Ymm, Beer

[ohioguy2]

Goose Island 312. Billed as an "urban wheat" on the bottle. A very nice session beer that I have also had on tap. A couple of local pubs have started to push this beer (tap handles, glasses, posters, etc.) and I am glad I was sucked in to trying it. I had a couple with a pork chop dinner last night and also a "few" at a local places taco night last week. It drinks well out of the bottle and also looks good in a glass.

[devildeac]

Goose Island 312. Billed as an "urban wheat" on the bottle. A very nice session beer that I have also had on tap. A couple of local pubs have started to push this beer (tap handles, glasses, posters, etc.) and I am glad I was sucked in to trying it. I had a couple with a pork chop dinner last night and also a "few" at a local places taco night last week. It drinks well out of the bottle and also looks good in a glass.

Nice avatar but it no longer makes me jealous as NB now distributes in NC.

Red Hook Sunrye-a light, clear, pale yellow-golden pour with little hop presence as the rye smooths it out. Probably crystal malts. A pleasant porch swing beer in the spring/summer or a lawn mowing brew. I'd guess 30-40 IBU and 4-5% ABV.

[devildeac]

the last of a somewhat disappointing Red Hook sampler:

Long Hammer IPA-nothing special here but it was the best of the 4 choices. A bit floral and citrus but less flavor/bite than I'd expect from an IPA. Decent balance with the malts, probably crystal and caramel. I'd guess the IBU at about 60 and the bottle says the ABV is 6.8%. Not sure what I'll do with the rest of the sampler. Not bad enough for the "ycch, beer" thread but I'll not look forward to the remaining 6-8 bottles.

[devildeac]

Now, an unusual one. Good, but unusual.

Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville, Ver-Mont: Hell's Bock

Bock beers are lagers. The label says lager. This isn't like no lager that I never had before (how's that for a confusing triple negative??). IBU=75! WTH?! This really tastes like an IPA with some floral and citrus notes with not much maltiness to offset the bitterness. ABV is 8% which is high for a regular bock and more like a double bock which one would typically find at 7-9% ABV. This is really a good beer though despite its confusion in taste/labeling. Go to Ver-Mont, buy a bomber of this, throw some chicken or seafood on the grill, roast some veggies and enjoy.

A shout out to budwom for this beer trader.

[jkidd31]

Goose Island 312. Billed as an "urban wheat" on the bottle. A very nice session beer that I have also had on tap. A couple of local pubs have started to push this beer (tap handles, glasses, posters, etc.) and I am glad I was sucked in to trying it. I had a couple with a pork chop dinner last night and also a "few" at a local places taco night last week. It drinks well out of the bottle and also looks good in a glass.

I'm a big 312 fans since I can't get Fat Tire here. Nice smooth beer, great for watching Duke games because you can down a 6 pack and not feel like crud the next morning.

[jkidd31]

Nice avatar but it no longer makes me jealous as NB now distributes in NC.

Great news for you on the FTAA. It's still not here that I have seen (not surprising since Cincinnati is 20 years behind the times) I know you can get it in St Louis, Chicago, and have also heard Nashville and Memphis. If it's in NC I have no clue why somone is not distributing it here.

I might have to shoot New Belguim and e-mail.

[devildeac]

Duck-Rabbit barleywine-2009 edition

Very drinkable monster brew, even being this year's release. Some barleywines are rough the 1st year of release (see Bigfoot), but this is mildly sweet with lots of caramel and chocolate malts and tastes of smokiness/peat, scotch and dried figs. It's still pretty bitter as it is heavily hopped but they balance the maltiness pretty well. This would be great with some smoked sausage, hard cheeses or by itself in a snifter for your nightcap. I'd guess about 80-90 IBU and the bottle says 11% ABV and it's noticeably present throughout the 12 ounce serving. Let it sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes before opening/pouring as the flavors become much more complex as it warms.

[ohioguy2]

GLBC (Great Lakes Brewing Company) Conway's Irish Red, a bottle of which was consumed with my meal last evening. For starters, this is a "pretty" beer in the glass. It has that look that just wants you to admire it for awhile. A very nice head and a red glow. The beer tasted great from the first sip. It does have, as written on the bottle, a toasty flavor, which means some may not like it. It certainly complemented the chili my lovely wife had made us for the dreary day we were experiencing. It was on sale at my local beer shop for $5.99 a six pack--they had purchased the last several cases the distributor had and I was told "when its gone its gone".

[devildeac]

Old Dominion Brewing-Baltic Porter Winter Brew-A leftover from clbunchanumbers winter stock and I am glad he saved it and brought it to Spring Brunchgate. Good effort at the porter line with a deep brown pour with a moderate head. Not sure I taste any licorice like the bottle says but plenty of toffee and chocolate (milk, not dark) and a hint of coffee. A blend of malts with a touch of rye which adds a nice smoothness to the palate. ABV was 7%. A good sipper after dinner or with some chocolate desserts.

[ArnieMc]

Tried this on tap at County Grille. It's a well balanced amber ale with moderate malt and hops, but then there are the chipotle peppers. They give you a hint of smoke and pepper flavor along with a little heat. Excellent with pulled pork barbeque!

[ArnieMc]

Heavy Seas Holy Sheet Uber Alley Ale.
I love Sundays after a brunchgate, it's when I taste one or trades from the the day before. I got gifted from two traders yesterday, clbunchanumbers (whom I have actually memorized his numbers now, but I'm stuck in my old ways) and devildeac. The Heavy Seas offering is from DD.
Instantly fruity, and I'm trying to pick out the overt ones. No one fruit really stands out, the ale just has that quality to its flavor. It has a dark red color and high abv at 9%. On the bottle they call the color "deep bugundy", and the comparison to the wine isn't lost on the color alone. Between the color, higher alcohol and fruityness it's easy to place both side by side with a steak dinner. Medium body, low head..this brew is to be enjoyed over a long conversation or would be a good reading refresher. I'd buy it if I saw it in the store without hesitation.

I also had one of these on tap. It was very good but really didn't go well with the barbeque.

[devildeac]

Sam Adams Imperial Bock. This is the beer formerly known as Prince, err Double Bock and that is still on the label. The final one I had of the SA Imperial series. Lots of butterscotch and caramel from the caramel malts and leaning toward dark caramel. Some milk chocolate from the chocolate malts and rather sweet, almost syrupy. I like this style of beer so I'll give them a bit of slack. The "old" Double Bock was 8.5% ABV IIRC and they have raised the bar here with 9.5% ABV and it is boozey as I think bluebear said in his review recently. Don't drink it cold. Let it sit on the counter 15-30 minutes before decanting and sip this slowly for dessert or have it with a snickerdoodle cookie or 7 layer bar for the finale to a meal.

[bluebear]

Sam Adams Imperial Bock. This is the beer formerly known as Prince, err Double Bock and that is still on the label. The final one I had of the SA Imperial series. Lots of butterscotch and caramel from the caramel malts and leaning toward dark caramel. Some milk chocolate from the chocolate malts and rather sweet, almost syrupy. I like this style of beer so I'll give them a bit of slack. The "old" Double Bock was 8.5% ABV IIRC and they have raised the bar here with 9.5% ABV and it is boozey as I think bluebear said in his review recently. Don't drink it cold. Let it sit on the counter 15-30 minutes before decanting and sip this slowly for dessert or have it with a snickerdoodle cookie or 7 layer bar for the finale to a meal.

I had one of my 3 remaining a few nights ago and as you suggest, drank it warm...it seemed to cut down on the syrupy taste considerably..I enjoyed it far more at that temperature...

[devildeac]

I had one of my 3 remaining a few nights ago and as you suggest, drank it warm...it seemed to cut down on the syrupy taste considerably..I enjoyed it far more at that temperature...

I'm glad I can be of assistance.

Well, actually not as it appears you enjoyed it before my post.

[bjornolf]

Anybody tried Landshark Lager from the Margaritaville Brewing Co.? I assume it's a Jimmy Buffett Inc. creation. Is it any good? I saw it at my Wegman's up here in Virginia the other day.

[devildeac]

Anybody tried Landshark Lager from the Margaritaville Brewing Co.? I assume it's a Jimmy Buffett Inc. creation. Is it any good? I saw it at my Wegman's up here in Virginia the other day.

Looks like it's your turn for a review.

[ArnieMc]

Anybody tried Landshark Lager from the Margaritaville Brewing Co.? I assume it's a Jimmy Buffett Inc. creation. Is it any good? I saw it at my Wegman's up here in Virginia the other day.

I looked this up at BeerAdvocate. They gave it a D+ (avoid), but listed it as an American Adjunct Lager. I was not familiar with the term Adjunct so I looked that up. Here is the description from BeerAdvocate:

"Light bodied, pale, fizzy lagers made popular by the large macro-breweries (large breweries) of America after prohibition. Low bitterness, thin malts, and moderate alcohol. Focus is less on flavor and more on mass-production and consumption, cutting flavor and sometimes costs with adjunct cereal grains, like rice and corn."

So that's why Bud, etc. have little or no taste.

[devildeac]

I looked this up at BeerAdvocate. They gave it a D+ (avoid), but listed it as an American Adjunct Lager. I was not familiar with the term Adjunct so I looked that up. Here is the description from BeerAdvocate:

"Light bodied, pale, fizzy lagers made popular by the large macro-breweries (large breweries) of America after prohibition. Low bitterness, thin malts, and moderate alcohol. Focus is less on flavor and more on mass-production and consumption, cutting flavor and sometimes costs with adjunct cereal grains, like rice and corn."

So that's why Bud, etc. have little or no taste.

I knew they used the cheap/substitute grains in their beers for years but never heard them referred to as "Adjunct Lagers." LMAO! Good stuff-thanks for sharing.

[devildeac]

Chimay-Red-draft-wonderful ale. This is only mildly different/better than the bottled stuff, which is outstanding. Golden ale which is slightly cloudy due to cask/keg fermentation. A slight amount of pepper notes with apricot and apple scents and tastes. Served a bit too cold, but they have to keep it well-chilled to make the kegs last, this became even more fragrant and flavorful as the grilled salmon, mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies were enjoyed. REALLY spendy stuff ($19 for a 20 ounce goblet) at the WaDuke but we had a bunch of food points leftover and splurged a bit. Several of us did order the pre-theatre 3 course special to save a few $ however.

[devildeac]

The first in a LONG series of reviews after an evening of libations and dinner...

Chimay Bue/Grande Reserve-a marvelous Belgian dubble which pours dark brown and has notes of raisins, figs and dates with very mild hop presence/bitterness. Wonderful head which lingers. ABV quite prominent at 9%. We used this as an appetizer ale but it would be great with beef or as a dessert beverage in a goblet. A classic.