Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Been a long time since I have sought out Longshot brews. I have one remaining 1996 Longshot Hazelnut Brown in the fridge that might just be one of the best beers I've ever had. Its been in the fridge the whole time, but this was not a beer that was mean to be cellared, so I am unsure of what I will get if/when I ever crack it open.

I love the Longshot idea and applaud BBC for doing it.

Yea, not sure I'd drink that one. It's not a Thomas Hardy ale ;>)) . I'd look at that one longingly and remember how it tasted 16 years ago. LOL.

That was probably my favorite Longshot brew from their early years, followed closely by a mocha coffee stout if my distant beer memory is still intact. Rogue makes a really good hazelnut brown ale that I have not tasted for quite a number of years. Hmmm, maybe I'll be searching out one of those soon.

[devildeac]

A Dark Night in Munich-Boston Beer Company

Longshot brew #2. This is basically a dark (dunkel) lager with a clear, medium to dark brown color, 1-2 fingered head and aromas and tastes of dark caramel, milk chocolate and toffee. with minimal hop presence. Dark, toasted whole grain breads also come to mind with a bit of nuttiness. I'd guess the IBU to be rather low and in the 20 range. The ABV is on the bottle at 5.9% so it would be very easy to compare this to others of the style in a sitting or enjoy with soft pretzels and mustard, grilled BBQ items or German sausages.

I am sipping the imperial stout brother of the other two winners tonight .


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[fuse]

I went to Tyler's of Apex for their Thursday rare beer cask tapping. The driver was 21st Amendment Monk's Blood. I've never had it before, but it is a limited release beer that was supposedly going to be put on old for 2013 and perhaps indefinitely.

From the brewer:

Monk’s Blood is an 8.3% alcohol, dark Belgian-style ale brewed with eight malts, Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried local black mission figs and aged on oak for a flavor unlike anything you’ve ever had from a can.

All I can say is wow. The 10 ounce pour looked like muddy water, completely unexpected. In a sentence, sweet and strong. This was a great beer, and I would definitely drink it again, but for tonight one was enough.

This leads me to beer number 2. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Lone Rider, as I think their beers have a lot of potential but most fall short. Grave Digger, a black IPA, is the lone exception which was incredible. So with high hopes for this former Cisco employee run Raleigh brewery, I ordered the 7.3% "The Preacher", a saison.

After the Monk's Blood, it would have taken a truly terrible beer to stand out. I'm happy to say that my colored palate found " The Preacher" to be outstanding. I'd like to try it again as a first beer, but as a saison fan, this met my expectations and then some. It 's pretty high alcohol for a saison, but that might be my only complaint.

Post Tyler's, I decided to crack another New Belgium Shift. No relevance to these comments at all, but as a third beer to a completely overwhelmed set of taste buds, Shift hit the mark. I'm starting to appreciate Shift a bit more in spite of the "Fat Tire" bite at the finish.

Whew, a lot to fit in a few short reviews. If you like Belgian beers, find Monk's Blood while you can. If you are local to the Triangle and like the saison style, seek out The Preacher. Both beers will silently hear your confession (profession?) of love for a good beer and absolve you of any transgressions.

Enjoy!

[devildeac]

I went to Tyler's of Apex for their Thursday rare beer cask tapping. The driver was 21st Amendment Monk's Blood. I've never had it before, but it is a limited release beer that was supposedly going to be put on old for 2013 and perhaps indefinitely.

From the brewer:

Monk’s Blood is an 8.3% alcohol, dark Belgian-style ale brewed with eight malts, Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried local black mission figs and aged on oak for a flavor unlike anything you’ve ever had from a can.

All I can say is wow. The 10 ounce pour looked like muddy water, completely unexpected. In a sentence, sweet and strong. This was a great beer, and I would definitely drink it again, but for tonight one was enough.

This leads me to beer number 2. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Lone Rider, as I think their beers have a lot of potential but most fall short. Grave Digger, a black IPA, is the lone exception which was incredible. So with high hopes for this former Cisco employee run Raleigh brewery, I ordered the 7.3% "The Preacher", a saison.

After the Monk's Blood, it would have taken a truly terrible beer to stand out. I'm happy to say that my colored palate found " The Preacher" to be outstanding. I'd like to try it again as a first beer, but as a saison fan, this met my expectations and then some. It 's pretty high alcohol for a saison, but that might be my only complaint.

Post Tyler's, I decided to crack another New Belgium Shift. No relevance to these comments at all, but as a third beer to a completely overwhelmed set of taste buds, Shift hit the mark. I'm starting to appreciate Shift a bit more in spite of the "Fat Tire" bite at the finish.

Whew, a lot to fit in a few short reviews. If you like Belgian beers, find Monk's Blood while you can. If you are local to the Triangle and like the saison style, seek out The Preacher. Both beers will silently hear your confession (profession?) of love for a good beer and absolve you of any transgressions.

Enjoy!

Sounds like you should have finished your evening with a glass of The Reverend, Hog Heaven or Salvation from the Avery Brewing Company to complete your Holy Trinity instead of a Shift. Amazing you had a Monk's Blood. You'll never guess what I bought this weekend that's chilling in my 'fridge as I type this reply...

[devildeac]

Five Crown Imperial Stout-Boston Beer

The 3rd winner in the Longshot Home Brewing Contest. I have no idea why "Five Crown" but the imperial stout part is readily apparent in this nearly black pour with rich aromas of dark chocolate, hints of espresso and prominent tastes of black strap molasses and licorice. Could not find the IBU of this thick and oily beverage and I'd guess 60-70 but the hop bitterness is easily balanced by the above tastes. ABV is a shade low for a typical RIS at 8.9% and is fairly well hidden by all the other flavors. Sip for dessert at cellar or even room temperature or savor with a slice of chocolate pound cake or triple chocolate chip cookies. This is really quite a 6er. You get 2 different high gravity brews (2 of each) and 2 moderate ABV dunkels all for about $10. And the added bonus of not having to figure out how to get rid of the damned Boston Lagers they seem to include in every mixed 6er or 12 pack they distribute.

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[devildeac]

This might be a popular brew today:

420-Bottle-Shot-with-Logo-231x300.jpg

[devildeac]

I went to Tyler's of Apex for their Thursday rare beer cask tapping. The driver was 21st Amendment Monk's Blood. I've never had it before, but it is a limited release beer that was supposedly going to be put on old for 2013 and perhaps indefinitely.

From the brewer:

Monk’s Blood is an 8.3% alcohol, dark Belgian-style ale brewed with eight malts, Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried local black mission figs and aged on oak for a flavor unlike anything you’ve ever had from a can.

All I can say is wow. The 10 ounce pour looked like muddy water, completely unexpected. In a sentence, sweet and strong. This was a great beer, and I would definitely drink it again, but for tonight one was enough.

This leads me to beer number 2. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Lone Rider, as I think their beers have a lot of potential but most fall short. Grave Digger, a black IPA, is the lone exception which was incredible. So with high hopes for this former Cisco employee run Raleigh brewery, I ordered the 7.3% "The Preacher", a saison.

After the Monk's Blood, it would have taken a truly terrible beer to stand out. I'm happy to say that my colored palate found " The Preacher" to be outstanding. I'd like to try it again as a first beer, but as a saison fan, this met my expectations and then some. It 's pretty high alcohol for a saison, but that might be my only complaint.

Post Tyler's, I decided to crack another New Belgium Shift. No relevance to these comments at all, but as a third beer to a completely overwhelmed set of taste buds, Shift hit the mark. I'm starting to appreciate Shift a bit more in spite of the "Fat Tire" bite at the finish.

Whew, a lot to fit in a few short reviews. If you like Belgian beers, find Monk's Blood while you can. If you are local to the Triangle and like the saison style, seek out The Preacher. Both beers will silently hear your confession (profession?) of love for a good beer and absolve you of any transgressions.

Enjoy!

Sounds like you should have finished your evening with a glass of The Reverend, Hog Heaven or Salvation from the Avery Brewing Company to complete your Holy Trinity instead of a Shift. Amazing you had a Monk's Blood. You'll never guess what I bought this weekend that's chilling in my 'fridge as I type this reply...

Monk's Blood (can)-21st Amendment Brewing

What fuse posted. I doubt that the reddish-brown concoction I poured was as good as his draft. I thought I had had this before along with several (most? all?) of the 21st Amendment products but I searched my other source for a review but could not find it. This was a 4 pack of cans in a cute little cube for $9 or $9.50 and certainly worth the purchase. I'll save 1 for this summer, 1 for my son and the 4th for fuse if we are ever able to schedule a tasting with Ozzie and CB&B when they come to town.

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[fuse]

Randall Jr

Find the randall jr youtube video from Dogfish Head.
It was hilarious enough that I ordered one.

Its arrived so now I have to think up a beer to randallize.
Any combinations I should try?

[devildeac]

Randall Jr

Find the randall jr youtube video from Dogfish Head.
It was hilarious enough that I ordered one.

Its arrived so now I have to think up a beer to randallize.
Any combinations I should try?

24.gif24.gif

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and coffee beans.

Oak chips and any number of barleywines.

[devildeac]

(Russian) Imperial Stout (2009 bottling)-Rogue Brewing

This is part of their XS series and I had resisted buying it for a number of years as I did not need a 750 ml ceramic swing-topped bottle that cost $15-16. My last tasting of this elixir was from 7 ounce ponies/nips I had purchased about 15 years ago directly from the Rogue brewery in Newport on the Oregon coast for about $2 each, along with several Old Crustaceans, McScotch and Smoke Ales. I found several bottles of this at Total Wine last week for $3 each and procured four of them. I had seen them for the last couple years a $5 each and passed each time. Great purchase. Poured a thick, inky black with little head and a nose of baker's chocolate, black licorice and molasses with tastes to match. Has a ton of malts, mostly black and chocolate, I'd guess, along with rolled oats, a generous amount of 3 different hops for an IBU of 87.5 and 2 "secret ingredients" that I would guess are anise and molasses. Don't taste any vanilla or coffee which would be 2 other additives I'd consider brewing in a RIS. Lovibond, a measure of the opacity of beer, is 258, one of the highest I have ever seen, along with a couple or three of the Southern Tier "engine lubricants." I think this measure has been replaced by the SRM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Reference_Method). Smooth and silky with the bitterness being well-hidden by the alcohol bite of 11% ABV. Definitely a sipper, served for a night cap or dessert beer and best served near room temperature in a snifter or brandy glass, with or without some decadent chocolate or fudge baked goods.

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[fuse]

(Russian) Imperial Stout (2009 bottling)-Rogue Brewing

This is part of their XS series and I had resisted buying it for a number of years as I did not need a 750 ml ceramic swing-topped bottle that cost $15-16. My last tasting of this elixir was from 7 ounce ponies/nips I had purchased about 15 years ago directly from the Rogue brewery in Newport on the Oregon coast for about $2 each, along with several Old Crustaceans, McScotch and Smoke Ales. I found several bottles of this at Total Wine last week for $3 each and procured four of them. I had seen them for the last couple years a $5 each and passed each time. Great purchase. Poured a thick, inky black with little head and a nose of baker's chocolate, black licorice and molasses with tastes to match. Has a ton of malts, mostly black and chocolate, I'd guess, along with rolled oats, a generous amount of 3 different hops for an IBU of 87.5 and 2 "secret ingredients" that I would guess are anise and molasses. Don't taste any vanilla or coffee which would be 2 other additives I'd consider brewing in a RIS. Lovibond, a measure of the opacity of beer, is 258, one of the highest I have ever seen, along with a couple or three of the Southern Tier "engine lubricants." I think this measure has been replaced by the SRM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Reference_Method). Smooth and silky with the bitterness being well-hidden by the alcohol bite of 11% ABV. Definitely a sipper, served for a night cap or dessert beer and best served near room temperature in a snifter or brandy glass, with or without some decadent chocolate or fudge baked goods.

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$3 a pop? Man, I am impressed with your ability to find a bargain. Well played!

[devildeac]

$3 a pop? Man, I am impressed with your ability to find a bargain. Well played!

This blind pig finds an acorn now and then. Or is that a blind squirrel?

Thanks.

[fuse]

Bison Honey Basil beer in the glass resembles a full honey jar, a clear dark amber.
The nose is a honeyed sweetness and strong fresh grass and basil.

At first sip, the honeyed sweetness hits you first, followed by a heavy pesto mid palate that is almost like a margharita pizza, and the finish is a bit of a honeyed burn.

A great sipping beer at 6%, there is no noticeable alcohol content apparent while drinking.

This beer would go well with dishes that are fresh, herbal and earthy. It might complement pizza nicely, or might be too much. I still have yet to christen my Randall jr, but for some reason I have a vision of oranges bringing out something interesting as a beer infusion with Bison Honey Basil. Surfing twitter for the #randalljr hash tag I also ran across DFH Saison du Buff infused with mint and cucumber, and I have enough saison du buff to play with.

While I am sure my body appreciates that Bison provides me with organic beer, I can't say that organic tastes differently. Sure, the basil tastes fresh, and the honey sweetness is nice, but in a blind taste test you might be hard pressed to tell an organic beer from non organic.

Bison makes great beer and is worth supporting. Honey Basil is an excellent springtime beer. Find it and enjoy!

[devildeac]

Bison Honey Basil beer in the glass resembles a full honey jar, a clear dark amber.
The nose is a honeyed sweetness and strong fresh grass and basil.

At first sip, the honeyed sweetness hits you first, followed by a heavy pesto mid palate that is almost like a margharita pizza, and the finish is a bit of a honeyed burn.

A great sipping beer at 6%, there is no noticeable alcohol content apparent while drinking.

This beer would go well with dishes that are fresh, herbal and earthy. It might complement pizza nicely, or might be too much. I still have yet to christen my Randall jr, but for some reason I have a vision of oranges bringing out something interesting as a beer infusion with Bison Honey Basil. Surfing twitter for the #randalljr hash tag I also ran across DFH Saison du Buff infused with mint and cucumber, and I have enough saison du buff to play with.

While I am sure my body appreciates that Bison provides me with organic beer, I can't say that organic tastes differently. Sure, the basil tastes fresh, and the honey sweetness is nice, but in a blind taste test you might be hard pressed to tell an organic beer from non organic.

Bison makes great beer and is worth supporting. Honey Basil is an excellent springtime beer. Find it and enjoy!

Ahh, I had one of these at my older daughter's wedding on 10/22/11 and reviewed it the next day:

Honey Basil Ale-Bison Brewing

A wedding beverage especially for the father of the bride, hand selected by the bride and groom as advised by Lavabe. I sipped one of these as I enjoyed the entree last evening of orange-pomegranate chicken, poached salmon with mango-raisin salsa and roasted vegetables, Harry Cot's verts and Al Fredo's pasta with roasted red peppers and Italian sausage. This ale is an amber with added honey, making it smooth and sweet, and basil making it very slightly bitter and spicy. Hops were herbal which made a nice match with the basil and the pale and caramel malts imparted added sweetness to the honey. I'd guess IBU about 20 and the ABV was listed at 6% making it a fine dinner or session brew. Thanks to the CTN advisor and the new couple for their FotB beverage.

[devildeac]

I looked back because I thought devildeac had already reviewed Shift, but the look back revealed it was Dig, not Shift. Now I really want to find some NB Dig but I fear I have missed it.

Dig is advertised as New Belgium's end of shift beer for their staff, and at 5%, seems like a reasonable offering.
Available in 16oz tall boy cans, this pale lager actually pours a deeper gold than expected.

The nose is citrus, maybe lemongrass. The head pours thinly but lingers for some time. Initially, the beer is lightly malty sweet, mid palate is a zesty grapefruit happiness. The end, somewhat surprisingly, is almost astringently bitter. Shift features a New Zealand hop, Nelson Sauvin, that I think is the source of the lemongrass and grapefruit notes. What the finishing hop is, I don't know, but it is a bit discordant for an otherwise pretty nice beer. The twang is somewhat reminiscent of their famous Fat Tire, but slightly different.

I've got 3 more left in the four pack, so that leaves some room for a few more tastings and changing my opinion. Overall, Shift is a fine brew but I can think of other lagers I'd enjoy more in its place. I hope it grows on me. Shift is definitely worth trying. The motto on the bottle is "when your work is done, you'll want one."

Shift-New Belgium Brewing

Inspired by fuse, I thought I'd buy a single of this today and sip and type. Don't have much to add to a fine summary above. I thought the citrus notes were rather mild and found the bite to be a nice change from the lager I expected. I find Fat Tire to be more biscuit-y and malty. I have included the brewer's notes below:

Just the facts Ma'am...
ABV - 5.0
IBU - 29
Calories - 210 per 16 Ounce Serving
Hops - Target, Nelson Sauvin, Liberty, Cascade
Malts - Pale, Munich, C-80
OG - 14.3
TG - 2.3

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Not sure where you live but I saw some Dig singles at Bottle Revolution today.

[BluDvlsN1]

New to me, but "not new".

Was doing a favor for my son at his house yesterday,
I raided his refrigerator and found this.
On researching. I found out it's very popular, and has been reviewed on this
thread at length, previously.

In a word, keeper.

It makes me want to try the rest of their offerings.



Full Sail.jpg


(posted on a pc, not Ipad)

[devildeac]

New to me, but "not new".

Was doing a favor for my son at his house yesterday,
I raided his refrigerator and found this.
On researching. I found out it's very popular, and has been reviewed on this
thread at length, previously.

In a word, keeper.

It makes me want to try the rest of their offerings.



Full Sail.jpg


(posted on a pc, not Ipad)

Good find. I'd steal more from your son. Where's he live? I'll help you raid his 'fridge. lol

Seriously, Full Sail is a really good brewery. I have sipped their stuff for about 15 years as I almost always smuggled brews back to NC after visiting my parents and brother in Oregon. They are a small craft brewery located a block or two up the hill from the Columbia River in Hood River, Oregon, about an hour east of Portland. We were out there 3 years ago visiting my brother and skiing at Mount Hood and toured the brewery then, returning to Raleigh with several $3 bombers of their Brewmaster Series ales, including an imperial porter, a Scotch ale, an imperial stout and Old Boardhead, their barleywine. Just recently, they have started distribution in this area. All their session brews are highly drinkable. I still have the Old Boardhead. It's dated 2008. I might get around to drinking it sometime this year ;>)) .

[fuse]

Good find. I'd steal more from your son. Where's he live? I'll help you raid his 'fridge. lol

Seriously, Full Sail is a really good brewery. I have sipped their stuff for about 15 years as I almost always smuggled brews back to NC after visiting my parents and brother in Oregon. They are a small craft brewery located a block or two up the hill from the Columbia River in Hood River, Oregon, about an hour east of Portland. We were out there 3 years ago visiting my brother and skiing at Mount Hood and toured the brewery then, returning to Raleigh with several $3 bombers of their Brewmaster Series ales, including an imperial porter, a Scotch ale, an imperial stout and Old Boardhead, their barleywine. Just recently, they have started distribution in this area. All their session brews are highly drinkable. I still have the Old Boardhead. It's dated 2008. I might get around to drinking it sometime this year ;>)) .

What you both said- Full Sail is an excellent brewery!

[fuse]

Go to Sam's in Durham from 4-7pm today (Friday, 4/27).

In addition to a Mother Earth tasting (brews unknown), they will release their 2012 Mother Earth Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel Overhead.

This is one of my favorite beers, ever.
I have a small hoard of 2011, but the 2010 is long gone.

Sam's has announced in addition to the 2012 new release, a limited number of 2011 (750s) and 2010 bottles (12oz) will be available.

I'm not sure if I will make it or not, but this is definitely a brew you want to try if you have not.

[fuse]

Ok, the title is the only time I am typing this beer name.
I did not make it to Sam's for the Mother Earth tasting, so I looked for something I had not tried before to put in my Mother Earth pint glass.

This beer is a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Anchorage, and is billed as a Belgian Triple with Brett aged in Chardonnay Oak barrels.

It poured a glorious gold, with a rich, dense lingering head. Clarity went out the window when I poured the lees into the glass. B vitamins anyone?

The nose is an inviting Brett funky sourness, I am already excited before the first taste.
This is a relatively mild and smooth beer underneath the Brett funk and the oaky finish.
While there is some hop bitterness, it is largely lost in the other flavours in this beer- the Soriache Ace and Styrian Goldings noted on the bottle do not really shine through. 30 IBUs on the label suggests just a hint of hoppiness. The alcohol is not offensive or overpowering but it is evident at 9%.

I'd liken this to the Olde Hickory Eiraphiotes, even though the Old Hickory is an imperial pilsner aged in Chardonnay barrels. There are certain similarities going by memory.

If you like funky, sour ales and oak in your beer, find a "Tide". I think this was a one off release. I bought 2 bottles so I will be enjoying this one again.