Ymm, Beer

[fuse]

Part of Schafly's limited 750ml series, courtesy of devildeac.

Didn't take notes but a very nice Belgian style ale, very true to style and strong at 10%.
Bottle conditioned so a nice helping of yeast at the bottom.

Really enjoyable!

[devildeac]

Zwickel-Urban Chestnut Brewing

Several thumbs up to fuse for this trader recently from his cross country beer, err, car tour. This was a 500 ml bottle of an unfiltered, unpasteurized classic German lager with a hazy yellow-orange pour and a 1-2 finger foamy head that I shared with my older son-in-law on a warm summer evening. Looks like a single hop, two malt brew with classic lager qualities of floral aromas and somewhat lemon-y, grassy and slightly sweet, bready, caramel-y tastes. Very gentle on the palate with low IBU of 19 and ABV of 5.1% and a nice prelude to the second brew of the night, Two Four Ale.

ZWK_bottle.jpg

[devildeac]

I've got my post ready for my next milestone:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/84816

That is if I can find the brew.

That may take years and years to achieve (finding the brew AND posting that much more).

[devildeac]

Two Four Ale-Rogue Brewing

This could also be called "Google stumping ale" as I can't find this brew anywhere on the internet, including the Rogue website, ratebeeer or Beer Advocate. Not sure where the name came from but I'll venture a guess it's from the two hop varieties, Perle and Saaz, and the four grains, Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan. The other two ingredients are water and their proprietary Pacman yeast. Pretty simple stuff but not too simple tastes and aromas. I guess I'd classify this as a "dirty" pale ale. Poured a slightly cloudy ("dirty") medium amber with a modest foamy head, the aromas are earthy ("dirty" again) and herbal. Tastes are mild floral bitterness with medium caramel with a bit of pine/resin. Rated at 40 IBU and 16 Plato, which translates to about 6.4% ABV. This would be best enjoyed with pork or beef of the grilled/pulled/chopped varieties. My older son-in-law shared a bomber last PM that he had won in a local crossfit competition recently. He won a whole case (12 bottles) and gave one to his dad and another to his brother so he now has 9 left. He didn't like it too much so guess who gets the remaining 9 bottles? Guess we'll have to work something out, so I'll be buying a buncha beer next month and trading with him and then again with others in the area who might be interested. Wonder who they might be...

[devildeac]

Didn't know Rogue had one of these, too. Could have also added this to post #10,000:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/rogue-t...e-10000/70787/

beer_70787.jpg

Of course I've never seen or tasted it.

[fuse]

Zwickel-Urban Chestnut Brewing

Several thumbs up to fuse for this trader recently from his cross country beer, err, car tour. This was a 500 ml bottle of an unfiltered, unpasteurized classic German lager with a hazy yellow-orange pour and a 1-2 finger foamy head that I shared with my older son-in-law on a warm summer evening. Looks like a single hop, two malt brew with classic lager qualities of floral aromas and somewhat lemon-y, grassy and slightly sweet, bready, caramel-y tastes. Very gentle on the palate with low IBU of 19 and ABV of 5.1% and a nice prelude to the second brew of the night, Two Four Ale.

ZWK_bottle.jpg

Glad you liked it. My dad and I both thought this was something special. Urban Chestnut in St. Louis makes some good beer.

[devildeac]

Glad you liked it. My dad and I both thought this was something special. Urban Chestnut in St. Louis makes some good beer.

Lending further strength to the argument that a beer doesn't have to be 100 IBU and/or 10%+ ABV and/or barrel aged and/or contain a bunch of added ingredients (fruits, vegetables, spices or any/all of the above) to be a very enjoyable beverage.

[fuse]

I had the opportunity to sample a few beers at a party last night.
Some general observations:

Magic Hat HiCu - hibiscus and cucumber ale. If you like cucumber water, this may be a beer you'd enjoy.

I'll be skipping HiCu if I see it again.

Magic Hat Elderberry - a mild improvement on HiCu, but that is damning with faint praise.

Both samples reinforce that to me, Magic Hat brews good beer that I don't care for.

The remaining samples were Kona Brewing's pale ale, lager and summer ale. In contrast to Magic Hat, Kona brews beers I really enjoy.

[devildeac]

I had the opportunity to sample a few beers at a party last night.
Some general observations:

Magic Hat HiCu - hibiscus and cucumber ale. If you like cucumber water, this may be a beer you'd enjoy.

I'll be skipping HiCu if I see it again.

Magic Hat Elderberry - a mild improvement on HiCu, but that is damning with faint praise.

Both samples reinforce that to me, Magic Hat brews good beer that I don't care for.

The remaining samples were Kona Brewing's pale ale, lager and summer ale. In contrast to Magic Hat, Kona brews beers I really enjoy.

Well, we certainly agree on the HiCu. I, OTOH, liked the Elder Betty and would taste it again. Wouldn't buy a 6er of it or choose it over some other summer fruit ales, but I did enjoy the one I had in May, 2012.

Elder Betty-Magic Hat Brewing

A much more pleasant spring/summer beer than the Summer Shandy, this weiss beer poured a cloudy, whitish-yellow with a hint of purple and a fizzy head. Slightest floral hop bite with an IBU of 13 and an ABV of of 5.5% made this rather refreshing on a warm spring evening. The addition of the elderberries rendered it slightly sweet balancing the very mild citrus notes from the wheat malt. It would be a very pleasant porch-sipper or lawmower ale and would make a nice beverage with a plate of light, soft cheeses or fruit before your evening meal. Received as a trader earlier in the week.

[devildeac]

I had the opportunity to sample a few beers at a party last night.
Some general observations:

Magic Hat HiCu - hibiscus and cucumber ale. If you like cucumber water, this may be a beer you'd enjoy.

I'll be skipping HiCu if I see it again.

Magic Hat Elderberry - a mild improvement on HiCu, but that is damning with faint praise.

Both samples reinforce that to me, Magic Hat brews good beer that I don't care for.

The remaining samples were Kona Brewing's pale ale, lager and summer ale. In contrast to Magic Hat, Kona brews beers I really enjoy.

I'll guess you had this:

Longboard Island Lager-Kona Brewing

I think this may be the final lager in my trader 6er from earlier in the week and it was refreshing on this 85 degree night at 10 PM here in hot and sultry Raleighwood. Poured a light straw color with a mildly fizzy/foamy head which does not linger long. Very light honey and caramel notes of sweetness and summer floral hops. No stats on the can but I'd guess IBU to be 20 and the ABV to be about 5% so I will be able to enjoy the last 4 ounces of my 12 ounce bottle of Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra in a few minutes. I'd sip the lager after a lawn mowing session on on the porch before the burgers were served along with a fruit salad.

[devildeac]

I had the opportunity to sample a few beers at a party last night.
Some general observations:

Magic Hat HiCu - hibiscus and cucumber ale. If you like cucumber water, this may be a beer you'd enjoy.

I'll be skipping HiCu if I see it again.

Magic Hat Elderberry - a mild improvement on HiCu, but that is damning with faint praise.

Both samples reinforce that to me, Magic Hat brews good beer that I don't care for.

The remaining samples were Kona Brewing's pale ale, lager and summer ale. In contrast to Magic Hat, Kona brews beers I really enjoy.

And this:
Fire Rock Pale Ale-Kona Brewing

I received a couple pale ales in a recent trader and this was a long tasting weekend. I actually like the Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale a shade more than this but found this pleasant with modest citrus and floral hop bitterness at 39 IBU, pretty standard ABV at 5.9% and a colorful reddish-orange-copper hue with a 1-2 finger head which lingered and mild malty, caramel-y sweetness. Easy to session this or enjoy with grilled burgers, ribs, chicken or steaks on a Memorial Day weekend.

[fuse]

Bison does all organic beer, a growing craft segment.
Their honey basil beer is a good summer time refresher, and one of the few beers that goes well with Italian food.
Bison's chocolate stout is also good- nothing special but quite nice.
Bison's holiday gingerbread beer (for me) is to be avoided unless you really like strong gingerbread.

I found Bison Hop Cuvée, a self styled west coast ale at Triangle Wine Company.
Hop mix includes Citra, Simcoe and Centennial.

The head faded fast, a few shades darker than a lager or pilsner.
Nose is grass and grapefruit.
A bit sweet initially, a bracing bitterness that washes out to a pretty clean finish.

A really nice beer. Worth trying, but would not go out of my way if there were better options.

Cheers!

[devildeac]

I had the opportunity to sample a few beers at a party last night.
Some general observations:

Magic Hat HiCu - hibiscus and cucumber ale. If you like cucumber water, this may be a beer you'd enjoy.

I'll be skipping HiCu if I see it again.

Magic Hat Elderberry - a mild improvement on HiCu, but that is damning with faint praise.

Both samples reinforce that to me, Magic Hat brews good beer that I don't care for.

The remaining samples were Kona Brewing's pale ale, lager and summer ale. In contrast to Magic Hat, Kona brews beers I really enjoy.

You might like this one, too:

Koko Brown-Kona Brewing

Almond Joy alert! I must say that I have never had a coconut flavored beer and leave it to my drug rep buddy to provide this brown ale made with toasted coconut. It started with a clear, light brown pour and a rather small head. The scent of coconut is barely perceptible but becomes very prominent with the first sip. That, along with milk chocolate and hints of caramel and toffee, left me alternately thinking that I was drinking my Almond Joy for the week. There is slight hop bitterness, typical for most brown ales, and the IBU is 28. Good beer to have with sweet BBQ sauce basted ribs or chicken or as part of a dessert session as the ABV is 5.5%. Heck I'd love to find one of these in my trick or treat bag on Halloween this year .

[devildeac]

I had the opportunity to sample a few beers at a party last night.
Some general observations:

Magic Hat HiCu - hibiscus and cucumber ale. If you like cucumber water, this may be a beer you'd enjoy.

I'll be skipping HiCu if I see it again.

Magic Hat Elderberry - a mild improvement on HiCu, but that is damning with faint praise.

Both samples reinforce that to me, Magic Hat brews good beer that I don't care for.

The remaining samples were Kona Brewing's pale ale, lager and summer ale. In contrast to Magic Hat, Kona brews beers I really enjoy.

And look for this in the fall/winter:
Pipeline-Kona Brewery

Pass the cream and sugar, please! I first had this 2-3 years ago around Christmas time and got this as a trader about 3 weeks ago and had a coffee porter tasting tonight with daughter and son-in-law as we divided a bottle of this and the Highlands product. Poured a dark, dark brown with aromas and tastes of chocolate and heavily roasted coffee. Medium tan head with just a bit of a bite from the coffee and hops. I'd guess the IBU about 30 and the ABV around 5%. Makes a nice after dinner drink and might even be real tasty with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as part of a beer float.

[fuse]

You might like this one, too:

Koko Brown-Kona Brewing

Almond Joy alert! I must say that I have never had a coconut flavored beer and leave it to my drug rep buddy to provide this brown ale made with toasted coconut. It started with a clear, light brown pour and a rather small head. The scent of coconut is barely perceptible but becomes very prominent with the first sip. That, along with milk chocolate and hints of caramel and toffee, left me alternately thinking that I was drinking my Almond Joy for the week. There is slight hop bitterness, typical for most brown ales, and the IBU is 28. Good beer to have with sweet BBQ sauce basted ribs or chicken or as part of a dessert session as the ABV is 5.5%. Heck I'd love to find one of these in my trick or treat bag on Halloween this year .

Still looking for a good coconut beer. NoDa coconut porter has a legendary reputation but was underwhelming when I tried it (that said, I'd try it again). We have an OBP toasted coconut single in the fridge we've not tried yet- I like OBP better than OBP2 but both are quality, enjoyable beers.

[fuse]

Positive contact is a beer / cider mix from DFH, along with cilantro and cayenne.

Summary- just ok.
Cold, it drinks like a light beer.
As it warms up the cider and cayenne characteristics come out.

Something I'd drink again, but would not seek out.

[devildeac]

Positive contact is a beer / cider mix from DFH, along with cilantro and cayenne.

Summary- just ok.
Cold, it drinks like a light beer.
As it warms up the cider and cayenne characteristics come out.

Something I'd drink again, but would not seek out.

Bought a 750 ml bottle of this couple/three weeks ago. Will be very interesting to try. Perhaps a bit less anxious to open after your review.

[fuse]

Bought a 750 ml bottle of this couple/three weeks ago. Will be very interesting to try. Perhaps a bit less anxious to open after your review.

For me, DFH beers are either big home runs or meh.
In spite of that, I've never had a bad DFH beer, just DFH beers that might have been more off centered than me ;-)

Some DFH beers go really well with food, and really poorly without- Theobroma and Chataeu Jihau come to mind.

Positive Contact is quite a bit different than DFH "My Antonia" imperial pilsner, but I feel similarly about the two- drinkable, good, not my favorite.

Positive Contact is a good summertime beer, but I'd drink Festina Peche ten times out of ten before Positive Contact.

[ncexnyc]

Just brought home a case of Leinenkugel's, Summer Shandy from BJ's. It's a hefe weizen beer mixed with lemonade. Very crisp and refreshing

And here's an interesting link.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/big-d...183941283.html

[devildeac]

Still looking for a good coconut beer. NoDa coconut porter has a legendary reputation but was underwhelming when I tried it (that said, I'd try it again). We have an OBP toasted coconut single in the fridge we've not tried yet- I like OBP better than OBP2 but both are quality, enjoyable beers.

Here's one for you to seek, find, taste and tender a review for us:

http://www.stonebrewing.com/collab/rr/