.

My second beer was a DIPA from The Livery brewing company's Double Paw. This was also my first beer from The Livery. I don't know much about them, but after looking at their website I need to stop in and see them. They are really not far into Michigan from NW Indiana. Their website says this beer is brewed using a single malt and single hop variety. I get grapefruit and pine in the nose and that comes through just the same in the flavor profile with enough malt to back up the hops. This was a good beer, but wasn't what I was expecting in a DIPA. The aroma was a bit subdued as was the flavor profile, but the other side of the coin is that this is a very easy drinking DIPA without any type of harsh bitterness or alcohol on the mouthfeel.

I also tried Jolly Pumkin's Madrugada Obscura on cask. The HopCat has a new beer on handpull every single Friday! Jolly Pumpkin is another Michigan brewer that has a great reputation for their beer, but are unavailable in Indiana (but are found in most states touching Indiana). Their beers are oak aged and bottle conditioned. They put some amazing dedication into their beer. I personally though did not enjoy this beer. It had loads of roasted malt in there, but also sour fruit in the flavor profile. The two together just didn't meld well for me.

CORRECTION: Chris from Dig-B corrected me that Jolly Pumpkin is available at Kahn's. I've never seen it up there. Thank you for the heads up Chris.

HopCat is a must stop place if you are in Grand Rapids. This was really a great value as well. We ordered food for two, three beers, and left for 28 bucks. All of the beers are around the four dollar mark. The only other bar I would rather be in would be the Heorot in Muncie. The Heorot helped me love craft beer, and I still have sentimental values towards it, but the HopCat is right behind them in my book. If, and when, I make it back to Grand Rapids this will be a place I go to again.

Cheers!
Matt

Founders Brewing Company

2008-05-20T20:40:00.001-04:00

Place: Founder's Brewing Company
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

The wife and I decided to take a long weekend, and we settled on Grand Rapids, MI. It has plenty of things that I want to see, and Grand Rapids has plenty to offering if you are not a beer fan. I really liked my time there, and I will gladly go back again. They have a new museum of modern art, the Frederick Meijer Gardens, and plenty of mom and pop type places that make for more interesting food choices. We ate at a place called Maria Catrib's that was one of the best lunch meals I've had in a very long time.

Founder's is one of my favorite brewers out there. I like the line-up of beer they produce and I am hard pressed to find a more consistent craft brewer. I've never had a bad beer out of the bottle (or style) from them. Founder's is pretty much right downtown and was only a couple block walk from our hotel. We were walking right along and I was beginning to wonder where it was, but you come around the side of a large building and there it is. I was quite impressed by how big the place is. It is the largest brew-pub I think I have ever been in. The whole front of the building has large garage style doors on them that open up so you can sit outside and still look right in on the bar. In the back of the taproom you see the brewing facility itself. You can only see the clarifying tanks, mash tun, and a few other things from where we were sitting, but I still enjoyed the view. They have a two large chalkboards that state what is on tap for the day, and they have an even bigger chalkboard that you can order food from. I was only drinking while we where there.
(sorry these pictures suck)
I started off with the regular IPA, and my wife started with the Rubaeus. I've reviewed the IPA out of bottle, but on tap the flavors are much more vibrant with the pine hop flavors coming in much stronger and a bit cleaner on the finish. The malt comes through a bit sweeter as well. Not quite a session beer at 7%, but I would certainly have more than a few of these, and I think it is just a great representation of the style.

My second beer was the imperial stout. I've never had the imperial stout, but I love their other stout offerings (Kentucky Breakfast Stout and Breakfast Stout), so I went ahead with this offering. The nose had plenty of chocolate and dark roasted malts going for it. The flavor profile melded roasted grain, bitter coffee, dark chocolate, and dark fruits together with no flavor dominating the next. The finish is thick, but the mouthfeel is so exceptionally smooth. This is a big beer with one of the best finishes I've encountered. I was really wowed by this offering, and I am going to look for me around the Indianapolis area.

Rubeaus on tap as well brings on new flavors of the sharp bitterness from the raspberries and the malt tastes in better tandem than out of a bottle. Out of the bottle I think is much sweeter than it is on tap. I like it either way, but out of the tap is significantly better.

I really enjoyed my time at Founders. The atmosphere is laid back and I had great service. We were there for happy hour when pints are $1.00 off. A pint of their IPA is only 2.75 during happy hour. I would really like to make it back to Founder's soon, and it is a must stop if you are in Grand Rapids area. This was my kind of place.

Cheers!
Matt

BJ's Brewhouse

2008-05-13T22:01:00.007-04:00

Location: BJ's Brewhouse
Greenwood, IN

I got an invite to the soft opening of BJ's Brewhouse tonight for a complimentary dinner to test out the menu, the beer, and to raise money for charity. I am always up for trying a new place and am even happier when it is a brewhouse.

They have built up the area around the Greenwood Park Mall quite nicely. It is nice to see new restaurants (albeit chain restaurants) new shops, and a new look to an old area. BJ's is a company out of California that has been in business since 1978. The Greenwood location is their first in Indiana.

The outside of the restaurant is a big box of place that fits well in a chain restaurant model. The inside is actually quite nice with plenty of flat screen tv's, lots of seating, and a very large bar. Even though they are called a "brewhouse" they are not actually brewing beer in the Greenwood location. I found out they are shipping the beer in from Reno, NV. They are making their own root beer on location though.

The meal I had was actually really really good. I had the fish tacos. It is hard to get fish tacos in Indiana as I only think I've seen them on the menu in about four locations downtown. My wife got a salad that wasn't anything groundbreaking, but just a simple and fresh salad that had very good flavor.

I had to taste a few of their beers as well. I tried the Nutty Brewnette brown ale, and Piranha pale ale. The brown ale was a lighter version of a heavier brown ale that I am a little more used to, but I got great flavors of the nutty chocolate malt and just a touch of bitter hops. There was little to speak of when it came to the nose. I wasn't wowed by this beer, but it is actually a tasty little session brew that I will be having again if I go there. The pale ale though said it was for "hopheads only" on the menu, and I laughed a bit at that. You can clearly taste the chinook and cascade hops, but nothing in the high IBU's on this and is only slightly bitter. Another midgrade session beer that I would have again. There wasn't much nose on either of these beers, but they were both served way to cold, and you can see in the picture how much moisture is on the outside of the pint glass.

I think this is another good place for Greenwood even though it is a chain restaurant. The prices are very reasonable as well. All of their beer is either 4.25 to 4.75 and that includes their Totonka stout that is a RIS.

Cheers!
Matt

You saw it here......second folks

2008-05-12T19:53:00.002-04:00

StLouis Hops has the very first picture of Budweisers newest (they toyed with it back in 1997) beer called Budweiser American Ale. I've heard of this beer coming out, but this is the first picture of it I've seen. I am not a label whore, so I will give this a try when it comes out later this year. That a pretty good looking color it has on it though.

Cheers!
Matt

A Cloud that Burps (and beer at MacNivens)

2008-05-11T17:48:00.007-04:00

We went out last night for my early birthday present to see Eddie Izzard at the Murat. (A Cloud that burps is a line from his show last night). We stopped by MacNivens on Mass Ave before the show for dinner and drinks. I still can't put my finger on exactly why I like MacNivens, but I think it is a combination of good food, good service, and a quality beer lineup that I can be assured has been turned properly and the prices are usually fair.

If you have never been to MacNivens it is a Scottish themed restaurant that pays homage to Sean Connery, rugby, soccer, scotch whiskey, and good beer. That is right up my alley.

They have Founders Red Rye on tap right now, and I started off the night with that. As you well know Founders is one of my favorites, and Red Rye is one of their best I think. I've had Red Rye out of a bottle, but this was my first time on tap before. Out of the tap the beer has a much more pronounced pine hop presence and caramel malt scent. The flavor profile is a little more heavy in the hop department, but is by no means a "hop bomb." This is better on-tap than in the bottle, but I will always take either way I can get this beer.

My second beer though didn't stack up very well. I ordered a snifter of Brooklyn Brewery's Blast Pale Ale. It is supposed to be a DIPA, but I didn't think it was by any means. There were some floral hops in the nose, but also a lemony earthiness coming in as well. The alcohol isn't well hidden in the beer and it tasted of sour citrus fruit, and not the good kind that I like. Is this oxidized keg beer? I know other people have said the same thing of the Blast here in Indiana at other Indianapolis beer bars, but it gets high marks in other states. My buddy Nate who was with me had the same thoughts as me, but at 7.25 we made sure we finished our beers. What is up with Indiana's shipment of Brooklyn Blast? I've enjoyed Brooklyn's other offerings I've had, but this one was not good.

Cheers!
Matt

Russian River Brewing Temptation

2008-05-06T21:58:00.006-04:00

Beer: Russian River Temptation
Brewery Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Beer Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 7.25%

Temptation: "Aged in French oak wine barrels for twelve months with distinct characteristics of fruit and subtle oak" sounds more like a description of wine than beer. However, Temptation is indeed beer. Temptation is a Blonde Ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. Flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout its aging. Temptation is re-fermented in the bottle to create its carbonation--a process commonly used to make fine champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast forms a thin layer of sediment to remain in the bottle.

That paragraph is from Russian River's description of Temptation. I've been looking forward to this beer for a very long time. This beer is called an "American Wild Ale" because of the addition of the Brettanomyces or "Brett" as it is often referred to. Brett is very bad for wine and can be very bad for beer, but in the right hands can be a great thing for beer leaving a citrus/funk/twist to the beer. I've even heard it called "horse blanket" in terms of the flavor it imparts to the beer. Earthy and leathery are usually more associated with Brett. The bottle tells me I can age this beer for four years, but I just couldn't wait.

Temptation pours a hazy yellow with two fingers of head in my tulip glass, and it left patchy lacing on the glass. The earthiness of the Brett comes out full force with a funky sourness with hints of lemons, apples, oranges, and "oaked" chardonnay. (I just made that up, but I mean it smells like chardonnay with an extra oak kick to it). The flavor profile starts out slightly sour with flavors that remind me of granny smith apples, lemons, and unripe cherries. I also get a good dose of chardonnay flavor from the barrel aging. This is so pleasant and the flavors meld very well in the profile. I was still finding new things as I drank the last drop of this beer. The ever changing fruitiness on this beer is my favorite aspect of this beer. There is a great deal of expected carbonation in this beer that leaves a dry sensation on the mouth that is actually quite smooth. The drinkablity for this beer is amazing and I hope I can get some more of this beer.

Overall this was an incredible drinking experience. I know it is beer, but right now is has a great deal of wine characteristics to it. I would really like to get my hands on more and age it for a year or two because I think this beer would only get better. I honestly hope though that it doesn't get any better because I would do despicable things to get more of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Schlafly Export India Pale Ale

2008-05-05T22:37:00.006-04:00

Beer: Schlafly Export India Pale Ale
Brewery Location: St. Louis, MO
Beer Style: English IPA
ABV: 8%

I don't get enough Schlafly on this blog. It is my own fault for not getting more, but the Schlafly offerings I have tried thus far have been top-notch. I am not sure when we started being able to get Schlafly in Indianapolis, but I've been sampling them for about two years. I picked this up at Dark Lord Day as an extra from a St. Louis native.

This beer pours a cloudy golden hue with a frothy white head that left a thin blanket of head and good lacing on my pint glass. The scent is classic for American made English IPA's. I first get scents of caramel and toffee mixed in with an earthy/grassy hops mixed in with only a slight touch of citrus twinge. The flavor profile matches the nose with flavors of earthy and toasty maltiness and a bitter tea like flavor that adds to the flavor profile. The mouthfeel is smooth with medium carbonation. I would drink this beer again, and I hope to this summer.

I know the bottle I have is a little old, but I still really enjoyed this offering with a bit of age on it. Classic flavors of an English IPA with an American touch to it. I am curious what this tastes like fresh when I am sure the hops are a little more vibrant. I hope to be able to get some of this in Indiana this year along with Schlafly's other line up of beer available all over town.

Cheers!
Matt

Hoppin' Frog Mean Manalishi Double IPA

2008-05-04T22:33:00.002-04:00

Beer: Hoppin' Frog Mean Manalishi Double IPA
Brewery Location: Akron, OH
Beer Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.2%

I haven't had any Hoppin' Frog in quite some time for some reason. I am not sure why I've strayed away from them, but this DIPA offering brought them right back for me. Hoppin' Frog has been in business for about eight years and make a well respected and solid line-up of beers. It was beautiful out today, so what better time for a double IPA than grilling out and sitting outside?

Mean Manalishi pours a deep rusted amber hue with a big two fingers worth of off-white head. This beer also leaves very good lacing as well as a small blanket of head for the entire beer. It is hard to miss the loads of fresh hops in the nose with big scents of resinous pine and pink grapefruit with little malt coming through. The flavor profile is in your face the entire way on this beer and come through so much better than the nose. The resinous pine flavor comes out full force with subtle flavors of caramel and citrus fruit. The pine flavor is so intense and lasts until the very last sip of the beer. The mouthfeel is quite nice on this beer even with the intense bitterness from the hops, but overall is quite smooth with very little alcohol noticeable on the mouthfeel. The drinkablity for this hop-head is perfect and I would go for another one of these.

Overall this is a very tasty offering from Hoppin' Frog. I really enjoyed the pine bitterness in the flavor profile that was bold enough to let you know it was there but not over the top in any way. This is a DIPA for hop-heads. Great effort Hoppin' Frog!

Cheers!
Matt

Fireside Brewhouse

2008-05-02T21:14:00.002-04:00

Greenwood's newest beer bar is set to open on Monday, May 5th at 11:00 am. I tried to get in contact with someone from the bar and try and find out what beers they will be carrying, but I wasn't lucky to get that info, but I did find out that they will have 16 beers on tap and another 110 in bottles. I can't wait to give it a try next week. I've got high hopes they will be a great beer bar/restaurant.

Their website is currently under construction.

The resturant/bar is located on Emerson and County Line Rd in the most recent strip mall behind Chase Bank.

Dark Lord Day 2008

2008-04-27T18:19:00.004-04:00

Event: Dark Lord Day 2008

I am back safe and sound from another Dark Lord Day at Three Floyd's brewery. I've been looking forward to DLD pretty much since last DLD. I am a huge fan of Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout, but I am a bigger fan of just hanging out with beer people and having a good time. I've said it before, but beer people are almost always good people.

I got there about 8:30 (and a huge THANK YOU to Mike and Gina from Hoosier Beer Geek for spotting me) and I couldn't believe a line was already forming at the door to get in. I hate to talk about the "last year" but last year there was so much more interaction between people at the tasting tables. I heard some of the conversations going on around me, and the vast majority of people were there to have a good time at a beer festival, but I also saw/heard people that didn't understand what they were getting into or just wanted to put up their bottles on Ebay. That was quite upsetting. Below is what the line looked like when I got there, and the line that stretched past the fire house.

I also met up with a Mike from STLHops who brought along some amazing homebrew and some tasty beer from O'Fallon and Schlafly. He gave me a Pappy Van Winkle from O'Fallon that is hand bottled and numbered. I can't wait to give that a whirl.

The line was out of control. I figured there would be a mad rush for the door once it opened, but it wasn't a bad as I thought. Last year there were only three people taking money rather haphazardly, but this year there was a long table with six or eight people taking cash. I bought my fill of Dark Lord and got a bottle of Hvedegoop that is a collaboration between FFF's and the guys from Mikkeller. Below is a shot of inside right near the tables for Dark Lord. To the right of the picture is where the guest breweries were, and the stage were the bands were playing.

The real fun of DLD happened after I got through the line. I met up with Mike again and hung out for a while just tasting beer and discussing all things beer. I had to leave more abruptly than I thought I would have to, but I still had a great time. They had to turn away many people on Saturday, but I think the number of people that showed up took FFF's by surprise. As you can see in the picture the line for DL stretched a good five blocks down the street. HBG's have a great map of how far the line went. I am not sure what else could have been done except for offering less DL to the masses.

FFF's are taking some heat right now at the major beer websites about how things were organized, but given the lines that I saw I don't really see what else could have been done. Even limiting people to two bottles of Dark Lord I think they would have run out. I certainly would like to see somehow though the Ebayer's get weeded out, but that is just wishful thinking. It just irks me that good beer people were turned away because of people there trying to turn a profit.

I had a great time, and I will certainly go back again next year.

Cheers!
Matt

Lagunitas Brewing Hop Stoopid

2008-04-23T20:24:00.004-04:00

Beer: Lagunitas Brewing Hop Stoopid
Brewery Location: Petaluma, CA
Beer Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.2%

It is getting hotter outside and there is nothing better to me than a tasty IPA or DIPA on a warm day. If it is downright hot though I prefer a pale wheat ale if I am going to be outside. In any case I got a bottle of this brew in a trade recently, but I know it is available in Illinois and Ohio. I heard a rumor once about a year ago that Lagunitas was coming to Indiana, but I haven't seen it anywhere as of yet. I've had a few beers from Lagunitas, but this is my first IPA from them. I've had their Lumpy Gravy and Censored Ale. I really enjoyed the Lumpy Gravy, but wasn't much of a fan of the Censored Ale.

Hop Stoopid pours a light golden amber color with a small, but tight white head. It did leave sheets of lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The nose is very vibrant with fresh scents of pine, citrus fruit, and candy sugar. I don't get much malt in the nose, but just loads of fresh hops. The flavor profile is dominated by sticky pine and orange peel. I also get plenty of grapefruit in there, but the pine stays as the most dominant hop flavor. The sweet malt comes into play only slightly and is pushed around by the floral hops, and it never quite makes itself fully known. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly creamy with no alcohol on the mouth. The drinkability is top-notch and I would gladly buy more of this beer if I am able to get any more.

This beer does not have enough malt bite to be a DIPA though I personally don't think, but I am not going to split hairs on this one. This beer is very tasty, clean, and a very refreshing IPA. This was about perfect sitting outside on a warm day enjoying spring.

Cheers!
Matt

Port Brewing Hop 15

2008-04-21T12:21:00.005-04:00

Beer: Port Brewing Hop 15
Brewery Location: San Marcos, CA
Beer Style: Double IPA
ABV: 10%

My first offering from Port Brewing was the Wipeout IPA which I thought was very tasty, and this is a DIPA from them, so I am pretty excited to give this beer a try. I've been hooked on California IPA's and DIPA's thus far this spring. I liked the artwork on the front of this bottle. It is a squadron of bombers dropping hop bombs into a pint glass. This beer was named as a 15th Anniversary beer and uses 15 types of hops added to the boil every 15 minutes. I split this bottle with my best friend Kevin at his place.

Hop 15 pours a hazy golden deep copper color with a small but dense off-white head with minimal carbonation. It already looks like I am going to enjoy this DIPA. This beer left sheets of lacing for the entire beer. The scent is first dominated by oily hops with scents of candied grapefruit, orange zest, and earthy grassy notes. I can smell the caramel sweet malt coming to life more as the beer warmed a bit. The flavor profile is at first very heavy on the hop bitterness with each drink bringing on tastes of pine, grapefruit, and fresh orange peel. The malt does come into play here, but never quite balances out the hop bitterness with just a slight touch of sweet malt. The mouth feel is smooth and medium bodied with a touch of alcohol in the mouth as well. Drink ability is a also very good, but one bomber was enough for me for the time being.

I think this is another really great beer from Port Brewing. I wouldn't call it by any means my favorite DIPA, but it is well worth seeking out again. If you are a hop-head you should at least try and get your hands on a bottle of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale

2008-04-19T23:20:00.000-04:00

Beer: Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
Brewery Location: Lyons, CO
Beer Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%

Ricebier ist nicht gut! All of the cans of Oskar Blues that I've seen have had some little quip on them, and this is on the one on this can. If you are not much of a German language fan it simply means that ricebeer is not good. It is taking a poke at some of the big boys that use rice in their recipes.

The can also states this beer is: "A Huge Voluminously Hopped Mutha Of A Pale Ale." As a hop-head I laughed at this, but I will at least give it the benefit of the doubt after having a bottle of Gordon and a can of Ten-Fidy.

It pours a clear golden amber hue with a thick and frothy white head. It leaves great lacing on the walls on my pint glass. I can smell the American C-hops as I pour this beer. The nose has good scents of grapefruit, pine, and orange peel. The flavor profile isn't quite a vibrant as the nose, but it still has balanced flavors of flowery (at sometimes pungent) C-hops and a sugar-cookie malt base rounds everything out nicely. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation that is crisp and refreshing. The drink ability holds up very well, and I would reach for this if it were available locally.

I thought this was a very tasting offering of Oskar Blues take on an APA. It had all of the citrus flavors that I love in American hops, but it wasn't quite a bold in the flavor profile as the nose would lead onto. Dale's Pale Ale it isn't my favorite take on this style, but does warrant further research by this hop-head.

Cheers!
Matt

Bell's Oberon Ale

2008-04-17T20:41:00.002-04:00

Beer: Bell's Oberon Ale
Brewery Location: Comstock, MI
Beer Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: 5.8%

Baseball season is here! I love baseball, I love the Cubs, and I love good beer on warm day. Oberon is one of the Bell's seasonal beers that I first started with when I first got into craft beer. This beer is brewed to correspond with baseball season, but also helps signal that spring and summer are here. I have very fond memories of this beer and the summer time at college and playing golf with a sixer of this in tow. I had a bottle of this over at my best friends house, and this is my first Oberon of the season. Something you may not have known is that Oberon was once called Solsun, but Molson sued over the name and Oberon was born.

Oberon pours very hazy orange/amber hue with one fingers worth of thick white head that dissipated very quickly and left minimal lacing. The nose is loaded with spicy wheat and orange citrus zest scents are very apparent upfront with a little bit of lemon lagging behind. The taste isn't as bold as the nose would indicate, but the flavor profile is an equal combination of fresh citrus fruit (mostly orange) with the soft wheat malt apparent as well. There is also maybe a touch of clove hiding in there as well and accented with the spicy saaz hops. The mouthfeel is very light and crisp and slightly effervescent. I will certainly be drinking more of these this summer, and they are 8.49 a sixer at Trader Joe's.

A great summer brew for those lazy summer days, or the days when you've been working outside. I think this years batch isn't nearly as sweet as the 2007 batch, but if I had my choice I would still reach for Three Floyd's Gumballhead over Oberon. Personally, Gumballhead sets the standard of pale wheat ales for me.

Cheers!
Matt

Russian River

2008-04-16T17:36:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to get my hands on Russian River for a while, and a trader I've had a long term friendship with hooked me up today. In the middle is a bottle of Temptation and a bottle of the very much sought after Beatification. I can't wait to start in on these, but I also want to hoard them, but beer is for drinking!

Cheers!
Matt

Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

2008-04-16T14:42:00.003-04:00

Beer: Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster
Brewery Location: Athens, GA
Beer Style: American Amber Ale
ABV: 8.3%

This is only my second offering from Terrapin. I've only had beers from their "monster beer tour" series. I've never had anything from their regular lineup. I am curious what this imperial red is going to take like since it has a bit of age on it. This beer only comes out in the fall each year, and Terrapin releases a new "monster beer" every quarter. This bottle is from the 2007 vintage.

Pours a very dark copper color with deep ruby accents when held to the light. A very thin layer of off-white head leaves spotty lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The is extremely malt dominated with heavy scents of dark fruits (figs, plums, and raisins) with only a slight pine scent rushing to the nose. It is not as hop dominated as I thought, but I am assuming the age on this beer is contributing to that. I taste the hops more upfront, but is still rather subtle. The hop profile is a combination of pine and light citrus fruit that is almost earthy with a mineral water quality to it. The malt however steps up the plate and takes over where the hop profile falls flat. The malt tastes of caramelized soaked doughy uncooked bread and sweet toffee. The malt profile is very tasty, but doesn't have much zing without the hops. The mouthfeel is creamy with low carbonation. I certainly would drink this beer again, but it would have to available locally.

Overall, this was a very tasty brew, but doesn't cross into the "monster" territory as the name states. I would like to try this beer this year though when it is fresh and see if the hop profile is a little more vibrant when it is fresh.

Cheers!
Matt

Surley Brewing Bender

2008-04-10T18:57:00.004-04:00

Beer: Surly Brewing Bender
Brewery Location: Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
Beer Style: American Brown Ale
ABV: 5.10%

This is my second beer from Surly. I really enjoyed Furious when I had it, and was happy to get some more in trade. I wrote before that Surly is another company that is exclusively canning their beer and not bottling it. I have no problem at all with beers that come from a can. I like the 16oz cans that Surly is using. I honestly think that there will be many more brewers that will be at least partially moving to some canned beer. I see companies always makings bottles, but also putting some of their lineup in cans. It is easier to ship, pack, and costs less for brewers, and also I think that as the craft beer movement continues to get bigger consumers will demand it. That is just my take on that though.

Bender pours with a very dark brown body with a two finger frothy tan head on it. It left great lacing that lasted the entire beer. The nose is earthy and nutty with caramel undertones with loads of chocolaty malt coming through. The flavor profile is a big surprise for a brown ale. The malt base with the chocolate and caramel is coming through very strong. Secondary flavors also include grassy hops that go from earthy to an almost slight pine that seems to fade in and out with each drink. As the beer warms I get some bittersweet coffee and vanilla beans in the flavor profile as well. The mouthfeel on this beer is creamy and velvety smooth that leaves just a slightly dry finish. The drinkability is very top-notch on this offering and at this ABV is quite sessionable.

In terms of being a brown ale this beer is impressive. I didn't really find this to be a brown ale though. It has the complexity of quality porter and the hop profile of an APA. Whatever style this falls into I just know it is a tasty offering, and I look forward to trying to get my hands on some more of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Port Brewing Company Wipeout IPA

2008-04-08T15:05:00.004-04:00

Beer: Port Brewing Company Wipeout IPA
Brewery Location: San Marcos, CA
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%

It is officially spring here in Indiana, and I couldn't be happier about it. This past winter wasn't a bad winter in terms of how much snow we got, but it just always seemed like it was either raining or snowing here. As soon as it gets warm outside I start moving to IPA's and pale wheat ales for the summer. My best friend Kevin and his soon-to-be wife Courtney were over last night and I split this bottle with him.

I've never had anything from Port Brewing, but they have a very good reputation and between three brewpubs make a huge lineup of beer. I love the aggressive take of California IPA's, and this one sounds no different.

This beer pours a blazing peach color with two fingers of sticky-white head, and it left spotty lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The nose on this beer just reminds me spring time. Loads of grapefruit, earthy pine, and grassy floral notes, and sweet caramel at the base. The flavor profile delivers right where the nose ends. This is how I like my IPA's. The hop flavor is bitter and aggressive with flavors of pine and ripe citrus fruit. The sweetness of the malt comes in very late to round things out on the palate. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with slightly above average carbonation on it that left a slight "doughy" texture on the back of my palate. The drink ability on this beer is fantastic and I want more!

This beer signaled the coming of summer for me. If this beer were available in Indiana it would go into regular rotation for me. It is a hoppy and aggressive IPA that was just right for this hop-head.

Cheers!
Matt

Oskar Blues Gordon DIPA

2008-04-04T21:10:00.003-04:00

Beer: Oskar Blues Gordon DIPA
Brewery Location: Lyons, CO
Beer Style: Double IPA
ABV: 9.2%

Ever since I had the pleasure of trying Ten-Fidy from Oskar Blues I've been trying to get my hands on more beer from this brewery. A very kind soul sent me a bottle of this beer. Oskar Blues normally puts all of their beer in cans, but back in 2003 and 2004 they made this beer in 750ml bottles. I split this with my friend and the person that helped push me back into craft beer Joe. I took the cap of this beer and found a cork sitting inside of the bottle as well to keep it fresh.

This pours a very murky and deep brown with amber highlight on the edges. A huge three fingered head sat atop of this dark brew. The amount of head and lacing is very impressive for a beer with this high an ABV. I can smell this beer as I was pouring two glasses of it. I get good scents of caramel and sweet brown sugar. The hop presence takes a back seat to the malt, but it does provide good scents of woody pine and grapefruit rind. I served this beer a little too cold, but once it warmed up I got some really nice flavors. The malt was the main player in the flavor profile with loads of caramel and candied fruit. The hop profile is indicative of classic American hops. Tastes of tropical fruit and earthy wooded pine dominate the hop profile. The hops do not quite balance out the malt, but they still pair very nicely together. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, but still somehow is a little chewy as well. There is also a slight alcohol finish on the tongue. Drinkability is very good and I would have polished off another one of these bottles quite easily.

They call this a double IPA, but I think it had more qualities of an English barleywine/IPA. The years of age left the hop profile a little more subtle. I won't be able to get another one of these bottles, but I am happy to have had the opportunity. I would love to try this out of the can now.

Cheers!
Matt

Southern Tier Unearthly IIPA

2008-04-03T21:36:00.004-04:00

Beer: Southern Tier Unearthly IIPA
Brewery Location: Lakewood, NY
Beer Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 11%

I have been stockpiling beer, and I need to stop it. I had a friend over from work to help me try and put a dent in some beer I've been meaning to try to get worked through.

This was my very first offering from Southern Tier. This beer has a good reputation among beer geeks, and I traded for a bottle of this beer. It does come in a very nice silk-screened bottle with the most amount of information I've ever seen a company put on their bottle. It tells you the IBU's, type of hops that went into it, and the malt it contains.

Pours a very clear orange color with a small creamy white head on it. It left patchy lacing on the walls of my pint glass. I get a good whiff of this as I pour it. Dominant scents include sticky pine, ripe citrus fruit, and subtle earthiness. I also get some lesser scents including bready malt and an underlying honey sweetness smell. The taste is of very sweet honey-like malt and bitter hops. There is a bit of a caramel undertone to this beer as well. The hops seem a bit subdued and do not have the quality on the palate as they do in the nose. The mouthfeel is medium and the alcohol is very well hidden. The drinkability did not hold well for me on this beer. It was very sweet and I suspect underattenuation on this beer. That would explain a nice body and mouthfeel and an overall sweet taste.

I was very excited for this beer, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I suspect this may have been a bad bottle with the underlying sweetness that was present here. I will certainly give it another try, but I won't be trading for it.

Cheers!
Matt

Founder's Devil Dancer

2008-03-28T21:12:00.003-04:00

Beer: Founder's Devil Dancer
Brewery Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer Style: Double/Imperial IPA
ABV: 13%

I was trying to figure out how to start this post about this beer, but Founder's sums it up pretty damn well.

"Founders most complex, most innovative, most feared and yet most revered ale produced. Massive in complexity the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alpha's used to create this monster. More IBU's than any brewery has documented, more than you would believe and dry-hopped for twenty-six days straight with a combination of 10 hop varieties. Dangerously drinkable and deliciously evil. We dare you to dance with the Devil."

I missed the boat getting a bottle of this last time it came out, but I wasn't going to miss the boat this year. I bought the very first four pack that Party Pak had before it even hit the shelves (at least that is what the guy told me as he handed me a four pack of it from the box on the floor).

Founder's stock is quickly rising in my book. I have yet to have a beer from Founder's that I wasn't a fan of. Even beer styles that I thought I would hate, Founder's changed my mind on those styles. I am particularly thinking of Red Rye, Black Rye, and Rubaeus. Particularly I was thinking that Rubaeus would taste like a teenage malt beverage, but it is a great summer beer that delivers a great raspberry flavor with a solid ale base that is tart and not cloyingly sweet. I dare say that Founders is my second favorite brewery behind Three Floyd's.

The beer pours a rusted orange/amber hue with a thin tan head. There is no lacing to speak of during the beer. The nose on this beer is about as complex as you will find in a beer. I think this smells more like a barleywine than an IIPA. The heaviest scents include the very rich maltiness with heavy tropical fruit, resinous pine, and sweet caramel. There is also a cognac like booze smell coming from this beer. Each time I put my nose into it I get something new! The nose is really well done on this one. The flavor profile is equally as intense. For an IIPA the taste is more malt based on this beer. The malt is the heavy hitter here with flavors of caramel and brown sugar and rum soaked raisins. The hop profile comes in after a few seconds but plays second to the malt profile. The hop profile tastes of fresh grapefruit rind and sticky pine. There is some sharp alcohol flavor as well, but in no ways takes away from this beer but adds another unique quality to this beer. This beer will challenge your palate. I don't think this beer crosses the "boozy" line on the mouthfeel, but I personally don't mind the alcohol on the mouthfeel. This beer is full-bodied and has a velvety texture. I will stop praising this beer when it comes to drinkability though. At 13% you wouldn't last very long with many of these. I had one 12 ounce bottle and that was enough for me for a while.

This beer was amazingly intense and well done. I still think it tasted more like a barleywine than an IIPA, but that is just my take. Another beer that would best enjoyed by "big beer" lovers. This is a little pricey at 15 bucks a four pack, but after having this beer I think it was well worth it.

Cheers!
Matt

Stoudt's Double IPA

2008-03-27T19:30:00.001-04:00

Beer: Stoudt's Double IPA
Brewery Location: Adamstown, PA
Beer Style: Double IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 10%

Spring is pretty much upon us and I am starting to get the itch for pale ales, IPA's, and double IPA's. I got this bottle in a trade a few weeks ago. I've never had or heard of any beers from Stoudt before, so this is my very first offering from them. I don't know much about Stoudt's other than they are from Pennsylvania, and their beers are available in Michigan and Ohio but nothing in Indiana.

This pours a bright and hazy orange color with two fingers of off-white head. The beer left minimal lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The nose presents itself while I pour this beer and I get the smell of overwhelming citrus fruit. As the beer settled a bit I get more bready malt coming through, but I was about half-way done with my beer before I got that. The flavor profile at first sip starts out with a clean citrus hop bite, but the very sweet malt comes into play very quickly and drowns out the hops in the flavor profile. The sweetness is a mixture of honey and caramel. The sweetness if very cloying to me. The mouthfeel is actually really nice and smooth with medium carbonation with a medium body. The drinkability wasn't really there for me in this beer. The sweetness would keep me away from it.

This beer had two good things going for it: esthetically it looks great, and the mouthfeel is really well done for a DIPA. I did not enjoy the cloying sweetness on this beer though. I like my DIPA's a little more bitter than this. Personally, this was a bit of a miss for me.

Cheers!
Matt

Victory Brewing Storm King Stout

2008-03-22T21:15:00.002-04:00

Beer: Victory Brewing Storm King Stout

Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Serving Style: Bottle

ABV: 9.1%

I've saved the best for last in my Victory Brewing trade. This beer is quite respected and is one of the top 100 beers on Beer Advocate and on Rate Beer. This is a seasonal offering from Victory and is usually available around the winter time, but according to their website it says available on draft and in bottles year round. My stout kick is starting to fade, but I still like stouts on the occasion anytime of the year.

This beer pours very dark brown, but not quite black, with a finger of creamy tan head that dissipated after a few minutes. It left great lacing for a Russian imperial stout on my pint glass. The aroma on this is a very unique combination of classic stout scents including coffee, espresso, dark fruit, and roasted grain, but also an earthy hoppy citrus scent that actually works itself in very well. The first sip brings on the roasted malt flavor upfront with secondary flavors of espresso and chocolate soaked coffee beans. The citrus hops make their appearance on the finish with just a slight grassy citrus kick at the end. This flavor profile is done very well with as much as is going on with the beer. The mouthfeel is velvety and smooth on the palate that leaves a slightly dry finish. The alcohol is very well hidden and only barely noticeable. The drink ability on this beer is good and I would have more than one of a cold night.

I really enjoyed this beer. I knew this stout used hops in it and I was afraid it was going to be like Black Sun Stout from Three Floyds. The floral aroma was just too strong with the Three Floyds offering, but this is pulled back and subdued and doesn't try to dominate the flavor profile, but only add a little something extra that a normal stout. That makes this an above average Russian imperial stout. If you find yourself down at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati it is certainly worth picking some up.

Cheers!
Matt

Deschutes Brewery Green Lakes Organic Ale

2008-03-20T14:30:00.002-04:00

Beer: Deschutes Brewery Green Lake Organic Ale
Brewery Location: Bend, OR
Beer Style: Amber Ale
Serving Style: Bomber
ABV: 5.2%

If you read this enough you know one of my very favorite breweries is Deschutes Brewing in Bend, Oregon. We can't get it in Indiana, but it is well worth seeking out if you are on the west coast or ordering it through Liquid Solutions. This beer is currently available for $4.55 a bomber through Liquid Solutions, but I happened to trade for this bottle.

The idea behind this beer is a brewer being "green" with their beer. According to their website they worked on this beer for four years trying to find the right organic barley. Organic barley roasts differently than traditional barley does, and that was the cause for the holdup. I think it would be interesting to make this beer with both organic barley and regular barley and see if there is any taste differentiation in either beer. This beer beer is part of their Bond Street Series that commemorates their original location on Bond Street in Bend. Their website says this beer is available from January through April. I find it interesting that this beer is made using "salmon-safe" hops in it. I honestly didn't think hops would be much of an agricultural danger for river fish, but you learn something new every day.

This beer pours a very clear ruby hue with a fluffy two fingered white head. The head collapsed quite slowly and left a sheet of lace for the entire beer, and it left spotty lacing on the glass. The nose is a mix of bready malt with a caramel base and some earthy citrus smell is apparent. The flavor profile is unique for an amber ale. The first drink brings on flavors of caramel soaked bread but the bitter hops come in as well. I am not sure if it the organic hops here or the style of hops, but the earthiness if a different type of flavor. It is almost an astringent citrus flavor. It isn't a bad taste to me, but it just strikes me a little differently. Old and bitter black tea is the best way I can try and describe that. The mouthfeel is crisp, clean, and very smooth. I would drink this again if it were available locally.

I think Deschutes has a good beer here. It does make me feel differently (in a good way) about organic beer. I would say this is good middle of the road beer. It is just a good offering, but doesn't cross the great threshold.

Cheers!
Matt

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

2008-03-19T08:58:00.004-04:00

Beer: Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
Brewery Location: Healdsburg, CA
Beer Style: American IPA
Serving Style: Bomber
ABV: 8%

I've been trying to get some more Bear Republic offerings since I was pretty impessed with Racer 5, and this is my second offering from them. I never thought I would like any beer with rye in it, but Fouders Red Rye has got me convinced that I will always give something with rye in it a chance. The Founders offering is one of my favorites. I split this bottle with my best friend and beer drinking buddy Kevin.

This beer pours a deep mahogony hue with three fingers of very dense tan head on it. The head collapes fairly quickly, but does leave good spotty lacing on my pint glass. There is some significant amount of spent yeast and hop particles in this offering as well. I smell this beer as I pour it. The hop scent is extremley dominant on this offering with big wafts of grapefruit rind, sticky pine needles, and pineapple. The malt isn't as dominant as the hops but does present itself with scents of grain and caramel. The first taste brings on all of those hops with the grapefruit and pine flavors coming to the forefront, but the malt is much more pronounced in the flavor profile than in the nose. The malt has flavors of the caramel, grain, rye, candied fruit, and a certain honey sweetness is present as well. The flavors meld very well together and I think the rye is the perfect compliment to the bitterness of the hops and adds a fruity spicyness to the beer. The mouthfeel on this beer is super smooth and medium bodied. I can't say to much more about this beer other than I will purchase any time I have the opporutunity.

Overall I was pretty happy with this offering. I am not sure why they classify this as an american IPA. It walks and talks like a double IPA, and has the mouthfeel and finish of a top notch barleywine. This is worth getting your hands on if you can get it.

Cheers!
Matt

St. Patrick's Party with the Hoosier Beer Geeks

2008-03-16T17:37:00.007-04:00

Event: St. Patrick's Day Party with the Hoosier Beer Geeks
Location: Deano's Vino

I was out on Saturday night with the wife for evening out and we stopped by for the St. Patrick's day party with the Hoosier Beer Geeks at Deano's Vino in Fountain Square. It was really nice to just relax for a bit and have a couple of good beers and good conversation. They had three special beers on tap for the occasion. Brian Boru from Three Floyds, Brutal Bitter ESB from Rouge, and Black Majic Java Stout from Barley Island.

I started my evening off with Rouge's Brutal Bitter ESB. I've never had it on tap and that was lower in IBU's compared to the Three Floyds, so I started with that. The beer poured a nice orange/gold color with a small off-white head on it. It had a nice nose of hop and pine resin on it. It wasn't an overpowering nose, but it was nice. The flavor profile wasn't a big as I had hoped for. Solid flavors of sticky pine and some sweet caramel malt come through nicely. It was crisp on the mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Overall, this is a pretty good offering, but I am little ho-hum over it. It is almost like an IPA for beginners. I can't bitch that much, this was a good beer, and I was neither unsatisfied or had my socks knocked off by this beer.

My second beer of the night was Brian Boru from Three Floyds. I've had this beer in bomber form, but never on tap. I was told that there were only four kegs of this in Indiana and two of them were at Deano's. Pours a deep copper approaching an almost ruddy hue. Wonderful scents of sticky caramel, spicy floral aromatics, and pineapple are apparent. The taste is a well balanced combination of a toasted bready malt and sticky caramel with a nice compliment of hops in the flavor profile. This beer was my winner of the evening. Overall, just a very clean and easy drinking palate pleaser.

A big thanks to the Hoosier Beer Geeks for putting on another great event with some very tasty brews.

Cheers!
Matt

Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery Ten Fidy

2008-03-11T20:38:00.005-04:00

Beer: Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery Ten-Fidy
Brewery Location: Lyons, CO
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Serving Style: can
ABV: 10.0%

"This dog'll hunt"
This quote is on the back of the can, and for some reason I find amusement out of it.

I finally got my hands on this much sought after beer from a very generous trader. The thing I like about the beer community is that I've run across so many good people that want to share beer with other beerlovers in return for them sharing their beer with them. This beer has a big reputation behind it, and you can see it on Ebay where single cans can fetch fifty bucks or more. (I personally think that is disgusting and Ebay beer should be stopped.)

Oskar Blues is another company that is exclusively canning their beer instead of bottling it. They were actually the first micro-brewery to do it in 2002 according to their website. There are not many companies doing it, but Oskar Blues is reporting excellent growth and is expanding in other states. I guess it shows people that great beer can trump the stigma of beer coming in can instead of bottle form, but the can is actually superior to bottles for beer geeks. Needless to say that I am pretty excited to give this beer a try.

Pours an opaque black with one finer of dark mocha/tan head on it. It is very strange seeing a black beer pouring out of a can, and also not getting the canned "hiss" sound when opened. I rather like pouring this beer from can to glass. There is a ton of bittersweet chocolate in the nose with secondary scents of roasted coffee, molassas, hops, and some dark fruit. Quite the impressive nose on an imperial stout. The roasted coffee flavors come through at first sip, but other flavors intermingle quite well like powdered bitter cocoa, roasted grain, and burnt currants/plums. You notice all the flavors, but the bitter coffee/chocolate flavor comes through in every drink. I can barely detect any alcohol on the palate as well. This beer is velvety smooth and full bodied. The carbination is low, as it should be. The drinkability is top-notch for this beer, and I would stock my house with it if I could find it locally, but I would have to be in the mood for this beer and wouldn't drink it on all occassions.

Overall this is one of the best Russian Imperial Stouts I've had the pleasure of drinking, and I would put it in my top ten of overall beers I've ever had. It is very complex with a wonderful flavor profile, and just overall an amazingly well made beer. The complexity is my favorite aspect of this offering. This beer certainly isn't for everyone and would be most enjoyed by "big beer" fans. If you have some of this beer and want to trade me for some please let me know.

Cheers!
Matt

Sierra Nevada 2007 Celebration Ale

2008-03-09T22:31:00.004-04:00

Beer: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Brewery Location: Chico, CA
Beer Style: American IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.8%

I need to get better about my beer buying/consuming/stockpiling of beer. I can't go to the store and not bring something back or refuse a trade for something I haven't had before. Every now and then I find beer that I forgot about, and this is one of those beers. After consuming this I am thinking why the hell was I waiting?

I've said it before but Sierra Nevada is one of my favorite craft breweries. I've been very happy with almost all of their offerings, and they are very easy to find at very reasonable prices.

This beer pours a blazing copper color with two fingers of bubbly white head that collapsed down very quickly, but left a small blanket of head for the entire beer. It left really nice lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The smell is distinctly Sierra Nevada. Their robust use of cascade and chinook hops are not missed on the nose. Scents of ripe citrus fruit along with a certain grassy earthiness that I find appealing. A slight scent of caramel malt is also trying to reach my nose. The taste is a balance of the citrus flavor from the hops and the sweet caramel malt. Upfront is the flavor of the hops and the sweet malt rounds everything out just right. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly above average carbonation that leaves a dry finish on the back of my palate. The drinkablity is nice on this beer and I am glad I got to this winter offering at what is hopefully the end of winter.

I really enjoyed this beer. It is a well made IPA that isn't a hop bomb, but a bold and well balanced beer that would be nice for hop-heads and beer lovers. I will look forward to this beer again next winter or more of this years offering because I am pretty sure Party Pak still has some of this beer left on their shelves.

Cheers!
Matt

Victory Brewing Company Hop Devil

2008-03-09T09:05:00.004-04:00

Beer: Victory Brewing Hop Devil
Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA
Beer Style: American IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.7%

I am working my way through about six offerings from Victory Brewing right now, and I've heard and read some great things about this beer, so I was pretty excited to give it a try.

This beer pours a deep amber with one finger of white head. This is a deeper color than most other IPA's I've encountered. It does leave very good lacing on my pint glass. Hops are the only thing I smell on this beer, but that isn't really a good thing. The hop scent is rather muted and not as bold as I was expecting. I don't really pick up any other secondary scents as well. The taste is very sweet upfront with a bit of caramel before the hops take over and assert themselves, but the hops fizzle out rather quickly and leave a tea-bitterness for the rest of the beer. I am rather unsatisfied with each passing drink. The mouthfeel is rather thin, but there is quite a bit of astringency that normally isn't found on IPA's.

Overall, this was a big miss for me. I am a big hop-head, but this one fizzled out, wasn't well balanced, and the astringency wasn't expected either. This beer is so highly regarded by the masses, and I am wondering what I am missing here. I am going to try it again if I make it down to Jungle Jim's and see if it was just an off bottle.

Cheers!
Matt

Victory Brewing Company Hop Wallop

2008-03-03T09:38:00.004-05:00

Beer: Victory Brewing Hop Wallop
Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA
Beer Style: Double IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 8.5%

I've just traded for quite a bit of Victory Brewing's beers. I first had Victory after a visit to Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati. My first beer from them was their Prima Pils. I am not usually a fan of the pilsener style, but I was really wowed by it, and I get some every chance that I get.

Victory has pretty good distribution across the county for a micro brewer, but doesn't come to Indiana. You can find this beer in almost every state that touches Indiana in Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan.

Hop Wallop is Victory's seasonal DIPA that comes out each year around November.

Pours a hazy golden-straw color with two fingers of fluffy white head. It left sheets of lacing on my pint glass. The nose is packed full of citrus hops scent. There is a subtle earthiness mixed, but I cannot pickup any malt background. I almost smell a bit of candied fruit as well. The flavor profile is heavy on the hops with flavors of ripe pink grapefruit and resinous pine dominate without much of a malt base to round things out. The beer is medium bodied with medium carbonation that left a very dry finish on the back of my palate. I would certainly purchase this beer again, but the unbalanced nature of the beer wouldn't make it part of my regular rotation.

Overall, this is a pretty good beer. I wanted a little more balance out of the beer, but that shouldn't deter any hop heads out there.

Cheers!
Matt

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

2008-02-25T21:34:00.004-05:00

Beer: Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
Brewery Location: Healdsburg, CA
Beer Style: American IPA
Serving Style: Bomber
ABV: 7.0%

There are so many great breweries across the county, and I am doing my best to try and give each one a try. I've heard some great things about Bear Republic, and this is my first offering from them. I've been impressed with many California brewers interpretations on the IPA style, and I've also been quite let down by some hyped IPA's from there as well. I can't believe this beer is only 2.99 in California. I am not sure why west coast beers are significantly cheaper than here in the mid-west. I can't really think of any bombers that are available locally that are around that price point that I would purchase often. If you ever shop at Liquid Solutions you will notice how west coast brewers tend to have very attractive price points for very well respected beers. You can buy this beer right now for $3.48 a bomber over at Liquid Solutions.

Pours a hazy amber color with one finger of creamy white head that left sheets of lacing on the walls of my imperial pint glass. The smell of this beer hit me as I was pouring it. Big scents of citrus fruit and an earthy grassy scent that both equally vie for your attention. A slight bit of sweet malt is also trying to make itself known on the nose as well. The flavor profile is a duel battle between the sweet caramel malt and the citrus and pine flavor of the hops. Neither flavor dominates each other and this flavor profile is well crafted and well made. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but overall it is medium bodied with lower than average carbonation. The drink ability on this beer is impressive, and it leaves me wanting Bear Republic in Indiana.

This is a quintessential IPA. This is a well made IPA that doesn't slap you in the face with over the top hop flavor, but instead it is a well crafted and well balanced IPA that is a pleasure to drink. This would be good on most any occasion and would pair itself nicely with spicier food. I will continue to buy this from Liquid Solutions or trade for it. This is well worth that minor trouble.

Cheers!
Matt

Growing Your Own Hops

2008-02-24T14:32:00.003-05:00

I am going to take a shot at growing my owns hops this year. I know my first year will not yeild big results, but I am hoping my second growing season will yield some good results.

I've got to admit I am not much of a gardener, but I've been reading that hop plants will grow just about anywhere, and with just a little TLC, they will grown with minimal supervision.

I am going to order them from Northern Brewer, but does anyone else have suggestions or comments about growing your own hops?