Ymm, Beer

[fuse]

13 grains, 13 hops...I was not sure what to expect when I popped the top but an inky black with two fingers of coffee colored head was not it.

The nose is hops, maybe a hint of coffee or chocolate malt.
Hmmmm, black rye IPA pretty much sums up the first sip, with a strong smoky coffee finish.
Not really what I wanted but a good beer nonetheless.

If you like rye, coffee or smokiness in your beer, find some.
I'm warming up to this brew as it warms up, and I think it will pair nicely with the roast beast for dinner.

This would have been a nice fall evening or winter in front of the fire beer if I hadn't been impatient to try it.
Cheers!

[devildeac]

I've read about your tastings and I'm sure you would have equaled if not exceeded our selections. Good thing is, you get to cellar yours for another week or two or month or two until you can join us and show us what you got.

I'm not finished yet. Dpslaw and I shared one final brew at halftime.

This was our halftime brew:

Barleywine-Duck Rabbit Brewing

Pretty classic rendition here. Dark amber color, modest head and floral bitterness and tons of dark caramel, toffee and dried fruit aromas and flavors. Borders on syrupy. Do not pour this on your pancakes. I'll guess the IBU about 70 (not listed anywhere, in fact, this brew doesn't even make their web site) and the ABV is 11% but minimally boozey. Serve this slightly chilled in a goblet or snifter and sip after dinner for an hour or so.

I found this review from January of this year so I get to review it again as the September, 2012 tasting of the 2011 version making it close to a year old.

Pretty much all of the above thoughts still apply but I think it may have been a bit smoother as dpslaw and I shared a 12 ouncer that was probably a bit too cold but we had about 15 minutes at the half to let it warm just a bit. Always worth the purchase of a 6er to have a couple this year and then cellar the rest for a year or three.

[fuse]

This was our halftime brew:

Barleywine-Duck Rabbit Brewing

Pretty classic rendition here. Dark amber color, modest head and floral bitterness and tons of dark caramel, toffee and dried fruit aromas and flavors. Borders on syrupy. Do not pour this on your pancakes. I'll guess the IBU about 70 (not listed anywhere, in fact, this brew doesn't even make their web site) and the ABV is 11% but minimally boozey. Serve this slightly chilled in a goblet or snifter and sip after dinner for an hour or so.

I found this review from January of this year so I get to review it again as the September, 2012 tasting of the 2011 version making it close to a year old.

Pretty much all of the above thoughts still apply but I think it may have been a bit smoother as dpslaw and I shared a 12 ouncer that was probably a bit too cold but we had about 15 minutes at the half to let it warm just a bit. Always worth the purchase of a 6er to have a couple this year and then cellar the rest for a year or three.

I have a Duck Rabbit Barleywine in the fridge-there is no year but the enjoy by date is Feb 2011- if I had to guess its a 2010. Have not tried it but your review is suggesting some winter night this year I will pop the cap.

[fuse]

On draft at Tyler's tonight. I had high hopes and was really excited about this beer.

It's on me that I built it up ahead of time, but what a disappointment. Not a bad beer by any means, a light golden with no noticeable head when it arrived table side.

Faint sweet peach nose, and faint peach aftertaste. A watered down Festina Peche that is not sour.
Don't get me wrong- this is a good(not great) beer. I love that New Belgium pushes the envelope with the Lips of Faith series, but I have come to expect more.

Well worth trying but I will probably not buy the 22oz bomber now that I have had a glass on draft.
Find some and enjoy!

[devildeac]

Oatmeal Stout-Sierra Nevada (Beer Camp)

Listed on the bottle also as #45 and on the Beer Camp site as Snowed in Stout. This one is just about all mocha. Poured an almost pitch black with a small light tan head with scents of coffee and dark chocolate and almost burned toast. The oats included in the grain mixture render this smooth and silky on the palate with tastes of espresso and unsweetened chocolate with a mild bitterness and an IBU of 51. There is a warning here as this is not a plain oatmeal stout but technically should be considered an imperial oatmeal stout as the ABV is 9.4% with just a bit of a whiskey-like boozey finish without the bourbon barrel aging. Good choice for a dessert beer served lightly chilled by itself or with some flourless chocolate torte, chocolate chip pound cake or some of allenmurray's almost famous Holliday fudge.

[fuse]

Triangle Lambic draft

Light, cloudy, and just slightly tart. It has been a long time since I have had an unfruited lambic, and most of those were guezes sour enough to curl your toes while smelling like old socks.
Where was this beer all summer? A perfect light refresher.
Looks a little like fizzy yellow macrobrew, but has flavour for miles. I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend seeking it out.

Foothills Octoberfest draft

Must have been my lucky night because Foothills Octoberfest was liquid amber in a glass. So smooth and refreshing but with nicely balanced malt flavour. One of the best American Octoberfests I have had.

Both are well worth trying and beers I will definitely have again.

[fuse]

Every fall, I am reminded about how many good fall/ harvest beers there are, and how much I enjoy a good Octoberfest / Marzen.

Clawhammer's one finger white head dissipated quickly, and the clear amber liquid had a hint of toasty sweetness in the nose.

Clean, fresh, tasty. Hard to say without a side by side tasting but the memory of Foothills was better than the Highlands tastes. Mildly bitter but mostly balanced, a slightly sticky sweet finish.

One issue with such an easy, clean drinking beer is it goes down too fast.
Enjoyable, sessionable, worth finding and trying.

Cheers!

[devildeac]

Every fall, I am reminded about how many good fall/ harvest beers there are, and how much I enjoy a good Octoberfest / Marzen.

Clawhammer's one finger white head dissipated quickly, and the clear amber liquid had a hint of toasty sweetness in the nose.

Clean, fresh, tasty. Hard to say without a side by side tasting but the memory of Foothills was better than the Highlands tastes. Mildly bitter but mostly balanced, a slightly sticky sweet finish.

One issue with such an easy, clean drinking beer is it goes down too fast.
Enjoyable, sessionable, worth finding and trying.

Cheers!

Kashmir-Highlands Brewing Company

Funny you should mention/review a North Carolina brew. I had one of these before dinner Wednesday night to accompany some cheese and crackers and found this to be a very well balanced IPA. Five grains, including wheat (no, not THAT """wheat""") and five hops make a near perfect combination to this golden, moderately bitter but smoothly malted brew. Poured with a small head out of a 12 ounce bottle, the nose was a bit of toast, citrus and cannabis with light caramel on the palate. IBU of 60 and ABV of 6% so pretty standard for an IPA. Highlands brews nothing high gravity (IIRC) except their winter ale (which may be only ~8%) but all their other brews are quite enjoyable. Somebody else was paying, so it made it even better, along with the 2 dinner wines, the salmon and filet, along with the chocolate mousse cake for dessert, too.


Kashmir_pair.jpg

[devildeac]

Humming-Anchor Brewing

Not your standard pale ale. I have never had this brew before and a shout out goes to dpslaw for trading this one. Rather distinctive taste from the Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand used in the brewing process. Looks like it is a single hop/single malt ale that has hints of pine and resin and a very light caramel taste. Poured a yellow-orange with a modest head. I'd guess IBU around 40 and the ABV was 5.9% so I could have had a second brew last PM but was just too tired.

[fuse]

Not a beer, but a cider brewed with stout yeast and molasses.

A thick cider apple nose and a deep amber pour- the first glass was clear, the second muddy with yeast.

If you like nonalcoholic real cider, you'll enjoy this.
Most fermented ciders are light and easy drinking.
The molasses adds a heavy almost smoky finish.

I'm not sure I'd buy it again but it was good.

[fuse]

Undrinkable. Ta Herrible...

I found after going to a DFH beer dinner that their ancient ales standalone can be challenging to drink, but when paired with the right food, are magical.

Theobroma and Chateau Jihau were two such revelations.

If you like chamomile tea, you'll like Ta Henket.
I had to walk away from the glass it was so unenjoyable.
If I knew what food to pair it with, I expect it would be good, but until I have that inside information, I am planning on staying far, far away.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a "bad" beer but it is definitely a flavour and style for which I have little appreciation.

[devildeac]

Beer article:


http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/09/...oppy-brew.html

.


Your PSA of the day .

[fuse]

As luck would have it, I was able to sample yet another Octoberfest beer- Olde Mecklenberg Mecktoberfest.

I'm not overly familiar with the brewery, but it was local to Charlotte where I was visiting.

From the brewery:
Fall - Mecktoberfest - A classic Maerzen style amber lager. The original Oktoberfest Bier and quintessential Ueberseasonal. Rich and malty up front, which transitions to a smooth, satisfying finish courtesy of the noble Bavarian hops and a flavor profile produced by an outstanding yeast strain from the oldest brewery in the world. If there were a season for beer, fall would be it. And for beer season, nothing beats Mecktoberfest! 5.4% ABV

Relative to the other Octoberfests I've been sampling, this was lighter in color- definitely not amber.
Mecktoberfest did not lack for flavor, it was very tasty (and it was the last pour from the keg- I kicked the keg! ;-).

I'm not sure I can add much more than it is a typical Octoberfest. I've had better recently but this was quite good and enjoyable. Drink it if you can find it.

[cf-62]

I'm looking forward to cracking open a few bottles of Harvest Time (from Highland) tonight. Quite tasty.

[devildeac]

Porter-Anchor Brewing

Simple name. Classic beer. Poured a dark mahogany with a light tan head and aromas of espresso, light molasses and cocoa with tastes to match. Very roasty with mild bitterness. I'd guess IBU about 30 and the ABV was 5.9% This one of their early "modern" beers as they have been brewing since the 1890s and this was first brewed in 1972, so Happy 40th Anniversary to a standard. If you are going to have a porter or two, this and the Sam Smith's Taddy Porter should be in your pint glasses. Thanks to dpslaw who traded this a couple Brunchgates ago.

beer_48.jpg

[fuse]

Porter-Anchor Brewing

Simple name. Classic beer. Poured a dark mahogany with a light tan head and aromas of espresso, light molasses and cocoa with tastes to match. Very roasty with mild bitterness. I'd guess IBU about 30 and the ABV was 5.9% This one of their early "modern" beers as they have been brewing since the 1890s and this was first brewed in 1972, so Happy 40th Anniversary to a standard. If you are going to have a porter or two, this and the Sam Smith's Taddy Porter should be in your pint glasses. Thanks to dpslaw who traded this a couple Brunchgates ago.

beer_48.jpg

A classic I have not had in years. I'm going to have to find some now. I think the last porter I had is Mother Earth Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter, which is good but pales in comparison to the memory of the thick mouthfeel of an Anchor Porter.

[fuse]

Pours a nice deep orange gold in the glass.

Spiced with camomile, orange peel and coriander, along with rye malt, as I read the description I'm wondering if I bought the right beer.

Nose is similar to a Belgian ale with...something else.
Good mild bitterness mid palate and smooth finish.
The finish lingers a while, and starts very floral (I think the camomile) and finishes with a noticeable rye dryness.

I was concerned this would be another Ta Henket ("Ta Herrible") experience. I'm struggling to find the orange peel and coriander, I think the rye and camomile overpower whatever impact they might have.

Again, this beer may not be my "cup of tea". The camomile doesn't reach out and smack you like Ta Henket does, but it is the prevalent flavour over top a nice Belgian style ale. As it warms, I am warming up to it a bit more.

I'm glad I bought it, well worth trying, but I'm not sorry I did not buy more.

[devildeac]

Pours a nice deep orange gold in the glass.

Spiced with camomile, orange peel and coriander, along with rye malt, as I read the description I'm wondering if I bought the right beer.

Nose is similar to a Belgian ale with...something else.
Good mild bitterness mid palate and smooth finish.
The finish lingers a while, and starts very floral (I think the camomile) and finishes with a noticeable rye dryness.

I was concerned this would be another Ta Henket ("Ta Herrible") experience. I'm struggling to find the orange peel and coriander, I think the rye and camomile overpower whatever impact they might have.

Again, this beer may not be my "cup of tea". The camomile doesn't reach out and smack you like Ta Henket does, but it is the prevalent flavour over top a nice Belgian style ale. As it warms, I am warming up to it a bit more.

I'm glad I bought it, well worth trying, but I'm not sorry I did not buy more.

I think the use of rye as one of the grains in beer imparts some unusual flavors. Some I have found intriguing and others kind of musty. Interesting review.

[devildeac]

From 1/18/10:

Double Trouble IIPA-Founders Brewing-Wonderful brew and pretty darn close to the 90 Minute IPA in terms of my favorites for this style. It is a bit more pale than the DFH but the 1st scent is pink grapefruit and it lingers throughout the glass. Aromatic and pungent hops with a very strong malt backbone and balance. Not for the faint-palated as this clocks in at 86 IBU but doesn't over-power you. The ABV is a hefty 9.4% but it drinks so smoothly it is deceptive. This would make a fine after dinner drink from a snifter/wine glass and shared. However, after the brutal pounding my fingers and furniture took last PM during the wake game, I needed something a bit stronger/longer so I enjoyed the whole 12 ounces in the hour aftermath from the game.

Note: This bottle was not 2-3 years old but was a trader from dpslaw again from a Brunchgate a couple weeks ago. Still a favorite.

beer_67360.jpg

Look at this label upside down, too. You may be able to do that without turning your monitor 180 degrees if you drink a couple of these.

[devildeac]

Ancient Spotted Chicken-Moreland Brewery/Greene King Brewery

Well, it's really Old Speckled Hen but it was still a good ale to start the festivities this afternoon at Brunchgate. I shared a 14.9 ounce (IIRC) can of this English pub draft ale kindly provided by the now-active-and-posting-again moderator known as Bob Green. Poured a creamy light brown with a moderate tan head with nice caramel sweetness and a slight floral hoppy nose. I'll estimate the IBU about 30 and I think I saw 5.2% ABV on the can so it made a nice intro with the slaw, fruit salad and ABTs atomic-buffalo-turds.jpg.

Next up:

Oktoberfest Celebration Ale from Fish Brewing in Olympia, Washington.