Ymm, Beer

[fuse]

A bit bummed- I wrote a neat post about Big Boss The Countess Framboise, and addition of some raspberry bounce that got munged by the editing time out.

Oh we'll- shorter version is the Countess is good but a bit weak on the raspberry. I added some raspberry bourbon to the mix and e combination is some pretty nice mad science. Inspired by DFH Sam Caligione and his addition of red wine to 60 min IPA- can't wait to try it.

[fuse]

Big Boss Saucy Pants Saison, a new local release.
Clocks in at a very sessionable 4.5%.
Pours a deep clear gold, thin white head.
No noticeable carbonation.

The nose is sweet and a little woodsy.
First sip is sweet, with a strange oaky bitterness mid-palate.
The typical farmhouse finish is usually mildly funky but clean. The oaky note that begins mid palate lingers through and after the finish.

A nice beer, although the all but complete lack of carbonation is puzzling.
I'll re-evaluate through the six pack. I'd buy again but I think there are better saisons out there.
I missed an opportunity to compare this to Victory's Swing Session Saison, which I will also try to fix.

Cheers!

[devildeac]

Aviator Brewing tour today. Reviews to follow. Sampled all 8 .

[devildeac]

In order of consumption(4 ounce draft samples at the brewery, shared with son-in-law):

Madbeach American Wheat-Aviator Brewing

Half wheat and half barley. Slightly cloudy appearance with a small head. Lacking a bit in the typical features of a wheat ale, namely the citrus notes. Spiced with sweet orange peel and "other spices," all of which are barely discernible. IBU were 23 and ABV was 4.8% so a pleasant session brew or summer thirst quencher.

[devildeac]

Saison De Aviator

Good but not great representation of the style. Unfiltered yellow-golden colored ale with mild fizziness but little head. Brewed with coriander and sweet orange peel with the Belgian yeast also lending underripe tones of apples and pears. Light bodied brew with IBU of 22 and ABV at 6.5%.

[devildeac]

Devil's Tramping Ground

This is probably my favorite brew that they produce, available in cans and bombers. It's a triple/tripel so the color is golden with a small amount of Belgian lace and little head. Light floral tastes and aromas from the hops and a bit of peppery spice from the Trappist yeast with a mild sweetness from the added candy sugar. This was a bit out of order as our third sample as it checks in at 9.2% ABV but the IBU are only 31 so it is a lighter bodied brew and the alcohol is sneaky smooth.

[devildeac]

Hot Rod Red

A bit of a different style of a traditional Irish red ale. This has the traditional East Kent Goldings hops with a generous amount of Cascade hops for a nice bite not usually present in red ales. The medium caramel sweetness is still present but the IBU of 41 slightly outweigh the ABV of 6.1% so this was our finishing beer from our first flight (pun semi-intended).

[fuse]

Devil's Tramping Ground

This is probably my favorite brew that they produce, available in cans and bombers. It's a triple/tripel so the color is golden with a small amount of Belgian lace and little head. Light floral tastes and aromas from the hops and a bit of peppery spice from the Trappist yeast with a mild sweetness from the added candy sugar. This was a bit out of order as our third sample as it checks in at 9.2% ABV but the IBU are only 31 so it is a lighter bodied brew and the alcohol is sneaky smooth.

My favorite Aviator also. Nice summary on the rest. Their Hot Rod Red is pretty good, too. I had their summer wheat ( maybe it is the Mad Beach you reference) that I thought was pretty good. OctoberBeast is nice also.
The challenge with Aviator is I think their beers are inconsistent. Aviator's winter beer (can't recall the name) is just plain awful.

[devildeac]

My favorite Aviator also. Nice summary on the rest. Their Hot Rod Red is pretty good, too. I had their summer wheat ( maybe it is the Mad Beach you reference) that I thought was pretty good. OctoberBeast is nice also.
The challenge with Aviator is I think their beers are inconsistent. Aviator's winter beer (can't recall the name) is just plain awful.

Frost Nipper is their winter beer but I have never had it. They may have had some bombers left. After your comment, I'm glad I didn't buy one. I had a taste of OctoberBeast back in the fall along with another Octoberfest brew from upstate NY, IIRC, but not sure if I reviewed either of them. My fuzzy recollection is that I liked it/both of them.

[devildeac]

On to the dark/wild side of the Aviator sampler:

Black Mamba Coffee Stout

Pass the cream and sugar! This was just a bit too much. By that I mean too much coffee flavor and too many IBU for the style. ABV was 6.5% but just didn't balance the roasted bitterness of the coffee or the over the top hop bitterness and IBU of 87. Imperial stouts with ABV at 9% or greater generally balance this level of hops fairly well. Poured a pitch black with hints of dark chocolate in aroma and taste, the quality was pretty decent and would be an OK dessert or after dinner beverage but was a bit too thick/heavy for my palate on Saturday afternoon.

[devildeac]

Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Mamba Oatmeal Stout

This is their standard stout that has been aged in bourbon barrels and I found this far smoother than the coffee stout. Pitch black with little to no head, the oatmeal added a silky mouth feel to the sampling and nice smoothness to the bite of the hops. The bourbon was faint on the nose and I didn't perceive it until near the end of each sip. Somehow, this combination was more pleasing. Could not find the IBU but I'd guess the same as the coffee stout and the ABV was the same, yet I found this much easier on the palate the the prior beer.

[devildeac]

McGritty's Scotch Ale

Solid but not outstanding representative for the style. I like scotch ales with their dark brown colors, caramel/chocolate tastes and slight smokiness and this was no exception. The IBU was 27 so it was very smooth and the ABV was 7.2%, also in order with this type brew. I wouldn't hesitate buying a 6er or bomber of this for sipping/sharing/trading purposes.

[devildeac]

Hogwild IPA


One of their two signature brews. This is a beast with an ABV of 6.7% which is right in line for an IPA but the IBU are "a lot." The beer guide had no idea of the number and the bartender thought it was 200, which I would find outrageous. Brewed with Cascade, Chinook and Columbus hops with dry-hopping from Amarillo, Magnum and Willamette, this hop monster has all the standard hop scents and tastes of pine, resin, "weed" and citrus. We finished our tasting with this simply due to the high IBU/hop madness.

[duketaylor]

Thank y'all for the kind words. Not in pain and healing well. Brewed my saison just now, tasted the wort and I think I may have a decent batch ready to consume by the Final Four Will try to sneak down to the Raleigh area by Friday, should be able to bottle by then. This brew should have ABV of about 5.5% and an IBU in the low 20s. Spiced with orange peel, paradise seeds a candi syrup and I added 6 ounces of honey to actually make it a honey saison. Grains were flaked wheat and Vienna and used Tettnang and Hersbrucker hops. Stay tuned.

[devildeac]

Flying Mouflan-Troegs Brewing

What an excellent find! I bought this bomber on a whim in Williamsburg in December and just enjoyed it last week. The awards it has won are listed in the barleywine category but it's a bit dark for that and tastes more like a cross between a Belgian dubbel and a DIPA. It would have been interesting to have bought two bottles of this and tasted one early to have the hop explosion that the brewers describe with an IBU of 100-ish and and ABV of 9.3% and then another in a month or two and see how it aged. I thought it was marvelous at about 3-4 months with a dark brown pour, small tan head and flavors of dark fruits, rum, citrus and brown sugar. I like how the web site described it as "...think hops dipped in candied sugar and rolled in dark chocolate nibs." Best served in a snifter at about 55-60 degrees as a night cap or with a chocolate/caramel dessert.

troegs-beer-flying-mouflan.jpg

[devildeac]

Headed to the land of the missing D and E in a couple weeks with a stop planned at the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Ky. Wondering if fuse would be interested in any Schlafly and/or Goose Island beverages...

[OldPhiKap]

image.jpg

Moonshine, 3/25/13.

Fresh batch corn mash, pure enough to make the hair that fell out curl. Filtered though gym socks to kill the otherwise harsh nose. A little coppery because the brewer (Cousin Rufus) had to move the still mid-batch 'cause of them damn Revenuers. Perfect for celebrating our win over Michigan State if it happens, or forgetting the game if we don't.

LET'S GO DUKE!!!!!!!!

[fuse]

Flying Mouflan-Troegs Brewing

What an excellent find! I bought this bomber on a whim in Williamsburg in December and just enjoyed it last week. The awards it has won are listed in the barleywine category but it's a bit dark for that and tastes more like a cross between a Belgian dubbel and a DIPA. It would have been interesting to have bought two bottles of this and tasted one early to have the hop explosion that the brewers describe with an IBU of 100-ish and and ABV of 9.3% and then another in a month or two and see how it aged. I thought it was marvelous at about 3-4 months with a dark brown pour, small tan head and flavors of dark fruits, rum, citrus and brown sugar. I like how the web site described it as "...think hops dipped in candied sugar and rolled in dark chocolate nibs." Best served in a snifter at about 55-60 degrees as a night cap or with a chocolate/caramel dessert.

troegs-beer-flying-mouflan.jpg

Wow, that sounds tasty!

[fuse]

Headed to the land of the missing D and E in a couple weeks with a stop planned at the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Ky. Wondering if fuse would be interested in any Schlafly and/or Goose Island beverages...

Generous offer, thank you! Last time I was in St. Louis I got to try some Schafly beers and thought they were pretty good. If you find any of their bottle conditioned series- Bier de Garde, Tripel, or Grand Cru, I would definitely be interested.

Similarly, most of what I've tried from Goose Island has been brews like Honkers or 312. Should you spot any of their vintage series(Sofie, Mathilda, Lolita, etc) or their Bourbon series, that would be awesome.

I'll be good for cash or trade if I have anything that catches your interest.

I think the weather has turned enough that the Mother Earth Silent Night may move from a 3 year vertical to a four year vertical tasting in December. I may have 3 years' worth of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel to do a spring vertical tasting. Being a bit of a Mother Earth fanboy, I do have the Windowpane Figs and Raisins as well as the Raspberry to try.

You mentioned 120 minute- I think I have one that is 5+ years old as well as a 1994 (original) Sam Adams Triple Bock (precursor to Utopias) somewhere.

Thanks for thinking of me- safe travels!

[devildeac]

Generous offer, thank you! Last time I was in St. Louis I got to try some Schafly beers and thought they were pretty good. If you find any of their bottle conditioned series- Bier de Garde, Tripel, or Grand Cru, I would definitely be interested.

Similarly, most of what I've tried from Goose Island has been brews like Honkers or 312. Should you spot any of their vintage series(Sofie, Mathilda, Lolita, etc) or their Bourbon series, that would be awesome.

I'll be good for cash or trade if I have anything that catches your interest.

I think the weather has turned enough that the Mother Earth Silent Night may move from a 3 year vertical to a four year vertical tasting in December. I may have 3 years' worth of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel to do a spring vertical tasting. Being a bit of a Mother Earth fanboy, I do have the Windowpane Figs and Raisins as well as the Raspberry to try.

You mentioned 120 minute- I think I have one that is 5+ years old as well as a 1994 (original) Sam Adams Triple Bock (precursor to Utopias) somewhere.

Thanks for thinking of me- safe travels!

Will look for the above mentioned products on our trip. Liquor Barn in Lexington usually has a great selection of the session brews and the seasonal/bottle conditioned ones from both breweries. How about Lake Erie Monster DIPA from Great Lakes? Ever had that?