I wish, the scotch ale will have only been in the bottle for a week. I'll have had some, but I wouldn't want to expose it to the masses yet.
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YAY!!!! I just found a specialty beer and wine store that I never knew existed, so now I have a local supplier of lots to choose from. I picked a 6 of Avery's White Rascal (belgian wheat) to try tonite. Also on the way home I went to the regular store to pick up some less pricey suds, and they had Budweiser American Ale...I've never seen it before. Drinking it now, it's a decent amber, better than I expected for a mass production brewery. Pretty good flavor up front, but watery on the backside.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Ale-2005-Smoother after about 3 years of being "cellared." Robust hops and tons of malt. Tobacco and licorice tastes. Slightly cloudy after 3 years but not skunky or spoiled. IBU about 90 according to a link RMD provided recently. 9.6% ABV and it tastes every bit of it. Not for the faint of tongue.
At my place "cellared" means lost. I love discovering "cellared" beer. I haven't lived anywhere long enough yet in the last decade to cellar my brews for 3 years yet.
Awesome...Mr. ESPN...I've got to sit on being Bilas for the night, too cool. Night folks, yay Jay!
Bigfoot-2006 vintage-don't notice too much different 'tween the '05 and the '06. Bursting with hops, slight cloying sweetness with tons of malty goodness-probably caramel malts. Brutal for the uninitiated but enjoyable for the true "hopheads."
Searched for a while to find this review to refresh my memory after my 2 night enjoyment of a bottle of this.
120 Minute IPA-Dogfish Head-WOW-It has been several years since enjoying one of these but it won't be that long again. I got a bargain on this and "only" paid 7.99 for a 12 ounce bottle. Took me 2 nights to savor it. Mine poured an orange-red color and was slightly cloudy. Interesting difference with me-I tasted fresh squeezed grapefruit and rind with this. Also thought about fresh OJ with tons of pulp and rind. Some cloves and sherry notes, too. Heavenly floral aroma. Slighly burns the nose and palate with its 20+% ABV. Took about an hour to enjoy a 6 ounce portion. I did find this in a couple stores over the last few months and stockpiled about 6 bottles (well, 5 now), along with some World Wide Stout and a bottle of Raison D'Extra-Lavabe got the 2nd bottle of this. The 120 variety probably should have a new designation of an IIIPA or a Triple IPA.
I actually think we had similar experiences. Very floral and fruity, especially orange flavors. I didn't get the grapefruit on the nose, and got some autumn fruit flavor, but a lot of the same. If I can find a bottle or two around here I'll pick some up and re-taste in light of your review. If not, it'll be until Xmas when I can tap into my dad's stockpiles.
Hopefully the 2008 Beast later tonight and a review to follow. I'll also be picking up a bomber of the Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine after reading the devildeac review from earlier this week. Never had it, but looking forward to it.
I have never, ever seen bombers of the Bigfoot. I have probably bought a 6er every year for the last 10 years. I doubt you'll find any now as the 2008 edition should be long gone from stores now and the 2009 release will not be out until at least January, 2009. I have seen it appear at our stores as late as February or March. I have several singles of the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 stored for enjoyment over the next several years.
Just finished an actual glass of 2008 Beast (the one reviewed above was a 2007).
Primarily the same, with a few minor changes to the review. On the nose it's a little brighter in terms of the fruit--as much orange as the dark fruits. Flavor is pretty much as described above with a bit of the dried fruit. Also, we often talk about how a beer finishes but sometimes determining when the flavor goes from the "start" to the "finish" can be tough (at least for me). There is no problem making that distinction here. You can literally feel the change from the fruity/sugar start to the caramel/toffee finish. Kind of a weird experience. As expected, this is a sipper--both because of the high ABV and the fact that the flavor changes so dramatically from cold to warm.
A challenge...
I would like to discuss beer/alcohol combinations. Not drinks like Boiler Makers (ymmm) or Irish Car Bombs (sacrilege), but separate beverages that compliment each other. I'll start, and then see where we go from there...
My all-time favorite (courtesy of my best friend since 6th grade and drummer extraordinaire) Guinness and a Gimlet. I prefer Vodka Gimlets over the traditional Gin because Gin is Satan's Juice. I think this is a great combo... sip of Gimlet, sharp and tart, and a nice draw off a pint of Guinness finishes pleasantly bitter and smooth, instantly killing the tart. Drink it!
Coming events:
1. Schlafly Oktoberfest
2. Schlafly Oatmeal Stout
3. New Glarus Wisconsin Red
4. New Glarus Raspberry Tart
5. Fat Tire bomber
All delivered yesterday by a woman who has now become my favorite patient after her 4500 mile journey along the Mississippi River and adjacent zip codes in August and September:cool::D.
Curious to know how the Raspberry is, flavored beers are hit and miss for me.
Mid boil now on the Dunkel Weiss, no bottling yet for the scotch since it's still fermenting. I'm in no rush if it isn't. Damn I love the smell of hops on the boil.