Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Here it is-just for bb (and, of course, any other interested or thirsty parties):

BANANA BREAD BEER-brewed by the Wells and Young's Brewing Company-brewed with whatever hops they thought would give it the creamy, nutty flavour and tempting banana aroma (copied from the bottle). Lots of English Crystal malt with Fair Trade (whatever that means) bananas added to the brew. This is a bit nutty (with no nuts listed), slightly bready/biscuity with a very faint oiliness (sp?). The bananas are present in the nose and rather pleasantly in the mouth and aftertaste. It reminds me of a banana liqueur with less alcohol (ABV is 5.2%) and very little sweetness. I found this in NJ over the weekend prior to a HS reunion and just had to try it after recent discussions on this thread or on the OTB somewhere. And no, I did not have it with a scoop of vanilla or banana ice cream to make a beer shake or float. But, now that I mention it...

To help answer Lavabe's question on the "whatever" thread about Mrs. Devildeac posting on DBR, I said that would probably occur about the time she started to enjoy drinking beer. I will relay two short tales about my wife that will solidify that claim.

1. She tasted the New Glarus Raspberry Tart Ale several years ago and liked it. She actually drank about 4-6 ounces of it, handed her glass back to me and said, "you know, it still tastes like beer." I finished the 750 ml bottle with my dad and she never asked for any more of that fine ale or any other beers for that matter. Thankfully WRT that product, I am glad as it was about $10-12/bottle at that time.

2. WRT the above review of the Banana Bread Beer, I asked her to sniff it and she noted the banana aroma. She consented to a taste, identified the banana taste and nutty taste also, said it had a nice flavor and, you guessed it, handed the glass back to me and said, "you know, it still tastes like beer."

I suspect it will be several more years before I can get my wonderful wife to taste another fine, hand-crafted ale and even LONGER before I can get her to post on the DBR (insert wink here [so I do not exceed the 4 emoticon limit] as that means more bandwidth AND hops for both Lavabe and me).

[ohioguy2]

Off to Colorado for a couple of weeks. We are driving out, staying in Fort Collins and then Estes Park. I will certainly purchase some Fat Tire in cans for our stay at the Estes Park condo (and some Skinny Dip also). Will review the Fat Tire in cans upon our return.

[Lavabe]

Devildeac informed me by phone last night that he will be sans communication for a week ... but when he returns, he already has reviews of 5 new brews. I suspect he will have a post frenzy next week.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

Devildeac informed me by phone last night that he will be sans communication for a week ... but when he returns, he already has reviews of 5 new brews. I suspect he will have a post frenzy next week.

Cheers,
Lavabe

Update-devildeac has returned, his vacation urge has been satisfied and his thirst has been quenched. Corrected # of brew reviews is now somewhere around 20 so. Stay tuned.

[devildeac]

Mac and Jack's African Amber Ale-I would return to Seattle for this one. Deep amber, on draft, unfiltered, slightly cloudy and bready/toasty with mild NW hops. ABV about 5% I would guess.

[rockymtn devil]

Now that we're back in business, here's a twofer.

New Belgium Fate Tire in a can: Pretty much what you'd expect. I don't drink a lot of FT and the can isn't likely to change that (especially since it only gets sold in 12 packs). But, for those of you on here that have never had a Fat Tire (and, let's be honest, who reads this thread and hasn't had arguably the most famous American craft brew?) it's a very yeasty, biscuity beer that doesn't have a lot of hop bitterness. I've described it before as a hamburger that's all bun and no meat. This isn't a bad thing if you like yeasty beers. But, if you like hoppy beers, pass on the FT.

When Ohioguy gets back from Colorado, maybe he can add a second opinion.

Breckenridge Brewery Agave Wheat: Had this over the weekend for the first time. As the name suggests, it's brewed with some agave to add sweetness. More than a mere gimmick, the agave does make the beer very sweet all the way through. But, it completely kills the traditional wheat beer flavors (coriander, banana, cloves, grass) to the point that, in a blind test, I would never categorize this as a wheat beer. Enjoyable for sitting on the porch or grilling a brat, but not really a wheat beer.

[devildeac]

pre-cruise beer: Arrogant Bastard (from memory, no notes)-A deep brown, fairly typically strong IPA. Almost overwhelmingly bitter-a real tongue beater but this is what I would expect after reading the very entertaining 22 ounce bottle. Little malt smoothness here. This one is brutal, but it has been a couple years since I had one and I do like this ale. BTW, for Throaty, it is not overrated and I thought the soapy dishwater that I sampled after this brew was a far inferior product.

[devildeac]

Pyramid Alehouse as promised from the new Seattle vacation thread I just started. A sampler with a Ranier sized platter of nachoes.

Curve Ball Kolsch-light and grassy. A typical Kolsch. 4.8% ABV. Refreshing but it did not stand up very well to the sharp cheddar, black beans and jalapenos on the nachoes.

[devildeac]

Apricot Ale-Pyramid-unfiltered but not very cloudy wheat ale that was slightly sweet and mildly fruity which balanced the citrus of a typical wheat ale. not overpowering and did not stan up real well to the nachoes. ABV=5.1%

[Lavabe]

In August, Sweetwater Brewery is closing up Road Trip (which I was tempted to review for the Ycch Beer thread).

Soon after that, however, Sweetwater will come out with MOTORBOAT, their version of an ESB!!

OH YEAH!!

Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

Pyramid Hefeweizen-unfiltered wheat ale. Citrus-y (grapefruity and orange-y). fairly typical. Had some with a squeeze of lemon and some without. Enjoyed it both ways. Still did not hold up well to the nachos with black beans and jalapenos.

[devildeac]

Pyramid McTarnahan's Amber-slightly floral, mildly caramel, slightly hoppy. 5.0% ABV. Held up to the nachos better.

[devildeac]

Pyramid Thunderhead IPA-nice astringent mouth feel and pleasant floral bouquet. Held its own against the nachos. Fairly typical IPA. 6.7% ABV.

[devildeac]

Your NW/Alaska beer review series is being interrupted briefly for 2 other reviews this evening.

1. Three Sheets-An APA-that's AUSTRALIAN pale ale for those who might have been confused by the usual APA designation. A return to the US gift from my son who just returned from Australia. This is a very mild, refreshing, smooth pale ale with slight caramel malt and grassy/floral taste and aroma. Slight hop aroma and flavor and a very enjoyable summer beverage at 4.9% ABV.

Next, The Admiral.

[devildeac]

Old Admiral (not the Admiral)-Lord and Nelson Hotel and Brewery-Sydney, Australia-another gift from my son after he returned from his metting last week. Their version of a strong ale but not that strong at 6.1% ABV. This reminds me of a lot of the US winter ales and guess what, it's winter in Australia now. Caramel malt with a deep, rich brown color. Kind of a spicy brown ale with modest hop overtones. A bit of an unusual brew to enjoy here in July but I liked this.

[devildeac]

Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen-I have never had one of these-a high octane hefeweizen. Light citrus flavor, mostly grapefruit, but less than the typical hefeweizen. Tart and a bit of a bite. Not tasted with any orange or lemon as many hefeweizens are served. Potent at about 8% ABV. Tasted as a "bonus" as part of a sampler at the Pyramid Ale House. I do not think this is available in bottled form. Glad I only had about 2 ounces of this as I had it at the end of a generous sampler with lunch with the nachos. This one held up well against the spiciness of the black beans and jalapenos.

[rockymtn devil]

Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen-I have never had one of these-a high octane hefeweizen. Light citrus flavor, mostly grapefruit, but less than the typical hefeweizen. Tart and a bit of a bite. Not tasted with any orange or lemon as many hefeweizens are served. Potent at about 8% ABV. Tasted as a "bonus" as part of a sampler at the Pyramid Ale House. I do not think this is available in bottled form. Glad I only had about 2 ounces of this as I had it at the end of a generous sampler with lunch with the nachos. This one held up well against the spiciness of the black beans and jalapenos.

This sounds great. I've never seen an Imperial Hefeweizen. Too bad it isn't sold in bottles, but there's a few bars around here that might have it on tap. I'll keep an eye out.

In some news, Avery had its release party for a new beer that hadn't appeared on my radar until recently. The beer is Presidential Pale Ale (tagline: "Ale to the Chief") and it appears it'll be in Denver/Boulder area bars around the Democratic National Convention and staying around until the election. Although it's an Imperial Pale Ale, they refuse to call it such--American is a democracy after all. Once I have it, I'll post (for the record, this is a different beer than their Gemini IPA, which should be around soon too).

[devildeac]

Koenigshoeven Quadruple-enjoyed on draft at Quinn's pub in Seattle-Hey, DA, hope you are reading this and that this selection was one of the ones you had or tasted as it was fabulous. A deep, dark brown Belgian ale with a wonderful palate of raisins, dates, figs and caramel and chocolate malts. This one is thick and rich and weighs in at 10% ABV. Not cheap either at about $10 for about a 12 ounce serving. Hey, it was vacation and was delicious.

[2535Miles]

pre-cruise beer: Arrogant Bastard (from memory, no notes)-A deep brown, fairly typically strong IPA. Almost overwhelmingly bitter-a real tongue beater but this is what I would expect after reading the very entertaining 22 ounce bottle. Little malt smoothness here. This one is brutal, but it has been a couple years since I had one and I do like this ale. BTW, for Throaty, it is not overrated and I thought the soapy dishwater that I sampled after this brew was a far inferior product.

Stone Brewing is right up the street from where I used to live in San Marcos. I appreciate where they're coming from but typically reserve their brews for later in the evening when my taste buds are slightly numbed. Even then, I can only stomach a pint. You can find their stickers plastered randomly throughout the North County in bars, restrooms, taco stands, carnicerias, etc. My favorite: "Fizzy yellow beer is for wussies" and Stone doesn't make a single beer for the wussies.

[devildeac]

Stone Brewing is right up the street from where I used to live in San Marcos. I appreciate where they're coming from but typically reserve their brews for later in the evening when my taste buds are slightly numbed. Even then, I can only stomach a pint. You can find their stickers plastered randomly throughout the North County in bars, restrooms, taco stands, carnicerias, etc. My favorite: "Fizzy yellow beer is for wussies" and Stone doesn't make a single beer for the wussies.

I have liked the few of their products I have tasted but they don't have 12 ouncers much (if at all) so I don't buy many of their beverages. I think they may have brewed Alimony Ale several years ago and described it as "the bitterest beer in America" bacause of the recent divorce of one of the brewers of that ale. It is amusing reading their bottles.